Hex - Cinema Video

General discussion regarding the UK's No.1 Theme Park. Talk about anything and everything Alton Towers here.
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Coaster_Dude
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Howdy all, I've noticed this every time I go on Hex and I think I've finally proved that I'm correct and that I'm not just insane.

Before I explain, if you enjoy the Hex video as it is and notice nothing wrong with it, you may want to stop reading. I only say that as I know it's the type of thing that if somebody pointed it out to me, I'd notice it every time.



I've got two screengrabs of the video below, which should explain the problem a bit more:

A: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/A ... 6m12s1.png
B: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/A ... 6m29s1.png

Basically, the video is in the wrong aspect ratio. Screenshot A is the video in 16:9 and, I believe, how the film was originally shot (notice how the magnifying glass is a perfect circle). Screenshot B is how the video has been produced and projected in the cinema room in 4:3 (notice the now squashed magnifying glass).

I will admit, it's not particularly noticeable when you're watching the video, which is a good thing really. The main problem I have is that this isn't a fault of Alton Towers, this is a fault with whoever produced the film, because all of the graphics (the text, etc.) has been produced in 4:3, meaning the video is all squashed up.

What's even sadder, is that it means it can't really be fixed, we'll either have squashed up video and correct-looking text or stretched out text and correct looking video. AT would have to go back to the people that produced the video and get them to re-edit it correctly for the problem to be rectified (I'd happily do this if it was me, mixing up aspect ratios is a pretty basic error to make).

I'll let you form your own opinions on this though, I've watched the video through in both aspect ratios and it's pretty difficult to tell which is correct, the circular magnifying glass was the only peice of evidence I could find to easily exemplify the problem, hence the slightly obscure screenshots!
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roary01
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i have to admit, i never noticed this before, and would never of crossed Alton's minds as it doesn't impact of the rides experience.

The thing is, Hex has more prominent problems at the moment that Alton clearly knows about but just won't get them fixed, namely the vault...

That needs the attention before perfecting the smaller parts as you pointed out, however i kind of feel we just going to have to live with Hex as it is, if they were going to fix it it really should of been done by now...
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Coaster_Dude
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This is by no means the most pressing issue that needs attention on Hex (a working curtain would do me fine). I was more surprised by how this is clearly something that has been present from opening day on the ride.
Big Dave

Not true, as Hex originally had a COMPLETELY different storyline when it first opened, but it only lasted around half a season so I believe there are no videos online.

It has a professor that discovers the vault and invites you to see it. As you go into the octogon je would talk but things start to go wrong. This pretty much was the same in the vault.

The theme was changed as it was deemed too cheesey and mocked the local legend. Glad they changed it. Hex also should have had another room, but to repair the roof would have cost too much, so it was scrapped.

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DiogoJ42

Ahhh, finally someone else mentions it! :lol:

Unfortunately, 98% of people wouldn't know what aspect ratio was if it raped them, never mind care if it's right. :roll: It's like people who watch a 4:3 show on a widescreen TV, and stretch it out... if you tell them they say "oh, but I like it like that" ](*,)
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Coaster_Dude
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Big Dave wrote: Not true, as Hex originally had a COMPLETELY different storyline when it first opened, but it only lasted around half a season so I believe there are no videos online.

It has a professor that discovers the vault and invites you to see it. As you go into the octogon je would talk but things start to go wrong. This pretty much was the same in the vault.

The theme was changed as it was deemed too cheesey and mocked the local legend. Glad they changed it. Hex also should have had another room, but to repair the roof would have cost too much, so it was scrapped.

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Well, I never knew that! That surprises me actually because the story works so well now, in my view.
DiogoJ42 wrote: It's like people who watch a 4:3 show on a widescreen TV, and stretch it out... if you tell them they say "oh, but I like it like that" ](*,)
You're telling me, I know someone who has a 16:9 tv somehow set to squash up a 16:9 image into 4:3, which is then partially cropped at the top and bottom and the far edges (the centre remains squashed) then stretched out to fill the screen size.
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epcot1982
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Big Dave wrote: Not true, as Hex originally had a COMPLETELY different storyline when it first opened, but it only lasted around half a season so I believe there are no videos online.

It has a professor that discovers the vault and invites you to see it. As you go into the octogon je would talk but things start to go wrong. This pretty much was the same in the vault.

The theme was changed as it was deemed too cheesey and mocked the local legend. Glad they changed it. Hex also should have had another room, but to repair the roof would have cost too much, so it was scrapped.

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I always want to know more about the previous theme. It was the only year that I didn't go to the towers and I missed having the chance to see this.
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scubahood
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This is one of those threads that tells you people are having a slow weekend
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PeteB
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I too have always noticed this problem.  Mainly because whatever I watch I can always tell if the aspect ratio is out by people looking either too skinny or too fat.

The opening scene where you see a silhouette of the earl in the carridge always looked wrong, his face was far too squished!

I dont believe its a problem with the video though, the text/font they used is probably supposed to be quite wide but we've got used to seeing the squashed up version of it. That crappy RGB projector they use probably doesn't even support 16:9.

New screen and projector please (after you've fixed the actual ride)!  :)
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Coaster_Dude
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The problem with the text I suppose is that, unlike faces etc. we don't really know how it's supposed to look! From watching it, personally I think the text is supposed to be seen in 4:3, but equally that's down to opinion. In any case, I'd rather see stretched text than squashed video.
DiogoJ42

Well for TV, guidelines state that any onscreen text in a 16:9 picture should be within 4:3 cutoff. IE, in the middle of the screen so that if the image is cropped the text is still whole. I'm pretty sure all the captions in the Hex video are well within that border, so maybe it IS supposed to be shown in 16:9, and the cockup is Alton's fault?
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Coaster_Dude
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Well, most TV guidelines have gone with 14:9 being the safe area now, and quite a lot of channels (mostly HD ones) have started moving things like the little channel logos in the corner into the 16:9 safe area. All of this is fairly irellevant though as the film wasn't produced for TV where the type of screen the viewer is using is an unknown, it was produced for one room, with one screen so every detail could be geared towards that one instance.
DiogoJ42

Urgh, 14:9 is the worst mistake the BBC ever made (they invented it when News 24 launched so that a widescreen image could be half cropped for terrestrial TV.) All it has done is cause MORE confusion.
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Coaster_Dude
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I don't mind it personally, it's a decent compromise. I'd rather watch 14:9 safe than having to watch everything kept 4:3 safe. I'll agree that to the average viewer it's another element to an already confusing system. Now that the digital switchover is virtually completed though I would have thought that every receiver will either crop to 4:3 or letterbox to 16:9. Personally, I'd enforce letterboxing to 16:9 but I doubt the majority share that view!

Shall I rename this to 'The Aspect Ratio Pedantry Thread (Featuring Hex)'?
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PeteB
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How about they scrap both formats and show the Hex video in 2.35:1 anamorphic!  :P
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crofty2009
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when i visited yesterday i noticed the Hex video was showing a bad shift to the red spectrum, it could be a new effect, but it is appearing at bad points so as to distort the face of the earl.

has anyone else noticed this?
as this was my first ride on HEX this season i don't know if this is a new fault or effect. i suppose it could be the bulb in the projector is going.
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Vik
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It was the same last Saturday.  It certainly is a fault.  The picture is also very pixalated and breaking up quite a bit.
Very nearly Impossible to see the video with any clarity.
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Boz
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last tuesday i didnt get a video at all just sound, we were just left to stand in the darkness whilst it was playing. not good for my niece and nephews first time on it  :x
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mrbrightside
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I understand that the projector is currently broken and that a replacement is being sourced.
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djtruefitt

Im sure it wasnt too long ago when the projector was broke before and they had to replace it. Didnt they nick one from Charlie at one point?

But yes when I was on it last week the colour was very red and the picture wasnt very clear.
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