HBO Announces Release Date for 'The Wire' in HD, Which Creator David Simon Calls an 'Alternate Version' (Video)

Fans of great television can rejoice this holiday season as HBO has announced that remastered HD episodes of “The Wire” will begin broadcasting on HBO Signature Friday, Dec. 26 at 12 p.m. ET. The plan is to marathon one season per day, wrapping with the fifth and final season on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

It was first announced that HBO would be remastering David Simon‘s 2002-2008 award-winning series for HD in September. In addition to improving the visual quality, the aspect ratio of the series has been expanded from its original 4:3 aspect ration to the current 16:9 industry standard.

Also read: HBO Confirms <notag>Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Kelly Reilly</notag> for 'True Detective' Season 2

The remastered series will also be available to watch in its entirety from Dec. 26 on HBO GO. It will be available for a full series purchase on Monday, Jan. 5 via various platforms including iTunes, Google Play, X-Box Video and Vudu. While a Blu-ray release is planned, it is currently on the schedule for next summer.

See photos: 10 'True Detective' Acting Teams We Want to See Next (Photos)

Series creator David Simon took to his own blog to talk about the remastering process for his beloved Baltimore-set drama, and his initial lack of involvement.

Although HBO had told him they wanted to tinker with expanding “The Wire” to HD and a 16:9 ratio about a year ago, according to Simon, he heard about the final conversion plans at the same time as the rest of the industry — when HBO started airing promo ads about it.

Also read: 'Hello Ladies: The Movie' Creator-Star <notag>Stephen Merchant</notag> Explains Stuart-Jessica Romance

“No offense was taken,” Simon wrote. “Particularly when the production people explained that the transfer to HD had been laborious and ornate, and … there was a further assumption at HBO that as a transfer to HD could provide a fresh audience for the drama, there was no real disincentive to an HD transfer of ‘The Wire’ on any terms; if it could be done, they reasoned, it should be done.”

Simon further suggested that at least one of the reasons that HBO missed their initial September launch for the remastered episodes was because Simon and his production team asked to be a part of the process at that time.

In doing so, he discovered that while some scenes transferred to the new 16:9 ratio with minimal impact, there were others that were designed specifically for 4:3, and were not so easily remastered. And so, tough decisions had to be made about framing and cropping that did ultimately alter in some cases what was presented on the screen.

Also read: HBO, Universal Pictures Releasing First Ever Authorized Kurt Cobain Documentary

“At the last, I’m satisfied that while this new version of ‘The Wire’ is not, in some specific ways, the film we first made, it has sufficient merit to exist as an alternate version,” Simon wrote. “There are scenes that clearly improve in HD and in the widescreen format. But there are things that are not improved. And even with our best resizing, touchups and maneuvers, there are some things that are simply not as good. That’s the inevitability: This new version, after all, exists in an aspect ratio that simply wasn’t intended or serviced by the filmmakers at the moment that that camera was rolling and the shot was being framed.”

Watch the teaser for the marathon here.

“The Wire” in HD begins broadcasting in marathon format at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 26 on HBO Signature. The network will marathon one season per day through Tuesday, Dec. 30.

27 Movie-to-TV Remakes in the Works: Hollywood's Big Screen to Small Screen Craze (Photos)

"American Gigolo" – Paramount and Jerry Bruckheimer are teaming once again for a television adaptation of the Richard Gere crime movie.
Paramount Pictures
“The Mortal Instruments” – Using Cassandra Clare’s young adult novel series, the television project will pick up where the first film left off. Ed Decter is attached to run the show, with production starting in 2015.
Sony Pictures
“Bachelor Party” – ABC has brought over “New Girl” writers J.J. Philbin and Josh Malmuth to rewrite the Fox comedy flick.
Twentieth Century Fox
“The Illusionist” - The CW is bringing the 2006 film to TV with a script by Mark Hudis, who was nominated for an Emmy for "Nurse Jackie."
Contagious Entertainment
“In Good Company” - CBS and Universal are teaming for the television project. Josh Bycel and Jon Fenner wrote the pilot script but Paul Weitz, who wrote and directed the movie, is also involved.
Universal Pictures
“Shooter” – TNT has hired John Hlavin to write the script for the drama adaptation.
Paramount Pictures
“Monster-In-Law” - Amy R Harris (The Carrie Diaries) and John Riggi (30 Rock) are writing the multi-camera project for Warner Bros. TV.
New Line Cinema
“12 Monkeys” – The SyFy series has received a 13-episode order starring Aaron Stanford, Emily Hampshire and Tom Noonan. The show premieres in January 2015.
Universal Pictures
“Big” - Kevin Biegel and Mike Royce are executive producing and writing for 20th Century Fox Television.
20th Century Fox
“Uncle Buck” – CBS adapted the movie for a 1990 television series that lasted one season. Now ABC is trying its luck with Steven Cragg and Brian Badley writing.
Universal Pictures
“Phantom of the Opera” – Marc Cherry is developing the drama for ABC, providing his own take on the Gaston Leroux novel.
Warner Bros. Pictures
“Problem Child” – NBC has hired Scot Armstrong, writer of “Old School” and “The Hangover” to adapt the comedy.
Universal Pictures
“The Truman Show” – Paramount is developing but no production has started and the individuals involved have yet to be named.
Paramount Pictures
“Shutter Island” – Martin Scorsese will return to direct the pilot for HBO and Paramount that will be called, “Ashecliffe” and tell the story before the events of the Leonarado DiCaprio film. A full series order has already been ordered with Dennis Lehane writing.
Paramount Pictures
“Ghost” – Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner are teaming to retell the Patrick Swayze-Demi Moore 1990 hit film for Paramount TV.
Paramount Pictures
“Hitch” – Executive produced by Will Smith, with a script from Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the dating guru reboot is possibly coming to Fox.
Columbia Pictures
“Rush Hour” - Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick, who previously paired on “Cougar Town,” are writing and executing producing the remake of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s hit flick.
New Line Cinema
“Marley & Me” – Despite the conclusive ending, the film is being developed for the small screen by 20^th Century Fox TV.
20th Century Fox
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” - DHX Media and Sony Pictures are bringing the hit animated film franchise to the small screen.
Columbia Pictures
“Scream” – The hit horror flick franchise moves to MTV with an original script from Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin. Willa Fitzgerald, Amy Forsyth, John Karna, Carlson Young and Amadeus Serafini are all set to star but the Ghostface killer will not be a feature for the television project.
Dimension Films
“Underworld” - Len Wiseman, who wrote and directed all four “Underworld” films, is said to be involved on the TV project.
Screen Gems
“School of Rock” – Nickelodeon ordered “School of Rock” straight to series with Tony Cavalero taking the lead role from Jack Black. Jim and Steve Armogida will executive produce and write.
Paramount Pictures
“The Devil's Advocate” - John Wells and Arnold Kopelson serve as producers with Matt Venne writing the first script for NBC.
Warner Bros. Pictures
“In the Heat of the Night” – The 1967 film has already spawned an NBC series that ran for seven seasons between 1988 and 1995. The new reboot comes from MGM Television and Showtime, written and directed by Tate Taylor.

United Artists
“Westworld” – Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden will star in the HBO drama pilot based on the 1973 Michael Crichton film about a problematic amusement park.
MGM
“Real Genius” – Being rebooted by NBC, the project comes from Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment.
TriStar Pictures