[Tig] Deadwood or HBO snafu?

[Marc Wielage]

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Thanks to oktobor for supporting the TIG
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On 7/2/06 8:17 AM, "Jan & Eileen" <wb9iph at ameritech.net> wrote:

> After watching multiple programs, swapping inputs on Display, and other
> tests, I'm convinced I am seeing something, and from side emails, it is
> something that isn't on the transfer........
> I'm just not certain if I'm seeing either compression artifact(s), or a bad
> box?
> I've yet to drag out a scope, but I'll probably have to before this is all
> over.....
>------------------------------<snip>------------------------------<

I agree with Andy Lichtstein -- the show looks fine on my home systems.

If you're seeing weird "crushed black" artifacts, then I suspect the cable
company is doing something nasty to the signal.

I will say that MPEG2 technology tends to have a lot of problems compressing
large areas of solid black, which wind up looking "blocky" and weird
looking.  I saw this before at Cinesite with a few projects, and we had to
go back and reduce the amount of crushed blacks (which had been done for a
specific DP request) to give the compression engines more detail to "bite"
into.

If you have any way of getting DirecTV (or Dish Network), watch HBO that
way, and I bet it'll look better.  Otherwise, go get the DVD release of
DEADWOOD, which should show you something a little closer to the original
transfer.

--Marc Wielage/Senior Colorist
Technicolor Creative Services
Hollywood, USA

NOTE:  The comments above are strictly mine, and may not necessarily
represent those of my employers.



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