This IS the Avid L2: [Avid-L2] Re: OTish: AFD on Rock Center NBC?

Well tell Mr. NBC Rubin and I would like it letterboxed so we can take in all the splendor that is the 30 Rock Set. ;-(

--- In Avid-L2@yahoogroups.com, Dennis Degan <DennyD1@...> wrote:
>
>
> On Dec 20, 2011, at 1:32 AM, John Moore wrote:
>
> > Usually on my SD Direct Sat. feed for NBC affiliate KNBC Ch.4 in
> LA primetime is usually letterboxed, not sure about local news or
> daytime programming. Tonight Rock Center is center cut but the
> commercial breaks are letter boxed. How and why is Rock Center active
> programming being center cut while the rest of prime time is letter
> boxed for program content? Is NBC inserting AFD to cause this on
> purpose? CBS is always center cut on my direct sat which I think is
> wrong too. Of course things are correctly letter boxed on the DTV
> converter box. Mr. Dennis the ball is in your court.
>
> And I volley with:
>
> Here's the complete story concerning NBC (I can't speak for CBS,
> obviously). NBC's entertainment shows are generally letterboxed.
> That includes most primetime programs plus Saturday Night Live,
> Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Days Of Our
> Lives, etc. Pretty much anything that is not sports or news.
> Sports and news shows are specifically centercut. This includes
> football games, Sunday Football Night In America, tennis, hockey, etc.
> and the news shows, Today, Nightly News, Rock Center, and Dateline.
> Specials and other programs can vary, depending on whether they are
> produced by the News or Sports divisions, Entertainment division, or
> by an outside source. Everything I cut for Today is created as
> centercut, which is consistent with the fact that Today is produced by
> NBC News.
> Commercials' AFDs are determined by the advertisers. If an ad
> includes a letterbox AFD, it may appear letterboxed, even when
> appearing within a centercut program. The downconverter at the
> receiving end will read the commercial's AFD and switch to the
> appropriate mode as instructed by the AFD data. When the program
> resumes, the program's AFD will cause the downconverter to switch
> back, if necessary.
> Local TV stations are SUPPOSED to pass AFDs through. It is possible
> that a local station could simply replace the network feed's AFD with
> their own. I do not know of any local affiliate that does that,
> however.
>
> Dennis Degan, Video Editor-Consultant-Knowledge Bank
> NBC Today Show, New York
>