CTV-HD

[StanleySparker]

I can only hope that these useless Canadian channels such as CTV and Global will never get their HD programming fixed and will never get to simsub US networks. I find it really annoying when they interrupt US networks on SD channels, so right now, I'm enjoying watching HD programming uninterrupted. Now if only this could last forever... keep screwing up the feeds CTV and Global on your own channel, we don't need you on US channels!

[otown47]

I watched Eleventh Hour for a while last night and I've gotta say the PQ was terrible. The picture was grainy and the colours totaly washed out. The SD version didn't have this problem.

Its obvious to me that CTV hasn't caught on to what HDTV is about.....great sound and picture......improved technical qualities for programming. Without these qualities HDTV in Canada is just widescreen mush. I'm really disappointed....

[57]

Yeah, I surfed past this one just before the news. Looked like it was shot through vaseline. I believe the sound was correct, but I wasn't watching for very long.

Excuse my ignorance, but is this a CTV production?

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

Compared to its US counterparts, CTV SD is almost always a poorly produced murky mess. What makes you think CTV HD will be any different?

[peon]

I don't know if it's true in general, but the difference in picture quality between CBS and CTV on last night's episode of CSI:Miami was significantly less than I seen in the past. It was difficult to see a difference in color saturation. The delay in switching between channels prevented a good comparison of a scene, but I think they were pretty close, with CBS having slightly more saturation.

Unfortuately, with the brighter picture, their logo is really outstanding now, especially on outside, daylight scenes.

[Nels Stewart]

What about sound? Is CTV still screwing that up? Last night's episode of CSI: Miami was CBS' first official 5.1 broadcast of any of their episodic shows, and it sounded pretty good on CBSHD out of Boston, on BEV.

[Altaman]

Hey Hugh what about that butt ugly HD logo they are using...any attempt to fix that? How about not keeping it on thoughout the entire show? Can you ask if they are willing to pay for new screens/guns when their logo burns into sets?

Alt

[otown47]

I compared Joan of Arcadia on CBSHD and CTVHD last night. The PQ on CTVHD was still a little fuzzy compared to CBSHD.

[Nels Stewart]

I was forced to watch CTV-HD last night when, for some reason, CBS Boston didn't pass along the HD feed of Third Watch. The picture and 5.1 sound were fine, so it seems they may be getting the upper hand on some of their technical issues. Now, if only they would lose that horrible opague bug...

On the downside, no mention of HD in all their promos for their broadcast of the Juno Awards. Pathetic.

[dukee]

Originally Posted by Altaman

Hey Hugh what about that butt ugly HD logo they are using...any attempt to fix that? How about not keeping it on thoughout the entire show? Can you ask if they are willing to pay for new screens/guns when their logo burns into sets?

I think the bugs will always be an issue.... can't have viewers see a U.S. bug that will let them know that the CTV show being watched was actually a U.S. show with simsubbed Canadian commercials.

[lancla]

Sorry to come back to this subject, but I saw an interesting alternative yesterday - don't say here elegant - on Global during a 16:9 program.

They kept the NBC logo at bottom right and did put a small white Global at upper right. Maybe not the best solution again, but surely less annoying that the infamous CTV black bug.

My question : is there any complaints sent to CRTC about this? Can they do anything. Or how can we «shake the house» at CTV?

[Nels Stewart]

They kept the NBC logo at bottom right and did put a small white Global at upper right.

In the bug-crazed tv broadcasting industry, Global's solution to the bug issue is certainly less offensive than CTV's abomination, although I still think it could be a little more transparent.

As for CTV's bug, back when we were all outraged over CTV's constant technical glitches with its HD broadcasts, which were being forced upon us by BEV's slavish acquiesence to their simsub requests, I'm sure all of us who complained to the CRTC also mentioned the distracting bug as a diminishment of the originating broadcasts' quality. And I recall someone with an insider connection to CTV posted that, despite our complaints, the opague bug is so beloved by someone in the CTV executive suite that it's unlikely to disappear anytime soon

[Nels Stewart]

CTV continues to insist, and promote, Corner Gas as being broadcast in HD. This is from a CTV Position Statement, dated April, 2005, on their website:

CTV is adding to this mix its homegrown programming which is now also available in HD. Hit series Corner Gas and The 2005 JUNO Awards are just two examples of this.

It boggles my mind that they can have the gall to boast about Discovery's whole 500 hours of HD programming since its launch almost two years ago, which really represents a lowly 3% of their total available programming over that time period.

And how many of these:

17 HBO Championship Boxing events

have actually shown up in HD on TSN-HD?

[57]

The thing that really pisses me off is that everyone publishes this stuff, so the "myth" of Corner gas being HD is perpetuated. It was also mentioned in the latest "Feature" magazine (now under a different name like Movie Entertainment)

[Nels Stewart]

I haven't bothered with too many A/B comparisons with CTV-HD lately, but a persistent popping on CBS-HD from Boston during the opening moments of CSI: Miami sent me down the dial in search of relief.

The picture on CBS is noticeably more saturated and vibrant, although the PQ on CTV isn't unpleasant, maybe even a little more natural-looking. As for sound, CBS has been doing 5.1 for CSI for awhile now, but it's still DPL on CTV. Oh yeah, the popping went away after the first commercial break, so I don't have to endure the CTV bug of death anymore