'The Wire' being remastered and rebroadcast in September

[jefferiestubes8]

HBO's "The Wire" has just been remastered and re-airing broadcast in September on HBO.

Advertisement for HBO's rebroadcast of a remastered version of The Wire in September. Video Length 30 seconds. It is only a graphic and text no actual remastered video in this spot.
The Wire Remastered Promo

it was shot on 35mm film. It was originally broadcast as 4:3 SD in 2002 even though HBO has been HD since 1999. This was very short sighted by HBO as CBS had been mastering and broadcasting "CSI" in 2000.
The first two seasons are available on Amazon Prime in 16:9 standard definition. Here is the comparison of the 4:3 framing and 16:9 framing from Amazon Prime. although

Prime must have gotten in trouble for jumping the gun, because the first two seasons went back to 4:3 SD two days ago.

With catalog series selling on Blu-ray in HD the remastering is a good idea to prolong the property for physical media sales, syndication, streaming, and iTunes downloads.
HBO Asia Signature HD airs it in 16:9 format so I guess HBO had older HD 16:9 masters maybe from SD upconvert.

HBO is releasing The Soprano's complete series box set will be released on Blu-ray in November this year. The Blu-ray medium for movies & TV has a short window for HD video on physical media sales before it falls out of fashion in about 5 years.
HBO plans to make their content available for Apple's next-generation streaming set-top box in Spring of 2015. My guess is that will be 1080p HD with some 4k streaming to follow in 2016.
You can be sure HBO will be selling The Wire in 2015 on Blu-ray.

I will guess The Soprano's were mastered to 4k as well as The Wire but I don't have any sources. Sony remastered all of the Breaking Bad series to 4k and you can see my post and source here on TrekBBS. They were all shot on 35mm film and could be just like Star Trek TOS & TNG TV series.
CBS Home Video though kept the original aspect ratio of Star Trek TOS & TNG's 4:3 framing with pillarboxing.

With The Wire

The Wire for each of its five seasons has been produced in good old fashioned 4 x 3 standard definition. DP Dave Insley recalled, "The reason the show has stayed 4x3 is because David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie. The show's never been HD, even 4x3 HD and that (SD) is how it is on the DVDs. There is no 16x9 version anywhere."
Insley explained, "When the show started 2001 / 2002 they framed it for 16 x 9 as a way of future-proofing. Then a couple of seasons ago, right before Season 4 began shooting, there was a big discussion about it and after much discussion -- David, Nina, Joe Chappelle, the Producers, the DPs -- and we discussed what should be the style of the show. David made the decision that we would stay with 4x3. The DPs pretty much defined the look to be what it is now. And it's been consistent for the past two seasons

...-From an interview with Dave Insley

So it looks like they will go with 16:9 framing for the series now...

 

[the G-man]

I have the entire series on DVD. I watch one season about every six months. It looks fine as it is

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Great article from David Simon about the remaster and aspect ratios and creative intent.

December 26. Better late than never.


http://davidsimon.com/the-wire-hd-with-videos/
Via
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/05/the-wire-david-simon-explains/

 

[Harvey]

Happy the series is coming to HD, but they should have left it in 4:3.