Top Gear NOT in High Def

[edkwon]

Honestly, unless you have a massive 1080p TV, there is no need for HD. 42 inch TVs are too small for full 1080. I have a HDTV with HD tuner and I'll be buggered if I can tell the difference between HD and SD.

Your eyes must be bad, i only have a 32" HDTV set and theres a remarkable difference between SD = 480i and HD = 720p and 1080p.

Ed

 

[theboyG]

HD doesn't gen shown free to air? In Aussieland, as long as you have a HD tuner (either built in or cheap set top box which costs like ~150 or so) you can pick up all the HD channels.

Pretty much everything (Apart from old shows) is shown in HD over here. I love HD

HD would be magnificent, but it's probably not cost effective at this stage in time.

BBC HD is Free to Air in the UK - either on the terrestrial digital trials, or via a SkyHD box (you can buy the box - you dont have to subscribe to Sky HD, but get the BBC FTA signals)

?300 for a HD box to watch BBC HD tho !

 

[Dsemaj]

Note that Channel 7's HD isn't HD - it's 576p. Basically they lie and call it HD when it's not. Also, a lot of TVs, Plasmas & LCDs are marketed as HD when they're not - to be HD they must have a resolution to match 1080i / 1080p - i.e. 1920 x 1080. Anything below that isn't HD, no matter what the salesman says.

Eh, I guess i'm proven wrong! Yeah, full proper HD is 1080i/1080p. 1080i is 1366x768 and 1080p is 1920x1080, right? Most TVs these days are 'HD Ready' which is like saying I could run a marathon. Possible, but i'd need to get into shape. You can run HD on these TVs, you just need to fork out the money for a digital tuner. I've noticed the compression on 7 HD, hell, they aren't even calling it HD anymore now. The signal went and it's 7 SD on channel 70. Beats the hell out of me, what they're doing.

Ten plays David Letterman in HD, and it looks fantastic. That's the only way in hell i'll even watch it

@theboyG ouch? That much? Damn.

 

[Viper007Bond]

720p is real HD too, it's just not as high quality HD.

 

[VR6]

I could care less about HD, is it really that big of an issue? Its like old games vs new games the graphics get however many times better but the gameplay is getting worse and worse. Give me FF7 over any game ever. Its all about content for me and its not like you miss out on anything by not having hd so let them go with there sd.

 

[Ventura6]

Yeah, full proper HD is 1080i/1080p. 1080i is 1366x768 and 1080p is 1920x1080, right?

Not quite. The 1080i means there are 1,080 horizontal lines, but only half of them are shown at any given a time, and a moment later, the other half are active. Of course the swap happens so fast and so often, your eyes generally can't see it. The 'p' in 1080p stands for progressive, as opposed to interlaced, as demonstrated by a 1080i signal. A progressive signal shows all 1,080 lines at a time (or in the case of 720p or 480p, 720 and 480, respectively). This is supposed to help clean the picture up where there is heavy motion on screen.

Personally, I can't tell much of a difference.

Regarding 1080i meaning a resolution of 1366x768, that is simply inaccurate. It is likely an HDTV you are looking at is either a plasma or LCD with a native resolution of 1366x768, but still capable of accepting a 1080i signal. That means that somewhere between the signal source and the image you see, that 1920x1080 resolution image is being scaled down the screens native resolution (the maximum possible resolution capable on that set). You lose a lot of detail this way, but if you bought one, don't feel bad. Its what I have. My 37" Vizio has a resolution of 1366x768, so everything gets scaled to that resolution. At 37", an HD signal looks fine.

I would however, as long as the set is able to produce a heavily moving image with minimal artifacts, recommend an HDTV that has a native resolution of at least 1920x1080 and will display 1080p. It's the future, man.

 

[whitehornmatt]

Eh, I guess i'm proven wrong! Yeah, full proper HD is 1080i/1080p. 1080i is 1366x768 and 1080p is 1920x1080, right? Most TVs these days are 'HD Ready' which is like saying I could run a marathon. Possible, but i'd need to get into shape. You can run HD on these TVs, you just need to fork out the money for a digital tuner. I've noticed the compression on 7 HD, hell, they aren't even calling it HD anymore now. The signal went and it's 7 SD on channel 70. Beats the hell out of me, what they're doing.

Ten plays David Letterman in HD, and it looks fantastic. That's the only way in hell i'll even watch it

@theboyG ouch? That much? Damn.

7 are calling it SD because they turn off their 'HD' channel for the tennis.

With all 1080 signals you see 1080 lines all the time, with 1080p it is changed all at once and 1080i it changes in halves. If a TV waits for the other half of the frame before displaying it as a whole it makes a 1080i50 signal into a 1080p25 signal effectively.

 

[Dsemaj]

Not quite. The 1080i means there are 1,080 horizontal lines, but only half of them are shown at any given a time, and a moment later, the other half are active. Of course the swap happens so fast and so often, your eyes generally can't see it. The 'p' in 1080p stands for progressive, as opposed to interlaced, as demonstrated by a 1080i signal. A progressive signal shows all 1,080 lines at a time (or in the case of 720p or 480p, 720 and 480, respectively). This is supposed to help clean the picture up where there is heavy motion on screen.

Personally, I can't tell much of a difference.

Regarding 1080i meaning a resolution of 1366x768, that is simply inaccurate. It is likely an HDTV you are looking at is either a plasma or LCD with a native resolution of 1366x768, but still capable of accepting a 1080i signal. That means that somewhere between the signal source and the image you see, that 1920x1080 resolution image is being scaled down the screens native resolution (the maximum possible resolution capable on that set). You lose a lot of detail this way, but if you bought one, don't feel bad. Its what I have. My 37" Vizio has a resolution of 1366x768, so everything gets scaled to that resolution. At 37", an HD signal looks fine.

I would however, as long as the set is able to produce a heavily moving image with minimal artifacts, recommend an HDTV that has a native resolution of at least 1920x1080 and will display 1080p. It's the future, man.

I'm a bit of a videophile myself (I guess.. ), and I can tell the difference between progressive and interlaced. Thanks for straightening that part out about 1366x768. I'm yet to catch up all on stuff.. Technology is starting to move too fast for me.

My family only got our TV with it's resolution (1080i max) mainly because; 1080p sets were basically only really available on really expensive units at the time and we wanted a 50" inch TV. How could you blame us?

 

[freeflydodger]

I am not so sure if I want see more details on May?s hair or JC?s face...

That?s why there only need to be HD Outside cams, only filming the car.

But then again, the nice women in the first row in the studio could be more "detailed"...

 

[HondaF1]

7 are calling it SD because they turn off their 'HD' channel for the tennis.

With all 1080 signals you see 1080 lines all the time, with 1080p it is changed all at once and 1080i it changes in halves. If a TV waits for the other half of the frame before displaying it as a whole it makes a 1080i50 signal into a 1080p25 signal effectively.

7's logo used to burn into some TV screens!

 

[ESPNSTI]

I could care less about HD, is it really that big of an issue? Its like old games vs new games the graphics get however many times better but the gameplay is getting worse and worse.

I agree with you on the game front, but for me I liken SD vs. HD (in general, not with respect to Top Gear) as drinking an old warm stale beer vs. a fresh frosty cold one.

 

[Phila]

I could care less about HD, is it really that big of an issue? Its like old games vs new games the graphics get however many times better but the gameplay is getting worse and worse. Give me FF7 over any game ever. Its all about content for me and its not like you miss out on anything by not having hd so let them go with there sd.

Your whole statement doesn't make much sense in this area. While you are right that games get better looking and the gameplay goes to hell, how can you compare that to TV? It's not like the quality of the show is being sacrificed to bring you HD, its the same show only shown in astounding quality. As for not missing anything by not having HD, well, you do. Try watching sports in SD then go HD, you see so much more of the field/court that you can better see what's going on.

If you enjoy a show that is shown in HD as well as SD, how can you say the content is worse in HD?

 

[asbo]

I watch TG with my projector (100" screen) and trust me, if it were in HD it would look spectacular!

It looks ok with the VuK and Scene rips but pixelation and other artifacts are clearly visible.

And it's the cars we want to see in HD, not the guys face hairs and whatnot.

 

[Buba]

720p is real HD too, it's just not as high quality HD.

I'd doubt that. Studies have shown that people, as long as didn't know what resolution they are watching, they usually prefer a 720p image over a 1080i picture. That is a bit old, though, and with modern TVs having improved, especially in deinterlacing this might be a thing of the past...
And off course you are right, that 1080i does have more pixels, so quality might be in the eye of the beholder...

And with the whole WXGA thingy: There are very few tvs that are able to do 1080p without any scaling, so even if they have the pixels they still process the signal. Basically you are better of with a good 37" WXGA model than a 37" "cheapo" FullHD one.

And also: FullHD doesn't make sense in all environments. on a 32" screen from 2 meters away your average eye will make out a 1100x700 resolution, so unless you got a very big screen or sit really close to it... Figure it out. And I'm not just making stuff up here, its basic physiology...

For me: I do have a 37" WXGA one, I'm very pleased with it, and I never used the good processing it can do (why I bought it...) so far on movies, since I have it connected via VGA 1:1. But if I wouldn't be a student, and had the money I'd go for a fullHD one as well, but then somewhere in the 50" region.

 

[AiR]

Doing TG in any sort of interlace would look bad I think. Their editing style and the fact that cars in this show tend to move rather fast doesnt suit 1080i.

 

[october]

I couldn't give a toss about HD when it comes to Top Gear. The only HD we get here in Ireland seems to be from Sky & I don't think they do Top Gear. BBC channels here are terestrial in so far as they are broadcast but I haven't seen any news of our national broadcaster RTE transmitting in HD. Only recently they were telling us to use the wide channel feature on our TVs as most programs on RTE are broadcast in widescreen....not true but anyways...

HD TV is like the battle between Blueray & HD-DVD formats for the future of home cinema etc...it's really just starting & not something to worry about. If it gains popularity then it may become standard but until then I won't be buying anyways......not at the huge cost of TV & channel subscriptions for a few select programmes on a few select channels.

Be very patient....especially if you live in Ireland.

 

[VR6]

Your whole statement doesn't make much sense in this area. While you are right that games get better looking and the gameplay goes to hell, how can you compare that to TV? It's not like the quality of the show is being sacrificed to bring you HD, its the same show only shown in astounding quality. As for not missing anything by not having HD, well, you do. Try watching sports in SD then go HD, you see so much more of the field/court that you can better see what's going on.

If you enjoy a show that is shown in HD as well as SD, how can you say the content is worse in HD?

I wasn't trying to say the content gets worse I just meant that weather top gear is in HD or SD i'm still goin watch it no complaints. It would cost what 40% more to film in HD not worth it, I mean who wants to see clearer picture of jeremys teeth...

 

[Ianspeed]

Doing TG in any sort of interlace would look bad I think. Their editing style and the fact that cars in this show tend to move rather fast doesnt suit 1080i.

You probably mistyped. Interlaced formats (assuming 50/60hz carriers) are better for sports / fast action. Progressive formats would show strobing in the zoom-pans. I don't really see the need for HD for TopGear. It would be nice, but it adds a lot more complexity for a very small increase in numerical quality.

I'd rather they spend the money in post and on funding bits than HD.

 

[Viper007Bond]

I'd doubt that. Studies have shown that people, as long as didn't know what resolution they are watching, they usually prefer a 720p image over a 1080i picture.

Well the same goes for me. I can't stand 1080i. My personal choice:

1080p > 720p > 1080i > standard TV

I just can't stand the tearing of interlaced.

 

[Pulsinator]

Hmmm. I've noticed differences when watching the news. That must be recorded in HD. All the studio based shows are! During the day, on the 7HD and 9HD channels, they have a HD broadcast. Damn it's such a great picture. Love my 50" LG Plasma!

I've watched a 700MB TG episode on my TV using my laptop in the VGA (1024x768 max) and it looks decent, but looking at the SBS versions shows how different it looks in it's original form.

@Hidden_Hunter

7 and 9 may well do the studio bits in HD, but anything done in the field is recorded in SD. 7 is still using DVCPRO cameras, and 9 is still using SX. Both of which are SD. 9 has bought some XDCam cameras, but I think the SD version (the HD ones are very new). The ABC is about to buy Panasonic P2 cameras, all SD.

With Top Gear, in addition to the added expense of vision post production in HD, there's also the cost of audio, which I think is 5.1 surround in HD broadcasts.

Does anybody know what units Top Gear uses for the in-car stuff? You often see small white cameras (but not the recording unit) mounted on the windscreen. Bigger than a standard lipstick cam and certainly better quality. I wonder if an HD version of those is even available. The Sony and JVC HD handicams are quite long and it might be a bit of a struggle to mount them in the same way.