Picture doesn't fill screen on 4:3 programmes

Forum Forums Freeview HD FVP 4000T, 5000T Picture doesn't fill screen on 4:3 programmes

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  • #18257
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I recently started having problems watching 4:3 broadcasts. They no longer fill the screen automatically. I just found out that there was a recent software update and wonder if this has caused the change. I have reset the recorder to factory doing a format. Its nothing to do with the TV. Its set to 16/9 auto and 1080p.

    #73007
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    “Its set to 16/9 auto”.

    There lies your problem I believe, “auto” means it will switch ratios to match the broadcast. Without knowing what brand of tv its difficult to give more accurate advice but look for a setting that is simply 16/9 or full screen or similar.

    #73008
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    The zoom is set to auto. The 4:3 16:9 is set to 16:9 . the TV has full or dot to dot wide mode (sharp aquos)

    #73009
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Isn’t this something which needs to be set on the TV? If the Humax outputs at 4:3, you tell the TV to expand it …

    #73010
    grahamlthompson
    Participant

    It’s impossible for a 4:3 picture to fill a 16:9 display unless.

    1 You stretch it horizontally making everyone look very fat

    or

    2 You expand it and retain the aspect ratio so that you lose a lot of the vertical resolution.

    If properly displayed it should fit top and bottom and have black bars either side.

    Some broadcasters transmit 4:3 content as 16:9 adding black pixels either side so when scaled by the TV it displays correctly as above.

    #73011
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    2 You expand it and retain the aspect ratio so that you lose a lot of the vertical resolution.

    Not only vertical resolution, but also picture content i.e. chopped heads and legs.

    #73012
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I have had to wait until a 4:3 programme to test.

    Setting the Humax box to Zoom means that 4:3 will be shown as fullscreen if watching in SD but the HD channel of the same broadcast is shown as 4:3. So as I suspected, you will need to change a setting on your TV to completely fill the screen without black side boarders.

    #73013
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    There is only the option of full or dot to dot on the TV When using the hdmi. I have found out that the display format must be set to zoom, although you do cut out part of the picture. This is better than 4:3 in the middle of the screen. The strange thing is that this only recently started to happen. I always had the display format set to auto, but it has stopped working.

    #73014
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    It must be just me, but I fail to understand why so many people are prepared to watch programmes in the wrong aspect ratio. When we only had 4:3 TV’s I don’t remember lots moans about ‘black bars’ top and bottom, it was just accepted as ‘widescreen’.

    Rather than watch ‘fat’ 4:3, why not like cinema’s fit curtains each side of the tv to obscure those terrible black bars, just a thought!

    #73015
    grahamlthompson
    Participant

    fedman1 – 37 minutes ago  » 

    It must be just me, but I fail to understand why so many people are prepared to watch programmes in the wrong aspect ratio. When we only had 4:3 TV’s I don’t remember lots moans about ‘black bars’ top and bottom, it was just accepted as ‘widescreen’.

    Rather than watch ‘fat’ 4:3, why not like cinema’s fit curtains each side of the tv to obscure those terrible black bars, just a thought!

    I couldn’t agree more :-)

    You never see anyone complain that content with a wider aspect ratio than 16:9 has black bars top and bottom.

    #73016
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    fedman1 – 59 minutes ago  » 

    It must be just me, but I fail to understand why so many people are prepared to watch programmes in the wrong aspect ratio. When we only had 4:3 TV’s I don’t remember lots moans about ‘black bars’ top and bottom, it was just accepted as ‘widescreen’.

    Rather than watch ‘fat’ 4:3, why not like cinema’s fit curtains each side of the tv to obscure those terrible black bars, just a thought!

    You don’t pay for all the real estate of a large flat panel TV to see it go to waste with a tiny picture in the middle. It drives me to distraction. I prefer people like Bunter than have black bars at the side.

    However, Netflix now thinks they know what I want, nay they are telling me what I can have. If they programme was originally broadcast in 4.3 e.g. Star Trek then 4.3 it is and it doesn’t matter what aspect ratio I choose on my TV because as it’s streamed you get what Netflix decide to broadcast. :(

    #73017
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    My old Sony Trinitron had several modes which was quite useful in the olden days when some programmes were 16:9 and others were 4:3. It was a frustrating time because the ads were always 16:9 but at least the TV switched automatically.

    The least worst mode was a non-linear zoom where the edges of the picture were expanded more than the centre. Another was a zoom which cut the top and bottom, but the Sony allowed you to shift the viewed area up or down.

    But I agree – watching “stretched” 4:3 is awful – almost as bad as watching over-saturated reds. Cars with wheels like Easter eggs and everyone looking like a rugby forward with a “he-man” chest.

    #73018
    grahamlthompson
    Participant

    Faust – 1 minute ago  » 

    fedman1 – 59 minutes ago  » 

    It must be just me, but I fail to understand why so many people are prepared to watch programmes in the wrong aspect ratio. When we only had 4:3 TV’s I don’t remember lots moans about ‘black bars’ top and bottom, it was just accepted as ‘widescreen’.

    Rather than watch ‘fat’ 4:3, why not like cinema’s fit curtains each side of the tv to obscure those terrible black bars, just a thought!

    You don’t pay for all the real estate of a large flat panel TV to see it go to waste with a tiny picture in the middle. It drives me to distraction. I prefer people like Bunter than have black bars at the side.

    However, Netflix now thinks they know what I want, nay they are telling me what I can have. If they programme was originally broadcast in 4.3 e.g. Star Trek then 4.3 it is and it doesn’t matter what aspect ratio I choose on my TV because as it’s streamed you get what Netflix decide to broadcast. :(

    By expanding a 4:3 source to fit a 16:9 panel you are degrading the picture significantly, it’s hard enough to get a decent picture from a SD channel without either stretching the pixels horizontally or simply throwing them away. Your TV aspect ratio settings should overide the transmitted pixel aspect ratio (which determines the correct aspect ratio the video information should be viewed in to avoid distorting the picture).

    You wouldn’t distort a photograph to fit on photo paper that is a different aspect to the original, why do it with video ?

    #73019
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    grahamlthompson – 1 hour ago  » 

    Faust – 1 minute ago  » 

    fedman1 – 59 minutes ago  » 

    It must be just me, but I fail to understand why so many people are prepared to watch programmes in the wrong aspect ratio. When we only had 4:3 TV’s I don’t remember lots moans about ‘black bars’ top and bottom, it was just accepted as ‘widescreen’.

    Rather than watch ‘fat’ 4:3, why not like cinema’s fit curtains each side of the tv to obscure those terrible black bars, just a thought!

    You don’t pay for all the real estate of a large flat panel TV to see it go to waste with a tiny picture in the middle. It drives me to distraction. I prefer people like Bunter than have black bars at the side.

    However, Netflix now thinks they know what I want, nay they are telling me what I can have. If they programme was originally broadcast in 4.3 e.g. Star Trek then 4.3 it is and it doesn’t matter what aspect ratio I choose on my TV because as it’s streamed you get what Netflix decide to broadcast. :(

    By expanding a 4:3 source to fit a 16:9 panel you are degrading the picture significantly, it’s hard enough to get a decent picture from a SD channel without either stretching the pixels horizontally or simply throwing them away. Your TV aspect ratio settings should overide the transmitted pixel aspect ratio (which determines the correct aspect ratio the video information should be viewed in to avoid distorting the picture).

    You wouldn’t distort a photograph to fit on photo paper that is a different aspect to the original, why do it with video ?

    Because I don’t want black bars – simples. If I can sit and watch Youtube on a 47″ screen then you will gather PQ doesn’t really fuss me to much at all. Growing up with a 12″ monochrome TV and a magnifier across the front tends to do that to you. :D

    I rarely record anything in HD as SD is more than good enough for us and you can fit far more on the HDD. P.S we are sat around 13 feet from the TV.

    #73020
    Anonymous
    Inactive
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