The Wire

[Lava_Lander]

I read an article (maybe at HitFix.com, I think) where it was said that the announcement was just premature -- it's happening, but they were nowhere near ready to go for September.

[Chareth]

David Simon and several of the actors are holding a reunion panel at Paleyfest NY on October 16.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/03/th...ite-paleyfest/

We may learn more about the HD conversion there via the questions, or HBO may be planning to make its official announcement.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Great news - hopefully we're getting closer to a Blu release of this superb series.

One especially interesting aspect of The Wire for me was that I grew up in the Baltimore, MD area years ago & the show truly captures the city extremely well, i.e. the downtown rowhouses, the waterfront (S2) & Harborplace, the accents (when I first saw the show I was completely unaware that three of the actors were from the UK - they sounded like they had all grown up in Baltimore!), etc. Though I had moved from the Baltimore area years before The Wire premiered, when I started watching the show it really felt like I was right back there, which is something that isn't always easy to achieve...

This also holds true for the '90's series Homicide: Life on the Street & the HBO mini-series The Corner...

[Five Inches]

I have put off watching this show since it's initial run, it just never happpened, despite it being an HBO property, and I own lots of their other shows.

This re-master is definitely great news for (I suppose) fans and those of us that have high expectations for this show; I have heard nothing but great things.

Personally, I can live with either the original aspect or the "opened up" aspect of 1.78:1 since it was shot with both aspects in mind, and the fact that I haven't seen it helps. I have not invested emotionally in any of the two possible. When it comes to cropping movies from pana/scope to fit 1.78:1 or Pan & Scan if you will (brrr), I'm totally against it.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by Five Inches

Personally, I can live with either the original aspect or the "opened up" aspect of 1.78:1 since it was shot with both aspects in mind, and the fact that I haven't seen it helps. I have not invested emotionally in any of the two possible. When it comes to cropping movies from pana/scope to fit 1.78:1 or Pan & Scan if you will (brrr), I'm totally against it.

Same here - even though I am a huge fan of The Wire, I have a lot of respect for the producers of the show, and IIRC they intentionally presented the show in the full-screen format to bring to mind old-skool detective/police dramas from the '70's/'80's...at least that was always my impression - or, maybe I read this somewhere. So, either full-screen or widescreen would be fine with me...

Conversely, when it comes to The X-files, I definitely want that show to be widescreen if it's ever released to Blu since I think the show looks a lot better that way....

[BluVinyl]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

Same here - even though I am a huge fan of The Wire, I have a lot of respect for the producers of the show, and IIRC they intentionally presented the show in the full-screen format to bring to mind old-skool detective/police dramas from the '70's/'80's...at least that was always my impression - or, maybe I read this somewhere. So, either full-screen or widescreen would be fine with me...

Conversely, when it comes to The X-files, I definitely want that show to be widescreen if it's ever released to Blu since I think the show looks a lot better that way....

If you go back to page 6 of this thread I posted a link to David Simon's blog where he says he is opposed to a widescreen version of the Wire. He starts off being opposed to an HD version but seems to come around in the end.

[theusher]

Originally Posted by Chareth

David Simon and several of the actors are holding a reunion panel at Paleyfest NY on October 16.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/03/th...ite-paleyfest/

We may learn more about the HD conversion there via the questions, or HBO may be planning to make its official announcement.

The panel is now available for anyone who wants to watch at:

https://screen.yahoo.com/popular/pal...190000457.html

Unfortunately, there were no details given about the HD conversion and no one asked Simon

[BluVinyl]

Another interesting article about David Simon, with some insights on his next project and previous projects including the Wire. Nothing on the Wire in HD though.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/..._city_and.html

[BluVinyl]

Also stumbled across this Hollywood Reporter article reissuing their first review of the Wire first episode.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...-review-743980

[_Echo]

It's official: The Wire is coming to Blu-ray in summer 2015.

Press release: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2...20141202hbo03/

[rickah88]

[kristoffer]

Good news! But why do we have to wait till summer?

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Good news! But why do we have to wait till summer?

Perhaps they are making bonus features for the BD set, and those along with all the other authoring/reproduction would mean a Q2 release.
Plus I'm sure the studio will want to hype it up a little but, and all of this does take some time to put together.

Hey, if true, I'm thrilled beyond belief!!
Can't wait to hear the technical specs!

[kristoffer]

Ahh maybe you are right. I just hope they didn't crop picture too much....

[theusher]

The Wire Gets High-Def Remastering, HBO to Mark Release With Marathon

The Wire is getting a little tightening for the holidays, so to speak.

HBO’s acclaimed, Baltimore-set drama has undergone a high-definition remastering that will be unveiled with a late December marathon on HBO Signature, followed by a digital debut in January and finally a Blu-Ray release next summer.

According to the network, all 60 episodes of The Wire have been remastered for “a tighter fit on widescreen TVs and computer/tablet screens. The original negatives were scanned, edited, dust-busted and color-corrected with great care and attention taken to stay true to the look and feel of the original Standard-Definition 4×3 version.”

The HBO Signature marathon will play all five seasons consecutively, beginning Friday, Dec. 26 at noon/11c, and ending on Tuesday, Dec. 30; the show will be available in HD on HBO GO starting Dec. 26, as well.
Subsequently, The Wire: The Complete Series in HD will go on sale at iTunes, Google Play, X-Box Video and Vudu on January 5. The exact summer 2015 release date for a HD Blu-Ray version has not yet been determined.

http://tvline.com/interstitial/#u=ht...7a81e1d57b77ae

http://deadline.com/2014/12/the-wire...bo-1201306576/

[_Echo]

David Simon on The Wire in HD: http://davidsimon.com/the-wire-in-hd/

[EddieLarkin]

According to the network, all 60 episodes of The Wire have been remastered for “a tighter fit on widescreen TVs and computer/tablet screens. The original negatives were scanned, edited, dust-busted and color-corrected with great care and attention taken to stay true to the look and feel of the original Standard-Definition 4×3 version."

Great, all that work for them to go and ruin it by forcing it into widescreen.

[rickah88]

Another instance where the...ya know...creator of the artwork is wrong?
Armchairs know what is better for the show?

[EddieLarkin]

Wrong about what? He says the 16x9 version does not represent the original vision of The Wire, and that all said and done the 4x3 version is superior. I would like that superior 4x3 version that the creator prefers on Blu-ray thanks, over the 16x9 version which he clearly only tentatively endorses as an "alternative" version.

[chronoclast]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Another instance where the...ya know...creator of the artwork is wrong?
Armchairs know what is better for the show?

This is HBO's doing. While David accepts it, he's not totally down with this reversioning. Like he says, it's not true to his original vision.

Had HBO stayed true to it, I'm sure he would have been thrilled.