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ABC watermarks have moved

Ever since the last analogue TV signals were turned off in Melbourne yesterday, ABC has moved all its watermarks to the right. Previously they were within the "4:3" window so that people with analogue TV would still see the watermark. Now that analogue TV is no more, the watermarks have shifted to the edge of the 16:9 screen.

So it will be very interesting to see if it stays there, even when they are broadcasting legacy 4:3 material (pillarboxed). If they do the watermark will be totally on the black pillarbox. That would also mean any Countdown repeats would effectively be watermark free.

The "disaster" counter scenario would be the ABC "zooming in" on legacy 4:3 material, either so it fills more of the screen (14:9) or fills the screen completely (16:9). Or worse still - stretch it so that everyone becomes fat. Either way, the watermark in its new position would still cover the material.

We will find out in 2 days time...

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

That's an interesting development.

Let's hope they retain 4:3 ratio with black bars on either side and the watermark no longer defiles that great historic footage.

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Clip Magnet
Ever since the last analogue TV signals were turned off in Melbourne yesterday, ABC has moved all its watermarks to the right. Previously they were within the "4:3" window so that people with analogue TV would still see the watermark. Now that analogue TV is no more, the watermarks have shifted to the edge of the 16:9 screen.

So it will be very interesting to see if it stays there, even when they are broadcasting legacy 4:3 material (pillarboxed). If they do the watermark will be totally on the black pillarbox. That would also mean any Countdown repeats would effectively be watermark free.

The "disaster" counter scenario would be the ABC "zooming in" on legacy 4:3 material, either so it fills more of the screen (14:9) or fills the screen completely (16:9). Or worse still - stretch it so that everyone becomes fat. Either way, the watermark in its new position would still cover the material.

We will find out in 2 days time...


Interesting, I just put it on ABC 1 after reading this and when in 4.3 the Watermark is cut off. Is this good or bad for Countdown as will it all look squashed? Hmmmmmmmmm

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Jason 'The Moderator'
Interesting, I just put it on ABC 1 after reading this and when in 4.3 the Watermark is cut off. Is this good or bad for Countdown as will it all look squashed? Hmmmmmmmmm

Countdown won't look "squashed" - it would just be pillarboxed as it always is in 16:9 digital. You can chop the pillars off to get back to 4:3 aspect on a 4:3 display.

The question is - will the watermark stay on the right, out of harm's way?

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Wow, I hadn't thought of checking for this.

I hope the watermark is no longer within the 4:3 area, as with my current set top box (the previous one went kaput a few months back), when I record in 16:9 the picture is stretched vertically but stays within a 4:3 area... so I've only been recording rage in 4:3 ever since (still using a SD 4:3 TV).

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

A good 6-12 months ago, the music channel 'max' on Foxtel started putting the max logo on the black vertical bar for 4:3 videos. So, if I wanted to get rid of the bars, I had to change the ratio to 4:3 on the foxtel system setup, but then I lost the text of the song title and artist. So I couldn't win either way. So I stopped watching max and can say I have no longer recorded a video off the channel since.

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

ohnoitisnathan
I hope the watermark is no longer within the 4:3 area, as with my current set top box (the previous one went kaput a few months back), when I record in 16:9 the picture is stretched vertically but stays within a 4:3 area... so I've only been recording rage in 4:3 ever since (still using a SD 4:3 TV).


With a 4:3 display device you should display 16:9 content in letterbox format (IMHO), which you can usually do either through a setting on the set top box or display device.

How do you record? VHS tape, or digital recorder?

Anyway, rage this morning answered the question - 4:3 content is pillarboxed, and the watermark is out of the way!

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

I record rage digitally on HDD.

I just checked my recording of the Kim Wilde segment on my computer (the screen is widescreen) - which displays a little bit either side of the pic that I don't see on my DVD. I was half-expecting to see a tiny bit of the watermark there, but it's not there at all! Thank god for that!

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

I have a widescreen TV and record rage on ABC through Foxtel. For the old videos, I set the Foxtel setup to 4:3 to get no vertical black bars. I record onto disc. So how should I set it up to get it right for the Kim Wilde videos? Didn't get a chance to trial it this morning.

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

WOW, just checking my Foxtel recording of Kim this morning and Kids In America which is in 4.3 has no Watermark at all on the side and is watermark free!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

I just recorded the same as I normally do and all good, no watermark! We'll be f@#ked if rage decide to put the song title and artist further to the left of the screen, then when we record in 4:3 the text will be cut off, which is what the music channel max did.

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Michael
I just recorded the same as I normally do and all good, no watermark! We'll be f@#ked if rage decide to put the song title and artist further to the left of the screen, then when we record in 4:3 the text will be cut off, which is what the music channel max did.


I noticed that with Music Max, was amazing how last night there was no logo in 4.3 and no title cut off! Hope it stays this way as well Michael, some idiot will say something though to rage about how happy they are that the Watermark is gone and then they will change bloody things!

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

I know. I'm expecting them to do some checks over the next few weeks (hopefully after January) and supposedly 'fix' it up. We just need to stay quiet on this one!

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Still recording in 4.3, thank goodness and it doesn't chop much off the right at all.

Was heavenly recording January this year and last nights VAULT in 4.3 on the DVD Recorder with no hideous logo or VILLLLLLLLE black sides!

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Recording in 4:3 shouldn't chop any of the picture off, Jason. Well, it appears that way when you view it on a 4:3 TV (or 4:3 setting on a widescreen TV), but when you view it on a widescreen computer screen, all of the picture is there (still no watermark though, unless you record in 16:9).

Rage is almost always completely watermark free on ABC3. I don't see why they can't do that for ABC1, too.

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

All fine and good for videos that were originally made as 4:3, but since about 2007 I've noticed that rage have upscaled original 80s 4:3 letterbox videos into 16:9 covering the entire screen. So if like me you record 4:3, you'll lose the sides of the upscaled 4:3 videos - another lovely job by the school leavers at rage.

Re: ABC watermarks have moved

Mark from 2PR FM
All fine and good for videos that were originally made as 4:3, but since about 2007 I've noticed that rage have upscaled original 80s 4:3 letterbox videos into 16:9 covering the entire screen. So if like me you record 4:3, you'll lose the sides of the upscaled 4:3 videos - another lovely job by the school leavers at rage.


Yes, and back before the watermark affected rage, I used to often sit up late so that I could switch aspect ratios for videos that weren't 4:3, opting to record them in letterboxed 4:3 where applicable (i.e. for stuff that isn't true widescreen). Sometimes it was a tough choice which video to go for if there were 2 adjacent clips I wanted that were in different aspect ratios - in those circumstances, I'd usually go for the one I thought rage were least likely to re-air again.

But now that the watermark is still there in the 16:9 area (other than most ABC3 repeats), it's not even a factor. 4:3 wins every time.