ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

How come whenever footy is shown especially ITV there is never a widescreen version ?? take tonights match in 4:3, but then often if ITV2/4 show an alternative match that IS in 16:9 surely if ITV1 is the premium ITV channel it should show the best pic ????

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

Its not ITV's fault - when an British team are playing away, they use the feed provided by the host broadcaster.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

It might sound ignorant but can't they "buy" a better proper feed? It doesn't seems to happen on Sky Sports Channel when a British team playing away.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

Sky Sports can afford it. They get ££Ã ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£ from people paying to watch it, and more ££Ã ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£ from the adverts too. ITV only get the latter.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

Getting the same on Freeview ITV1.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

Fair point. One would hope ITV could pump in more money to get the full package rather than a "value" package. Is that all the quality they can get/afford with the so-called "exclusive" broadcasting right?

Since they are the only channel in England showing the match (as far as I know) I really dissappointed to have to watch it on a mediocre quality with no other option. SkySports is showing cricket right now me think.

May be ITV cut out some of those annoying commentors saving some money to up their bidding.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

Just think - from next season, ITV have some of the FA Cup games and home England games. There's something to look forward to. :p:

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

I know. That's depressing. Think you can watch it on Setanta as well but the quality on some of the matches I watched previously is equally depressing. Wembley in a 4:3 just not right:dozey:

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

In Champions League football, the nation of the home club is responsible to provide the broadcast and hence the feed to other Nations.

Tonights match was being filmed by the Dutch in 4:3, not 16:9...

if the game had been shown on Sky Sports 2 or Extra, it would also have been in 4:3, because thats how they would have got the feed from Holland too.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

historically these european games are broadcast in 14:9 which is a halfway house between 16:9 and 4:3

Reason for this is most broadcasters in Europe are(or until very recently were) broadcasting primarily in 4:3

14:9 is a halfway house between the 2. Meaning people who watch on a 4:3 system don't get the images truncated too much(To show 16:9 on a 4:3 system they use an ARC which in simple terms just zooms the picture in) Also means that people on a 16:9 system will still get slightly more.

It's frustrating I know, but as 16:9 becomes the norm I'd expect to see this go, especially when HD comes in proper as this is an exclusivley 16:9 format. However it will take time for the providers to do this.

IT's also worth bearing in mind that the providers are the local feed pool not Virgin or Beeb or Sky but the local provider.

In other words it's europes fault :)

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

If you mean the Liverpool match tonight I watched it on a mates TV in widescreen as he had to use the aerial feed as his trouble and strife was taping off the satellite so he couldn't watch it on SKY, so does that mean it looks like terrestrial is OK for widescreen?

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

it was a zoomed picture you had NOT widescreen ..... as there was both borders at the side AND top and bottom!!!

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

Never saw any borders, his TV is an old SONY CRT Widescreen set to SMART mode I think!

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

i still feel ITV is not dishing out enough money to get a good feed. Sky manage to show it in HD on all their UCL slot!

Anyone know any PSV fan live in Holland with widescreen (sounds tall order)? I just can't believe the Dutch only do 4:3 feed on their favourite sport.

Re: ITV football never widescreen on VM / sky?
 

There is another option. Sky could be taking that 4:3 feed, then zooming into the centre of it (as Smart mode on the TV does) and chopping off the top and bottom.