Just noticed that The Wire plays in 16:9 when viewed on Amazon's Prime Instant Streaming service.
I assumed that this was Amazon matting the original 4:3 frame, but to be sure I started S01E01 from the DVD on my TV, and the same episode from Amazon on my phone.
Amazon's image isn't cutting off anything from the top and bottom of the image - it's actually a true widescreen frame with more image on the left and right.
Also, Amazon's picture quality is better than the old DVDs (YMMV depending on bandwidth, I guess).
I skipped ahead a few seasons on Amazon and they look to be 16:9 the whole way through. Time for another rewatch!
This 16:9/HD version aired on DirecTV's Channel 101/Audience Network a couple years ago, so Amazon wasn't responsible for it -- they must have just gotten their hands on the same "remastered" version that DirecTV used.
The show was probably shot on widescreen film, but framed for 4:3. So, there could be stuff that you see on the sides that you weren't meant to see.
Buffy was like this. I remember a scene where you could see an arm shaking this vine that the actors where trying to get thru. You couldn't see that arm in the 4:3 version because it was outside of the frame.
I've never seen The Wire, but have always meant to. Maybe I'll finally break down and watch it.
This 16:9/HD version aired on DirecTV's Channel 101/Audience Network a couple years ago, so Amazon wasn't responsible for it -- they must have just gotten their hands on the same "remastered" version that DirecTV used.
I remember when that aired, but I thought the consensus was that DirecTV was actually matting the 4:3 frame and you were losing image.
EDIT: Here's the old thread about it. No one really reached a final verdict except for some anecdotal comments saying that heads look chopped off in some shots.
As someone who was just about to start watching the show for the first time, I'm now confused about which version I should stream. I did a quick Google search, and I came up with this article that gives some insight into the situation:
NEVERMIND! It's only the first 2 seasons, although I SWEAR I wasn't tired enough this morning to not notice that seasons 3-5 were 4:3 when I checked them, but I must have been.
While if that were the case it could be, it's not, unless Amazon made a mistake labeling the show. If it were HD, there would be an HD banner across the bottom of the show icon.
And I couldn't find any source, legal or not, that had HD digital copies of the show. But I don't have the most obvious source, HBO Go, so I don't know if they are or not.
Some interesting stuff right at the end of this article about HD and aspect ratios from the directory of photography. Not conclusive about whether there could be a real HD version or not but does confirm that the first 3 season were shot in 16:9 and then reframed to 4:3 for broadcast.
There is no doubt whatsoever that there COULD be an HD version (the series was shot on film; film is higher def than HD); the only question is whether they did the work of going back to the film and rescanning it to HD.
Somebody upthread says they saw an HD version of it. That could have been upconverted from the SD version, or it could be true HD scanned from the original film.
There is no doubt whatsoever that there COULD be an HD version (the series was shot on film; film is higher def than HD); the only question is whether they did the work of going back to the film and rescanning it to HD.
Somebody upthread says they saw an HD version of it. That could have been upconverted from the SD version, or it could be true HD scanned from the original film.
It's not. I just watched the first episode last night. It did look good, though. It will be weird if it suddenly switches to 4:3 for the last two seasons.
NEVERMIND! It's only the first 2 seasons, although I SWEAR I wasn't tired enough this morning to not notice that seasons 3-5 were 4:3 when I checked them, but I must have been.
They stopped framing for 16x9 after the first three seasons once they decided to keep the show 4x3 for the entire run. They framed the initial seasons to future proof just in case. The producers intention is for the show to be in 4x3.
As someone who was just about to start watching the show for the first time, I'm now confused about which version I should stream. I did a quick Google search, and I came up with this article that gives some insight into the situation:
Here's how Slate thinks the digital enhancement might go. Spoiler death of a major character.
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