Blue Bars (on TV, not sad taverns)

I’ve gotten a few questions over the last couple of weeks from viewers who are watching our digital broadcasts.  “A Talented Lady” from Wisconsin Dells asked:

Why on digital  broadcasts does the size and configuration keep changing?  I just bought several new  digital tv sets , one large one and half the time I’m watching a small picture in the middle of the screen, which keeps switching back and forth to full screen viewing.  Half of the commercials are small and  half are full screen. How long are we going to put up with this? I just hate it!!!  It is so distracting and really makes trying to watch a show stressful!!  What is going on?

And Bob from Madison sent this:

“…I also have been noticing News 3 at 6 HD has begun this practice with its use a more subtle, narrow, one-sided vertical blue border.  At a time when broadcasters are forcing analog customers to go digital and digital customers to go HD, do broadcasters denigrate their HD customers viewing experience by stealing their viewing screen for their own use?”

For many of you who don’t watch us in HD, here’s what these viewers are talking about…

<------------ see the blue side panels? ------------>

See those blue borders on the left and right of the screen?  We call those “side panels.”  We use these because slowly and surely, the industry standard for picture size is changing…we’re following TV manufacturers who have moved from producing square TV screens to rectangular TV screens.  Because of that, broadcasters, like us, are moving towards shooting and airing video in a 16:9 ratio (or wide-screen, like a movie theatre screen).  In the past, our screens have only been a 4:3 ration.  The TV’s below help illustrate this.

A traditional television, with a 4:3 aspect ratio (or, viewing area).

Newer TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio (or, viewing area).

So you can see — the image size is very different.  In the past, we shot all of our video, and our newscasts, in 4:3.  Now, we’re shooting everything, including our newscasts, in 16:9.  Occasionally we have to use file video or network video for our stories…and much of that is in 4:3.  So we place those blue side panels on each side of the screen to make up for the lack of video that’s there.  Otherwise, you’d just see black on the sides.

So no, it’s not subliminal advertising…no, we’re not stealing your viewing space…and we’re sorry it’s annoying!  But it’s going to get better.   As more and more of our video is shot in 16:9, we won’t have to use those side panels any more.

Hope that helps answer your questions!