All five seasons of the highly-acclaimed crime drama series which follows drug and murder investigations in Baltimore. Told from the point of view of both the police and their targets, the series captures a universe of subterfuge and surveillance, where easy distinctions between good and evil, and crime and punishment, are challenged at every turn. Season 1 episodes comprise: 'The Target', 'The Detail', 'The Buys', 'Old Cases', 'The Pager', 'The Wire', 'One Arrest', 'Lessons', 'Game Day', 'The Cost', 'The Hunt', 'Cleaning Up' and 'Sentencing'. Season 2 episodes are: 'Ebb Tide', 'Collateral Damage', 'Hot Shots', 'Hard Cases', 'Undertow', 'All Prologue', 'Backwash', 'Duck and Cover', 'Stray Rounds', 'Storm Warnings', 'Bad Dreams' and 'Port in a Storm'. Season 3 episodes comprise: 'Time After Time, 'All Due Respect', 'Dead Soldiers', 'Amsterdam', 'Straight and True', 'Homecoming', 'Back Burners', 'Moral Midgetry', 'Slapstick', 'Reformation', 'Middle Ground' and 'Mission Accomplished'. Season 4 episodes are: 'Boys of Summer', 'Soft Eyes', 'Home Rooms', 'Refugees', 'Alliances', 'Margin of Error', 'Unto Others', 'Corner Boys', 'Know Your Place', 'Misgivings', 'A New Day', 'That's Got His Own' and 'Final Grades'. Season 5 episodes comprise: 'More With Less', 'Unconfirmed Reports', 'Not for Attribution', 'Transitions', 'React Quotes', 'The Dickensian Aspect', 'Took', 'Clarifications', 'Late Editions' and '-30-'.
All comments (23)
le_jaeger
18 Nov 16#1
Tempted! Didn't know this was recorded in 1080p. It isn't just upscaled versions of the DVD release, is it?
Ojman to le_jaeger
18 Nov 162#2
It's now wide-screen. From everything I've heard they took ages redoing it so it shouldn't be just a simple crop.
Slowly working our way through these at home. The widescreen crop is apparently done well, with minimal loss on the 4:3 originals. Having never seen the original aspect ratio, I've not noticed any difference/issue as yet (nearly done with series 2).
Joshimitsu91 to lovelybeer
18 Nov 161#8
AFAIK it's not a crop, because the source material is widescreen. So you actually see more on the new cuts, though some people have said this can detract from the original which was framed for 4:3. I think anyway it's a while since I read about it!
TheMexicaliKid
18 Nov 16#4
Never saw them originally, just finished Season 1 and was really impressed with the picture quality, looks like it was filmed yesterday. As for the show (don't shoot me) really slow so far, it's ok, but hasn't blown me away. Maybe it was amazing 10yrs ago, but we've been so spoiled by amazing tv since. I'm hoping it gets better as the seasons go on. £40 seems expensive to me, I'd be looking for closer to £20
snitchinbubs to TheMexicaliKid
18 Nov 16#6
keep going. it can seem slow, but think of it as an investment. if you put the time in you will reap the rewards :wink:
Shadow_of_Intent to TheMexicaliKid
18 Nov 16#17
What dwor said. The Wire is a completely different animal to other high-end TV dramas. I still think it's the GOAT - it has incredible depth, incisive commentary on modern social and economic issues, fantastic character writing and an uncompromising approach to the story it wants to tell. The Wire is truth told through fiction. It impacts you in a way that numbers and facts don't.
Just enjoy the the experience, don't expect conventions you're used to from other TV.
Jerome1642
18 Nov 16#5
best boxset
ExplicitG
18 Nov 16#7
Gonna wait and see if drops any lower next week
snitchinbubs
18 Nov 16#9
um, no it is definitely cropped. after discussion with HBO the decision was made to film in 4:3.
dwor
18 Nov 16#10
As I've said in an earlier post, this is a great series if you want a very slow-burn dissection of the difficulties in urban America, looked at from the various perspectives of the police, politicians, education system and media.
Strangely, this is one show that is probably best watched on DVD for a more authentic experience of the creators' intentions. If you really care, the David Simon link above outlines his reservations about the re-mastering into HD.
In short: the show was framed and shot for 4:3 (old school TV format), and geared towards a certain quality of reproduction. As such, the 16:9 widescreen format includes (and excludes) stuff which wasn't supposed to make the cut. Furthermore, the better HD quality allows the viewer to see things in the background which aren't supposed to be the focus of attention. A lot of love and effort went into how this show looks, and the DVD 4:3 format is reckoned by David Simon to be a more authentic version of his vision.
I know these might seem like strange reasons to watch a lower quality, pillar-boxed version of a show. I would usually always go for the remastered version. But if you can live with 4:3 and DVD quality, I would deliberately avoid the Blu Ray.
Hope this helps!
snitchinbubs to dwor
18 Nov 16#11
This isn't entirely accurate. Robert Colesberry who was key to the show's visual style desperately wanted the show to be filmed in 16:9 and had a long dispute with HBO over the matter. HBO opted for 4:3 on the basis of cost, and the show was mastered to the visual quality on the dvd at their behest. So in no way is what we see on the dvd version a somehow purer version of the creators' intent- it is simply the show they made within the parameters set by HBO.
dwor to snitchinbubs
18 Nov 16#12
Sure - I take your point, but I think David Simon is pretty clear that he (as the show's creator) was happier with the 4:3 format and DVD quality. But it certainly won't please a lot of audiences today.
FWIW, the DVD version is now down to its lowest price on Amazon (£29.99), so you can choose which works best for you!
have you read that article?
it clearly describes the original 4:3 footage being cropped to provide a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Joshimitsu91 to snitchinbubs
18 Nov 16#19
Have you?
"So, in some shots, the team decided to crop the footage in, losing some space above and below the frame to ensure that distracting details on the edges of the frame weren't seen."
snitchinbubs
18 Nov 16#18
+1
the amazing tv in the years since has tried (and never quite managed) to match it ........
snitchinbubs
18 Nov 16#20
sigh.
i don't think you have quite understood what you have read.
all shots in the remastered 16:9 version of the wire are cropped in some way from the source that was filmed in 4:3.
the quote you highlight is about using source footage not in the original presentation- hence the use of the phrase "cropping in".
so it was filmed in 4:3, the 4:3 presentation on tv and dvd sometimes used a smaller frame than the source material. when remastering to 16:9 in a handful of shots they used a wider shot of the source material than was in the original to preserve more of the image. but all shots were cropped in some was get to a 16:9 ratio.
I welcome you reading up and admitting you were mistaken.
Joshimitsu91
18 Nov 16#21
The quote I have pulled from that article and the 3 videos there quite clearly show that they have decided to crop the 4:3 image to 16:9 instead of expanding it using the source (which clearly in video 2 has more to it). The quote describes this quite clearly so I'm not sure why you think I have misunderstood it.
Anyway I do not own this set, my original comment was based on my memory of reading up on it last year (hence why I said "I think anyway it's a while since I read about it!"). I can only go by what I have read so please don't insult my intelligence, it's not my fault if the article is incorrect. Here is another quote:
"Unlike The Simpsons, this is no half-assed scan-and-pan job that merely stretches or crops the original 4:3 frame to fill your widescreen TV. Since the show was originally shot on 35mm film, the editors had extra footage to work with to bring the remastered version to life. That means we now have a "true" widescreen version of The Wire to enjoy."
snitchinbubs
18 Nov 16#22
The reason I think you have misunderstood it is that you use it as evidence to suggest that my assertion that the wire was filmed in 4:3 was wrong. check your reply to my post where you ask me 'are you sure'.
Yes I am sure the wire was filmed in 4:3. Yes I am sure that all scenes in the remastered edition are cropped in some form or other. Would you care to explain which part of this you think is wrong?
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Opening post
All comments (23)
EDIT: Here's an article on it straight from David Simon.
What dwor said. The Wire is a completely different animal to other high-end TV dramas. I still think it's the GOAT - it has incredible depth, incisive commentary on modern social and economic issues, fantastic character writing and an uncompromising approach to the story it wants to tell. The Wire is truth told through fiction. It impacts you in a way that numbers and facts don't.
Just enjoy the the experience, don't expect conventions you're used to from other TV.
Strangely, this is one show that is probably best watched on DVD for a more authentic experience of the creators' intentions. If you really care, the David Simon link above outlines his reservations about the re-mastering into HD.
In short: the show was framed and shot for 4:3 (old school TV format), and geared towards a certain quality of reproduction. As such, the 16:9 widescreen format includes (and excludes) stuff which wasn't supposed to make the cut. Furthermore, the better HD quality allows the viewer to see things in the background which aren't supposed to be the focus of attention. A lot of love and effort went into how this show looks, and the DVD 4:3 format is reckoned by David Simon to be a more authentic version of his vision.
I know these might seem like strange reasons to watch a lower quality, pillar-boxed version of a show. I would usually always go for the remastered version. But if you can live with 4:3 and DVD quality, I would deliberately avoid the Blu Ray.
Hope this helps!
FWIW, the DVD version is now down to its lowest price on Amazon (£29.99), so you can choose which works best for you!
DVD version here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001BBHG1S/
http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/28/7457291/the-wire-hd-screenshot-comparisons
it clearly describes the original 4:3 footage being cropped to provide a 16:9 aspect ratio.
"So, in some shots, the team decided to crop the footage in, losing some space above and below the frame to ensure that distracting details on the edges of the frame weren't seen."
the amazing tv in the years since has tried (and never quite managed) to match it ........
i don't think you have quite understood what you have read.
all shots in the remastered 16:9 version of the wire are cropped in some way from the source that was filmed in 4:3.
the quote you highlight is about using source footage not in the original presentation- hence the use of the phrase "cropping in".
so it was filmed in 4:3, the 4:3 presentation on tv and dvd sometimes used a smaller frame than the source material. when remastering to 16:9 in a handful of shots they used a wider shot of the source material than was in the original to preserve more of the image. but all shots were cropped in some was get to a 16:9 ratio.
I welcome you reading up and admitting you were mistaken.
Anyway I do not own this set, my original comment was based on my memory of reading up on it last year (hence why I said "I think anyway it's a while since I read about it!"). I can only go by what I have read so please don't insult my intelligence, it's not my fault if the article is incorrect. Here is another quote:
"Unlike The Simpsons, this is no half-assed scan-and-pan job that merely stretches or crops the original 4:3 frame to fill your widescreen TV. Since the show was originally shot on 35mm film, the editors had extra footage to work with to bring the remastered version to life. That means we now have a "true" widescreen version of The Wire to enjoy."
Yes I am sure the wire was filmed in 4:3. Yes I am sure that all scenes in the remastered edition are cropped in some form or other. Would you care to explain which part of this you think is wrong?