MovieChat Forums > The Boys (2019) Discussion > Why is the ratio anamorphic wide screen?

Why is the ratio anamorphic wide screen?

posted 5 months ago by GoldenTemple (274)
10 replies | jump to latest

This is a TV show watched at home on TV so why do they give it the letterbox black bar treatment?

[–] Valerian (-273) 5 months ago

As far as I can see the pixel aspect ratio is 1:1 so it's not anamorphic.

It's widescreen 2.39:1 which streaming services like because it requires approximately 25% less bandwidth compared to full frame 1.78:1.

[–] setnom (69) 5 months ago

Wait...

Is that actually the reason for so many TV shows using 2.35:1 or 2.39:1? I wondered lately! But I didn't expect bandwith saving costs to be the reason. I thought it had something to do with those ratios giving them a more cinematic feel.

[–] Valerian (-273) 5 months ago

I have noticed shows produced by streaming companies favor shallow depth of field (blurry backgrounds) and blurry vignetting (blurry edges of the frame). I assume this is to reduce bandwidth. Video codecs work in the frequency domain and detailed sharp picture contains a lot of high spatial frequencies (information) which need a lot of bandwidth. Blurry picture has mostly low frequencies and less information so needs less bandwidth.

I have not verified this but I think the use of widescreen is also meant to reduce bandwidth usage. If videos use 25% less bandwidth the company can serve 33% more customers through the same "pipe".

[–] moviechatterer (15583) 5 months ago

so they are giving us blurriness in high definition?
marvelous

[–] Valerian (-273) 5 months ago

This is my theory which I just typed wearing a tin foil hat.

[–] moviechatterer (15583) 5 months ago

I think you're on to something!

Also I think maybe we'll see a return to a 4 color palette like the old comics - that will really help the codec get the compression rate up!

[–] Valerian (-273) 5 months ago

Here is a perfect example of blurry HD from Apple TV. Notice the blurry foreground/background and the edges of the frame.

youtu.be/dH3yylTyB8M

[–] moviechatterer (15583) 5 months ago

thats is very noticeable!

[–] LoveCatsHateDogs (1935) 5 months ago

TVs cost a lot of money.

Shooting content in this aspect ratio means I only get to use...most of my TV.

I paid for those other pixels. I want them filled with content.

[–] GoldenTemple (274) 5 months ago

This is why more 4K remaster should be full frame. What is the point of releasing a film in ultra HD if it is going to be cropped? I understand filmmaking and the rules of placing camera blocking etc yet still there are ways you can crop a film like they did with Mission Impossible: Fallout where you get the IMAX wide shots in full or at least allow the viewer to select to view scenes in that way.

Look up films in Open Matte as you be surprised how much exists in full frame that they purposely deny to officially release! The Matrix are some of the best examples because the camera filmed the actors to be in full frame with the head height. Go and compare the YouTube Open Matte Matrix clips and then your Blu Ray because so much of the close up shots look so badly framed in wide because as I said that film looks to have supposed to be full!