HBO Max’s ‘Mad Men’ Vomit Scene Proves ‘Remastered’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Better’

But the problem goes beyond a change of aspect ratio. Remastering shows that were originally shot with more primitive technology sometimes goes horribly awry, like an I Love Lucy clip that went viral last year showing a pair of once-blurry background actors brought into so much focus that they now looked like surreal Picasso sketches.

I visited the set of Frasier in the late ’90s, as the TV industry was preparing for the shift from standard to hi-def. As I admired the decor of Dr. Crane’s living…