I am having a problem with my local channels. It started when I moved to a new place and have all my channels on just one (Slimline 5) satellite as opposed to the 2 satellites I originally had. The local channels are worse in quality i.e. they scramble more, audio goes in and out and there is a constant grey bars on the top and bottom of the viewing picture. I found out that if you go into system settings and go to HD you can change the viewing to 16:9 widescreen and then the bars go away, but the expanded channels change to having grey boxes on the left and right of their viewing pictures as opposed to nothing before. So it seems like the local channels are set up in widescreen and expanded are in standard, but they shouldn't. My TV is a SD Magnavox that only supports 480p and 4:3 viewing. I called a rep. for Directv and they tried to have me set up the satellite on the 72.5 degree viewing satellite, but the receiver would not recognize that setting. I dont know what I can do myself, or do I have to wait until someone comes out and tries to fix it. Is there something I can tell the tech when they come out here that will be better for my tv?
Local Channels
- Thread starter steveo05
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You need to set the aspect ratio (under TV ratio) to 4:3. All 4:3 broadcasts should fit the screen (although sometimes the station will add bars on the top and bottom--letterboxing). When viewing a HD 16:9 station, you can use the format key to switch between cropped (sides cut off to fit 4:3), letterboxed (the receiver adds the bars on top or bottom), stretch (vertically to eliminate the top and bottom bars) and "original format", which I haven't figured out, but it appears the same as stretched on my TV.
If you set the receiver to 16:9 there are different format options, but they are assuming that you are using a widescreen display and all will be stretched somewhat.
If you set the receiver to 16:9 there are different format options, but they are assuming that you are using a widescreen display and all will be stretched somewhat.
Check your signal strength on the 99 and 103 sats. If your local market is like mine you still need the smaller dish for 72.5 sat. The second dish is being phased out and the locals are moving to the slimline but thats in the future. Make sure your getting a signal reading of 90 or above on 99C and 103B.
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