Ok, so I’ve been watching (American) football games on 16:9 screens. Which is great, except that they still have the line of scrimmage centered in the middle of the screen. So what that means is that the left quarter of the screen is always displaying empty offensive backfield, which seems like a waste of screen real estate.
Then I thought - maybe they have to center the action because they also need to do this broadcast for 4:3 screens on the same equipment, and the 4:3 screen image is taken from the center of the 16:9 image. So this would mean that you’d have to keep the 16:9 image centered on the line of scrimmage, even though it seems more logical to show less of the empty offensive backfield and more of the (interesting) defensive backfield.
So is that the reason? Or could they choose the 4:3 image from the broadcast from any part of the bigger 16:9 picture? IOW, could they move the camera to cover less empty space behind the offense, and instead cover more of the defense, and still have the 4:3 screens see the section of the field that they typically do?
If not, is it just because the camera men are all trained to center the action?
It seems to me like half the added visual detail that widescreen adds is not put to good use at all in football games.
Although I’m no longer involved in video production (and haven’t been since long before the advent of HD), I’m pretty sure that, yes, the SD image is just the center of the HD image. I see something similar on the broadcasts of Formula One races: the graphics all fit within the SD space, even though it means the vertical graphics are annoyingly far from the left and right edges of the screen.
Technologically, I’m sure it would be possible to do a “pan and scan” version for SD transmission, but it would mean at least one extra person on the crew to do the panning, in addition to the cost of the technology. All to fix a problem that probably doesn’t bother that many people.
I’d like to see a solution to the problem I mentioned: a video graphics generator that outputs HD and SD versions of the program with the graphics appropriately placed for each format. Unlike the “pan and scan” problem, this could easily be done automatically, but the broadcaster would still have the trouble and expense of sending two different signals through the entire distribution/transmission chain. Which means it may not happen, either, except in relatively rare circumstances.
Good question and I’d guess that they can’t control where the 4:3 image is and it always is centered.
I wonder how long it will be until 4:3 broadcast TV is phased out? And when it is if we will see football games aired exactly like you mentioned with the line of scrimmage off center.