Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Finally! HD Turner Classic Movies

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 10-28-2009, 05:32 PM:

Turner Classic Movies is finally available in High Definition. I do not know how widespread the coverage but it became available in Honolulu about a week ago. I watched NOSFERATU and DIABOLIQUE on Sunday night and the picture quality in HD was fantastic. I watched NOSFERATU many times on scratchy 16mm film and once on Super 8 and seeing it for the first in HD with an image almost free of scratches was a treat. The French film also looked gorgeous in HD.

-Claude

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-28-2009, 06:27 PM:

We have had it for a few months now here. It was a welcome upgrade to the channel line up.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 10-28-2009, 10:27 PM:

I'd really like to have TCM HD on my satellite TV subscription. Unfortunately, it looks like neither DirecTV or Dish Network offer it. Both companies have been launching new satellites to add more HD capacity. But it looks like both are playing games trying to milk their customers for as much money as possible while providing as little programming as they can get away with providing until too many customers leave. This is especially true for Dish Network.

The only reason why I'm still a Dish Network customer is my options here in Lawton are shit. I have a "grandfathered" Dish HD Absolute package which costs me less than $60 per month. That's about 70 or so HD channels, including 8 HBO channels and my local channels in HD, plus the nice DVR/receiver. DirecTV doesn't have anything remotely comparable in that price range, plus they don't carry ANY of our local channels -not in SD or HD. The local cable company, now owned by Fidelity, is a freaking joke. If the company was Cox or Time Warner then the offerings might be more credible. But with Fidelity you'll spend well over $80 per month for extended SD cable and get a mere sprinkling of less than a couple dozen HD channels, not the many channels in HD you get from DirecTV, Dish Network or the largest cable companies.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-29-2009, 02:21 AM:

Quite often, I'll be channel surfing and land on a great movie on TCM or one of the other channels. But they always lose me during the commercial breaks, which get thicker and thicker as the movie goes on. No thanks. I'd rather watch a regular old DVD than HD with commercials.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 10-29-2009, 02:39 AM:

TCM doesn't run commercials during movies.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 10-29-2009, 10:51 AM:

Comcast in my area started showing TCM in HD about the same time as Claude got it in Hawaii. It is great. Everything is in it's original aspect ratio with no fish-eye effect to fill the screen with 4:3 material. Some stuff is obviously upconverted but still it's beautiful to watch compared to most other "free" cable movie channels. We also got MGMHD at the same time which has limited commercials...maybe one brief one per hour promoting an upcoming feature. Best of all is both of the above mentioned channels do not run annoying ads across the bottom of their screens constantly.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 10-29-2009, 12:27 PM:

It's been nearly a couple years since I had TCM (on my SD subscription package), but if I remember right TCM would show movies uncut.

Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 10-29-2009, 01:06 PM:

TCM's policy is to run pictures uncut, uninterrupted, and in their original aspect ratio.
I'm glad to hear about the HD. I haven't noticed it particularily in L.A., but often record for later viewing which would end up standard def. The quality is still excellent. I'll have to take a look at a "live" broadcast to see if we are getting HD. I should think so.

DM

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 10-30-2009, 10:51 AM:

Richard - the HD signal is on an entirely different channel. Both SD and HD are digital channels.

Do you work for Turner? Your name sounds familiar.

Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 10-30-2009, 11:18 AM:

Joe,
I was with Turner for its entire existence, 1986-96, then taken over by WB 1996-2005. I am now with Film Technology Co., a restoration lab.
Thanks for the info. I looked at TCM last night, and thought the R. Osborn intro material looked very good, but couldn't be certain of HD. The program itself was the 1932 film PROSPERITY, which will never be anywhere near HD.

Dick May

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 10-30-2009, 11:26 AM:

I've had TCM-HD for several months now. It does not appear that they are showing true HD 1080i transfers, but the channel does look better than the non-hd tcm. There is far less compression artifacts, and widescreen films now fill the width of my 16:9 screen without zooming the picture.

Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 10-31-2009, 06:40 PM:

There are many older classic films that probably are not commercially available in HD.

The only thing that makes SD look a little bit better on HD signals is less compression, and sometimes no interlace depending on the source format.

I don't have TCM in HD here yet, but boy am I envious!

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 11-02-2009, 01:28 PM:

I had recorded several TCM movies last week on my HDDVR including Ken Russell's VALENTINO, YOURS, MINE & OURS, TO SIR WITH LOVE, TARGET with Boris Karloff and the 1936 version of SHOW BOAT and viewed them all during the past couple of evenings. Although I love classic films, I seldom watched regular TCM telecasts because of the substandard image quality and prefered DVDs and Blu-Ray. I am very happy TCM is finally showing movies in HD and have found the image quality superb! All of the TCM HD movies I have seen so far appeared like I was watching beautiful upconverted DVDs on my Bllu Ray player and looked like film.

As a person who had loved the cinema all his life, I never thought the day would ever come when I would enjoy watching fims at home with an image quality that is identical to the way I remember seeing them in a theatre with a HD television set. I have found Blu Ray is a wonderful way to watch and enjoy recent films as well as many classics such as THE WIZARD OF OZ , SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFF, and NORTH BY NORTHWEST which will be available on BD tomorrow. Now with TCM in HD, I am a very happy camper! [Smile]

-Claude

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-02-2009, 11:17 PM:

quote: Paul Linfesty
TCM doesn't run commercials during movies.

I guess I got it mixed up with AMC. I think it used to run movies uncut, maybe? I guess this shows how much TV I watch (not much).

And Claude, if you type "SEVEN DWARFF" once more I am going to go out of my mind. So you'll have that on your conscience.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 11-03-2009, 09:00 AM:

Yes, Once upon a time AMC did show movies the right way uncut.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 11-03-2009, 09:35 AM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
And Claude, if you type "SEVEN DWARFF" once more I am going to go out of my mind.

That's how it's spelled with a Hawaiian accent!

Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 11-03-2009, 12:23 PM:

Back to the question of HD in Los Angeles. I contacted TW Cable (our supplier), and they said they are not using HD here.
Frankly, I don't think it makes much difference, as most of TCM's movies are old masters.
I wonder if they used the new NORTH BY NW, mastered for BluRay, last night? Did anybody notice?

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 11-03-2009, 01:10 PM:

I watched some of NxNW last night on TCMHD. It was beautiful and better than I'd ever seen it look. Still, though it was obviously better than their SD channel, it was definitely not a full HD picture. I still think TCM is upconverting everything they show. The resolution is excellent but the images have that softer, upconverted look. I can't say why though because it's obviously not the same video stream...the logo clearly says "TCM HD" and the aspect ratios are correct in the 16:9 frame. I'd be curious to know why they don't use their full HD transfers. Maybe they are planning some HD hoopla at some point in the future and want to hold off their new material for that time.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 11-03-2009, 01:24 PM:

Richard, it is not my intention to differ with you but there is a big difference between TCM's standard and HD signal.. As I had mentioned in my previous post, the picture quality of some of the movies I have seen had an image quality like a beautiful up converted DVD. Also as Mitchell Dvoskin had stated, letterbox pictures fills the entire screen without having to zoom and that is another plus about TCM's HD programming. I watched RHAPSODY, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Victorio Gasman last night and although the 1954 Technicolor film was not restored, it was shown letterboxed and was very nice.

eh, Mike why it badda you when I spell DWARFF like that? Joe, you one smart bagga because you know us guys in Hawaii no can spell good [Smile]

Enough said!

-Claude

Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 11-04-2009, 12:22 PM:

Claude,
Thanks for the comment. I hope when we get TCM HD I will see the improvement.
Regarding RHAPSODY, I supervised new elements being made when I was in charge of preservation at Turner. It should look beautiful. It was shot in 3-strip Technicolor, so properly should be shown 1:37 ratio.

Dick

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 11-04-2009, 01:44 PM:

You're welcome, Richard

RHAPSODY was shown on TCM in HD in the 1:85 aspect ratio and it looked great in that format. Although the color was wonderful, the image was pale and lacked contrast. I was only sixteen years old when the movie was released in 1954 and this movie as well as THE STORY OF THREE LOVES, INTERRUPTED MELODY, THE GREAT WALTZ, THE GREAT CARUSO, STUDENT PRINCE, DEEP IN MY HEART from MGM and FANTASIA from Disney as well as other films played a very important part in introducing me to classical music at a very young age. I usually erase programs I record on my DVR after I had watched them but RHAPSODY is a keeper and hope TCM will air more films about classical music in the near future

It is rather ironic that Los Angeles, the film capitol of the world does not have TCM HD service yet, Richard

-Claude

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-04-2009, 02:02 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
Mike why it badda you when I spell DWARFF like that?

Cause U seem like a guy who shd b able to spel betta dan dat.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 11-04-2009, 03:35 PM:

This reminds me of a story...

I knew a guy named Hubert many years ago. One day at work I stumbled over the pronunciation of some word and asked him how to say it. His reply was "I don't know about that but you know what word I can't say? Fyute."

"Fyute?" I asked.

"Yeah" he said. "You know, fyute! Apples, oranges...Fyute!"

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 11-05-2009, 01:16 PM:

That is very funny, Joe [Smile]

-Claude

Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 11-05-2009, 02:06 PM:

Claude: So far, has just about everything you've seen on TCM been in HD, or are there some (disappointing?) gaps in their lineup?

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 11-05-2009, 02:30 PM:

Hi Karl,

The programming I have seen so far on HD- TCM is very good. The picture quality varies from fair to outstanding. VALENTINO was excellent and so was YOURS, MINE AND OURS. TO SIR WITH LOVE and RHAPSODY both had pictures that was kind of flat but they had good color and nice. HOME FROM THE HILLS was flat in contrast with color that look rather faded. From what I have seen so far, the picture quality of any movie they show thAt I had seen is based on the condition of the original source and possibly the way they are transmitted. The only thing I cannot get too excited about TCM is the sound. I know HOME FROM THE HILL is a stereo film because it sounded great on a four track stereo print I saw in a theatre and on laserdisc but the sound on TCM was very weak. Has anyone else noticed this about TCM;s stereo sound?

-Claude

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 11-05-2009, 02:44 PM:

I did notice that their standard def is 2-channel stereo and their hi def decodes into Dolby Digital - presumably 5.1 channels. A good test will be a multi-channel title you are familiar with and maybe even have on disc by which you can compare.

It is pretty common to have a 5.1 signal and only two speakers active. Most recently I tried watching "From Dusk Till Dawn" from someone's On Demand selections and while it showed "Dolby Digital" and 5.1 channels on my receiver it was definitely just two channels ported over. Of course the equipment perceived a source of six discrete channels so it didn't even kick into the Dolby Pro Logic mode. It would have been smarter to leave it 2-channel stereo if they weren't going to do it right.