# Hell's Kitchen in HD?



## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

During the AI finale, there was an ad for the new season of Hell's Kitchen and it was in HD. Is the show going to be in HD? The 6/4 premier is showing up in my program guide but it's not listed as HD (nor is So you think you can Dance but I'm pretty sure it's in HD since it was last year).


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## mportuesi (Nov 11, 2002)

It wasn't in HD last season. I suspect they don't give much of a budget to the show.


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

Yeah I know it wasn't last year, but the ad makes me wonder. Fox is the best about having their reality shows in HD (as long as Mark Burnett isn't involved - i.e. On the Lot). Guess we'll wait and see.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

OTA is good enough for me  I watch all my reality shows possible on it.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

According to FOX, no,_ Hell's Kitchen _will not be in HD. Neither is _So You Think You Can Dance_ -- that's widescreen SD (same as last year). The promo for _Hell's Kitchen_ is also widescreen SD.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

videojanitor said:


> According to FOX, no,_ Hell's Kitchen _will not be in HD. Neither is _So You Think You Can Dance_ -- that's widescreen SD (same as last year). The promo for _Hell's Kitchen_ is also widescreen SD.


Well I suppose we can be thankful it's at least widescreen...


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## skaeight (Jan 20, 2004)

At least this allows me to save some space on my DVR. HD would be nice though.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

skaeight said:


> At least this allows me to save some space on my DVR. HD would be nice though.


do you get HD locals? If you do, and aren't watching SD thru them every chance you get, you are really doing yourself a disservice. Things like reality shows and simpsons stuff look vastly better than directvs locals (at least on my equipment). My wife has even come over to the dark side and records oprah, her soap etc all from OTA.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

newsposter said:


> If you do, and aren't watching SD thru them every chance you get, you are really doing yourself a disservice. Things like reality shows and simpsons stuff look vastly better than directvs locals (at least on my equipment).


Truer words were never spoken. SD locals through D* are very poor quality as they are filtered and sent at a low, low bit rate. On the other hand, SD via OTA uses the same "pipe" as the HD video, and thus is capable of much better picture quality. The quality varies due to the source material and the upconverter, but in every case, it is superior to satellite delivered SD locals.


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

videojanitor said:


> According to FOX, no,_ Hell's Kitchen _will not be in HD. Neither is _So You Think You Can Dance_ -- that's widescreen SD (same as last year). The promo for _Hell's Kitchen_ is also widescreen SD.


Dance audition shows don't appear to be in HD - you are correct. But the live shows when the top 20 perform should be in HD as they were last year.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Indiana627 said:


> Dance audition shows don't appear to be in HD - you are correct. But the live shows when the top 20 perform should be in HD as they were last year.


Sorry to say that even the live shows were not HD last year, and won't be this year. They will be sent as uncompressed 601 from CBS Television City (where the show is produced) to the FOX TOC.

See this post for more info:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10630471&&#post10630471


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

Well I know what my eyes saw and ears heard last year and that was HD in DD 5.1. How could it have looked so good and not have been in HD?


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Indiana627 said:


> How could it have looked so good and not have been in HD?


This actually comes up a lot over on the AVSFORUM. The reason is that the show is clean, component video and upconverts very nicely -- you are not alone in thinking that it was HD. But take a close look at it this year, and I think you'll see that there is actually not much high-frequency detail in the image, and all the edges are kind of rounded. It pretty much looks the same as DVD.


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

What about other Fox shows? Are they actually in HD? Like Prison Break, 24, Til Death, American Idol.


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## Hippster (Nov 28, 2001)

Whatever format it was... it looked like HD to me last night. I'm glad I decided to check the HD TiVo and start recording it ASAP since it looks so much better than the SD Fox signal here.


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

Looked like it was in the same 16x9 SD as SYTYCD as Videojanitor (you've convinced me after closely looking at SYTYCD) has described. I only watched the first 15 mintues, but Chef is his good old self. I love the 'Oh, f*ck me' when he uncovers each person's dish!


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Yep, it was 16x9 SD.


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

Fox does some pretty nice 16x9 SD I must say. I wish Amazing Race and Survivor would shoot this way if not full HD.


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## videojanitor (Dec 21, 2001)

Yes they do. The only downside I can see is that 16x9 widescreen is often mistaken for HD -- but then again, if someone thinks it looks good, then that's all that should matter.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

That's odd. The program description in my TiVo listed the show as "720p".


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

bareyb said:


> That's odd. The program description in my TiVo listed the show as "720p".


It was filmed in 480, but then upconverted to 720p for broadcast on your local FOX station, which broadcasts at 720p. Anything you watch on a FOX HD station will be listed as 720p.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Indiana627 said:


> Fox does some pretty nice 16x9 SD I must say. I wish Amazing Race and Survivor would shoot this way if not full HD.


Survivor and Amazing Race are upconverted, at least my affiliates upconverted it but I have never looked to see what it is like. AS far as shooting in full HD I doubt Survivor will ever do that as the cost of HD equipment would be too much and also not to mention how much of a pain it would be for the crew, I think upcoverted is the best you will get for reality shows like Amazing Race and Survivor. Now for an inside kitchen setting like Hell's Kitchen it would be easy and not as much as a pain to do HD.


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## varybarry (May 30, 2007)

Who knows that is a pretty popular show? They may decide that it is necessary to upconvert to keep up with the competition. I hope they do. I think it would be sweet to see Amazing Race in HD.


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## Indiana627 (Jan 24, 2003)

videojanitor said:


> Sorry to say that even the live shows were not HD last year, and won't be this year. They will be sent as uncompressed 601 from CBS Television City (where the show is produced) to the FOX TOC.
> 
> See this post for more info:
> 
> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10630471&&#post10630471


IS SYTYCD broadcast live as they claim? Seems like there's not enough time for custom changes. Anyone know when the performance show is actually done?


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