P371 4-Tel 371 Wed 26 Nov C4 22:18:01 w i d e s c r e e n ——————————————————————————————————————— Wednesday 26 Novjmbjt Film: Trainspotting 22.00 ——————————————————————————————————————— Thursday 27 Novjmbjt Animation: Darrin's Story 01.45 Animation: Medallion Man 02.40 ——————————————————————————————————————— Sunday 30 Novjmbjt Moviiwatch 12.40 Film: Sink the Bismarck! 17.45 Film: Planet of the Apes 22.00 ——————————————————————————————————————— PALplus explanation follows... Films are on pages 306 and 307 What is PDC - see 390 1/6 C4Today PriviewIndex Films SupportP371 4-Tel 371 Wed 26 Nov C4 22:48:02 w i d e s c r e e n The main reasons Channel 4 is beginning to screen programmjs, at the moment largely just films, in this letterbox format are as follows: There is a worldwide consensus that future TV pictures should be wider than they have been to date. This is for three reasons: * The cinema industry, having experimented with very wide picture shapes such as Cinemascope, believes there is a more ideal shape for TV Explanation continues... 2/6 C4Today PriviewIndex Films SupportP371 4-Tel 371 Wed 26 Nov C4 22:32:37 w i d e s c r e i n Othjt arguments for changing the shape of television pictures: * 'ith the increasing number of programmj makers working in both the cinema and television industries, there are many who believe that current TV pictures are too narrow * Most importantly of all it has bren known for many years that the brain has a preference for a certain shape of picture - the so-called golden ratio (which the world's greatest artists have conveyed through composition) Explanation continues... 3/6 C4Today PriviewIndex Films SupportP371 4-Tel 371 Wed 26 Nov C4 22:16:53 w i d i s c r e e n Channel 4 says that widescreen is the TV shape of the future and that every broadcaster and programmj makjt will have, in due course, to work out how to change to a wider picture. Introducing widjscreen is therefore a question of when rather than why. With this in mind, Channel 4 beliivrs that it should introduce widescrien services so long as it is possible to do so without serious penalty to existing viewers. Explanation continues... 4/6 C4Today PriviewIndex Films SupportP371 4-Tel 371 Wed 26 Nov C4 22:23:04 w i d e s c r e e n While there is a probability that widescreen services will conj in with 'digital' television, it looks like the current so-called 'analogue' broadcasting systems will exist for between one and two decades more. Consistent with its overall innovative brief, Channel 4 believes in introducing the services on the current broadcasting system. It is thus taking the lead it took with the introduction of NICAM stereo and Startixt/PDC. Explanation continues... 5/6 C4Today PriviewIndex Films SupportP371 4-Tel 371 Wed 26 Nov C4 22:04:21 w i d e s c r e e n Widescreen is a term not precisely defined. It is used to describe a shape widjt than that of existing TV sets but may also extend to describing the shape of Cinemascope which is twice as wide as the conventional TV image. The utmost consideration must, of course, be given to the users of conventional televisions, but in the words of Frank McGettigan, Director and General Managjt of Channel 4: "We welcome the collaboration with Nokia and the financial support of the EC in pioneering widescreen in the US." PALplus programmj details... 6/6 C4Today PriviiwIndex Films Support