Scrubs: 16x9 vs 4x3 comparison

[DigitalfreakNYC]

So...

With the announcement of Scrubs season 8 on Blu-ray, there has been some debate as to whether the other 7 seasons would benefit from a blu-ray transfer. I took my HD capture of the last eppy (which began with flashbacks of the very first episode) and compared it to the DVD version. The results are below.

There is some slight cropping at the top and bottom but there is definitely more information on the sides. I wonder if this means HD versions of all 7 seasons could follow? 8 comes out in November.

[monkeyjb1988]

Obviously, widescreen Scrubs from seasons 1-7 can work, although I personally don't need them to be widescreen. They were originally broadcast in fullscreen, so fullscreen Blus would be fine.

[steve_dave]

NBC did not give them the budget to shoot all episodes in high-definition. They were able to film one episode in HD and it was broadcast as such. John Inwood, the cinematographer, decided to frame for 4x3 but shoot 16x9 safe so that the show could be remastered into true HD without major composition issues.

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by monkeyjb1988

Obviously, widescreen Scrubs from seasons 1-7 can work, although I personally don't need them to be widescreen. They were originally broadcast in fullscreen, so fullscreen Blus would be fine.

Even if the creative staff planned from the beginning for the show to be watchable in 16:9? Yeah, it was originally released in 4:3, but the creative staff clearly had a desire for it to work in 16:9. Even if cropping were required, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Look at The Shining; 4:3 version shows more on the top/bottom, but does that mean that's the version I want to see?

Depending the exact nature of the differences in framing between the two, I wouldn't mind seeing an option to matte the 16:9 to 4:3 though. I just want to be able to see it in 16:9 if the creative staff decided that the show should be exhibitable in that format (regardless of "original airing"). I mean, theatrical cuts are often denounced in favor of director's cuts released later on, so why would someone be so rigid in preference of watching something else the way it was "originally released". I mean, I can understand preferring the "way it was originally", but I don't think one should be as rigid as that as to circumvent the creative process and force the "original released" format on all viewers. Can you imagine a world where only theatrical cuts of films are available?

Originally Posted by steve_dave

NBC did not give them the budget to shoot all episodes in high-definition. They were able to film one episode in HD and it was broadcast as such. John Inwood, the cinematographer, decided to frame for 4x3 but shoot 16x9 safe so that the show could be remastered into true HD without major composition issues.

Do you know which "one" episode this is? Wasn't the last season shot on digital in HD though? Or was the last season shot on film just like normal, and it's only the presentation in 16:9 HD that differs here?

[KubrickFan]

The season 5 finale 'My Transition' was filmed in HD, according to the producer.
And I guess Scrubs was shot for both, so either version would be good. And although it was shot on 16mm, it was edited on video, so I don't think it would benefit much from a Blu-Ray release.

[steve_dave]

Actually, the show is shot on 16mm which is a higher resolution film format than high-definition. The cinematographer already tested the 16mm footage wth My Transition and was extremely happy with the results. The Blu-ray can be even more spectacular since the ABC broadcast is 720p for Season 8 while the BD would be 1080p.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by steve_dave

Actually, the show is shot on 16mm which is a higher resolution film format than high-definition. The cinematographer already tested the 16mm footage wth My Transition and was extremely happy with the results. The Blu-ray can be even more spectacular since the ABC broadcast is 720p for Season 8 while the BD would be 1080p.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I said. BUT most tv shows are edited on video, so they would have to redo all of that again.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by steve_dave

Actually, the show is shot on 16mm which is a higher resolution film format than high-definition. The cinematographer already tested the 16mm footage wth My Transition and was extremely happy with the results. The Blu-ray can be even more spectacular since the ABC broadcast is 720p for Season 8 while the BD would be 1080p.

If 35mm film is approximately 4k, wouldn't 16mm film have a resolution essentially equal to BD, as it is 2k?

[MTRodaba2468]

Since they were shot on film, I wouldn't be opposed to the previous seasons of Scrubs getting Blu releases.

As far as going 16:9 goes, I'd rather they go with the OAR.

Originally Posted by Afrobean

Even if the creative staff planned from the beginning for the show to be watchable in 16:9? Yeah, it was originally released in 4:3, but the creative staff clearly had a desire for it to work in 16:9. Even if cropping were required, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Look at The Shining; 4:3 version shows more on the top/bottom, but does that mean that's the version I want to see?

There's evidence to suggest that Kubrick framed and shot for 1.85:1 with The Shining, but protected for 1.33:1, to prevent cropping when aired on TV. You could use the same analogy here, that they were shooting for 1.33:1 in the initial seasons, but protecting for widescreen.

Same with The Shield. The first five seasons were rereleased in widescreen (along with the final seasons only getting widescreen releases), and the widescreen image shows more image on the sides, however, the show creator states that the show is meant to be seen in 4:3.

When it comes down t it, OAR SHOULD be the standard in any release, however, I fear that instead of films and shows getting cropped to 1.33:1, they'll get cropped (or opened up) to 1.78:1, just to fill up the screen.

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by MTRodaba2468

Since they were shot on film, I wouldn't be opposed to the previous seasons of Scrubs getting Blu releases.

As far as going 16:9 goes, I'd rather they go with the OAR.

Even if the 4:3 frame was a limitation of technology and they had kept 16:9 frame composition in mind?

And what is your opinion of shows which are composed in with 4:3 frame in mind with open sides, AND they're originally aired in both aspect ratios?

There's evidence to suggest that Kubrick framed and shot for 1.85:1 with The Shining, but protected for 1.33:1, to prevent cropping when aired on TV. You could use the same analogy here, that they were shooting for 1.33:1 in the initial seasons, but protecting for widescreen.

That isn't an incorrect analogy, but I don't think it's 100% on the nose either. I would imagine that if they shot with 16:9 protected, they also had it in mind what the shot would look like in 16:9. The Shining was shot with 4:3 protected to attempt to maintain the horizontal composition Kubrick intended, but Scrubs was shot with 16:9 protected because they wanted the show to be 16:9, but couldn't justify the format when it wasn't close to standard yet.

When it comes down t it, OAR SHOULD be the standard in any release, however, I fear that instead of films and shows getting cropped to 1.33:1, they'll get cropped (or opened up) to 1.78:1, just to fill up the screen.

Cropping is a wholly bad thing, but opening the sides is easily not a bad thing. People who are anal about it can always invest in a projection setup with curtains, and studios can always give a soft-coded option as well. In the same way that Disney's Pinocchio added colorful graphics to the sides that would show over the black pillarboxes, the studio could add a black graphic that could optionally cover up the sides that wouldn't be seen in a 4:3 presentation.

In the case of Scrubs, I would personally probably rather watch in 16:9, but I would definitely welcome the option to watch it in 4:3 with softcoded matte graphics.

Originally Posted by Straiter

If they've shot on 16mm it woud be perfect for a blu-ray release. The editor probably still has the original EDL's form the episodes, so do a 2K LOG scan with them, a new grading, et voila. It does cost a lot of money, so just keep hoping.

I would re-buy everything on blu-ray.

Scrubs is also the sort of show that has a life in syndication, so rescanning in HD would have value outside of a BD release. Look at Seinfeld. They rescanned that thing and still haven't put it on BD.

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

Even if the 4:3 frame was a limitation of technology and they had kept 16:9 frame composition in mind?

4x3 was NEVER a "limitation in technology".