Non-HD content with HD receiver 4x3 instead of 16x9?

[kschwi]

Hi,

When I watch old sporting events on ESPN Classic with my new HD receiver, the sides are cutoff in the normal mode when I watch on my HD TV. (The entire screen is filled on my old non HD TV in the basement) The ZOOM and or STRETCH mode will fill the screen but have downsides to them. Zoom cuts off the bottom and top a bit and stretch looks somewhat unnatural.

When I switch to 4x3 the entire screen is filled but how does it do so? Does it do anything to the picture like the stretch mode or zoom? Also does it make a difference if it is in 1080 or 480 with non-HD content?

What are your thoughts?

 

[TheKrell]

There are a host of ways this can be messed up. There's a zoom mode on the TV as well as the receiver, and it sounds as if you have zoom mode on the TV. Are you connected to the TV2 outputs, or the TV1 outputs? What cabling?

 

[kschwi]

Good questions but what makes you think the Zoom mode on the TV is on? I thought non-HD content on the HD receiver does have the sides cut off.

The HD TV is connected to the receiver and the non-HD TV is in the basement not connected to a receiver. I have no idea about the cabling? I have the 722k HD receiver.

 

[garys]

Non-HD content should be 4x3 on HD tv's, you can either zoom on the tv or the receiver if you want it to fill the screen. The HD output on the receiver has 5 modes according to what you want, but the sd output only has 2 (widescreen or normal). It is something you have to get used to as it is not deemed as something that needs to be fixed as far as Dish is concerned.

 

[TheKrell]

garys answered the other questions.

Good questions but what makes you think the Zoom mode on the TV is on? I thought non-HD content on the HD receiver does have the sides cut off.

No, regular SD 4X3 does not have the sides cut off in normal mode on an HDTV. Either the receiver or the TV are zoomed.

 

[kschwi]

The sides are not cutoff when in 4x3; they are only cutoff in 16x9. Therefore I was wondering if I should go into menu/system setup/hdsetup and change the aspect ratio to 4x3 from 16x9. How does the 4x3 mode get the picture to fill the screen?

 

[3HaloODST]

garys answered the other questions.

No, regular SD 4X3 does not have the sides cut off in normal mode on an HDTV. Either the receiver or the TV are zoomed.

Unless by "sides cut off" he means black bars. Lol.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using SatelliteGuys

 

[kschwi]

Yes, black bars in 16x9 with non-HD content.

 

[TheKrell]

If I were you, I'd leave the TV set to normal, and the receiver set to normal. If you're not using HDMI which may set this automatically, then by all means set 16X9 in your Dish receiver setup. The receive will automatically show both regular and widescreen correctly. Regular 4X3 will have black bars on the sides to preserve the aspect ratio on a widescreen TV. If you really want to zoom that SD channel to fill the screen horizontally, then you'll be chopping off the top and bottom!

 

[KAB]

Unless by "sides cut off" he means black bars. Lol.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using SatelliteGuys

Yep...that's what I was thinking.

 

[garys]

Me too.

 

[levibluewa]

Yes, black bars in 16x9 with non-HD content.

That's the way it is suppose to be. An HD feed should be 16:9; an SD feed is 4:3 with pillar bars; occasionally a movie shot in widescreen and shown on an SD feed will be apx. 2:3 with pillars on all sides...letterboxed. You just have to adjust your brain...or keep punching the buttons

 

[n0qcu]

That's the way it is suppose to be. An HD feed should be 16:9; an SD feed is 4:3 with pillar bars; occasionally a movie shot in widescreen and shown on an SD feed will be apx. 2:3 with pillars on all sides...letterboxed. You just have to adjust your brain...or keep punching the buttons

That's called WINDOWBOXED.

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[levibluewa]

That's called WINDOWBOXED.

Sent from my DROIDX

Looks more like LETTERBOX...windowboxed should display potted plants!

 

[n0qcu]

LETTERBOXED = black bars top & bottom
PILLARBOXED = black bars on sides
WINDOWBOXED = Black bars on all 4 sides.

 

[Jhon69]

That's the way it is suppose to be. An HD feed should be 16:9; an SD feed is 4:3 with pillar bars; occasionally a movie shot in widescreen and shown on an SD feed will be apx. 2:3 with pillars on all sides...letterboxed. You just have to adjust your brain...or keep punching the buttons

It just really sucks when you come across an HD channel broadcasting in 4:3,and there are some doing it too.:rant:

 

[dare2be]

It just really sucks when you come across an HD channel broadcasting in 4:3,and there are some doing it too.:rant:

What's even worse is an SD channel broadcasting 16x9 content in a 4x3 window, so on a widescreen TV it's postage stamp windowbox...black bars on sides and double black bars on top and bottom.

 

[garys]

It just really sucks when you come across an HD channel broadcasting in 4:3,and there are some doing it too.:rant:

I remember a lot of sd programing on HD channels when HD started to become popular, by now you would think you wouldn't see it anymore. But I still find some HD channels with a lot of sd programing.

 

[kschwi]

For some reason the 4x3 did not have the black bars on the side and the entire screen was filled. I wonder why that was and what does 4x3 do to fill the screen? Does it zoom or stretch the picture or is it something else altogether?

 

[kschwi]

Some channels can't avoid it if the original programming was not in HD correct?