I learned something about the transition to DTV from a chance conversation with two people who have no expertise in digital television or HDTV. In fact they’re not even in our industry.
Their qualifications are that they are a senior citizen couple on a fixed household income and are unabashed Angels baseball fans. They were at a shopping mall restaurant watching the Angels play the Boston Red Sox in the American League’s divisional championship series. They have followed the Angels all season long but because they cannot easily afford the monthly fee for cable or satellite TV, they aren’t able to watch the ball game at their house. So they’re at a restaurant, nursing soft drinks for several hours to watch a road playoff game that used to routinely air on free TV.
In our industry cocoon, the only trade news on the divisional series is that viewership ratings were up a significant percentage as compared to last year, justifying TBS’ investment in the postseason package. But what justifies a fan not being able to see a crucial postseason road game without paying a premium? Perhaps a local free broadcast TV feed for team markets in the playoffs could be available at least for the road games–but that would dilute the audience share for TBS.
Before I’m tempted to digress and criticize MLB commissioner Bud Selig for his stewardship of the game–or bemoan what the game might have been if Bart Giammati had lived to serve a long tenure as commissioner–the point is that this elderly couple represents a segment of the population that could very well be passed over in the pending transition to DTV.
One in five U.S. households depends on a rooftop antenna or rabbit ears to get a TV picture. Without converter boxes, those TV set screens will for the most part go blank on Feb. 18, 2009 when federal law currently mandates that broadcast stations switch off analog signals and transmit exclusively on digital. Thus while most of us will enjoy vastly sharper pictures and access to a wider range of multicasting channels provided by networks like NBC, ABC and PBS, a significant number of the country’s people who are already somewhat disenfranchised run the risk of becoming even less connected.
Households without cable or satellite service tend to have lower incomes and according to research, ethnic minorities–African Americans and Latinos in particular–are more likely than whites to receive only over-the-air TV. Furthermore a poll found that more than 60 percent of respondents who rely on broadcast TV (not cable or a satellite service) aren’t even aware of the analog to digital transition.
So while we are at the doorstep of an exciting digital era, let’s not forget those who are in jeopardy of doing without. Otherwise just as baseball, the great American pastime, has turned out not to be accessible for many Americans in the face of a lucrative TV deal, so too will television, an American staple, be lost or significantly minimized for many as well.
“Se7en” Turns 30, Gets A Special Restoration From David Fincher For Its Re-Release
For David Fincher, seeing “Se7en” in 4K was an experience he can only describe as harrowing. That or a high school reunion.
“There are definitely moments that you go, ‘What was I thinking?’ Or ‘Why did I let this person have that hairdo’?” Fincher said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
He’s OK with the film being a product of its time in most respects. But some things just could not stand in high-definition resolution.
“It was a little decrepit, to be honest,” said Fincher. “We needed to resuscitate it. There are things you can see in 4K HDR that you cannot see on a film print.”
Ever the perfectionist, he and a team got to work on a new restoration of the film for its 30th anniversary re-release. This weekend the restored “Se7en” will play on IMAX screens for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, and on Jan. 7, the 4K UHD home video version will be available as well.
The dark crime thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as a pair of detectives looking for a serial killer was somewhat of a career-reviver for Fincher, whose directorial debut “Alien 3” had not gone well. “Se7en” was not a sure thing: It was made for only $34 million (and only got that when Fincher managed to persuade studio execs to give up $3 million more). But it went on to earn more than $327 million, not accounting for inflation, and continues to influence the genre.
Fincher has over the years overseen several restorations of the film (including one for laser disc) but decided this needed to be the last. It’s why he insisted on an 8K scan that they could derive the 4K from. He wanted to ensure that it wouldn’t have to be repeated when screens get more... Read More