If your STB is in a fixed-resolution mode, set "Narrow to Wide" option to "Stretch". This will only affect SD channels. Some HD stations show 4:3 programs upconverted to HD without stretching. These programs cannot be stretched within the STB.
If your STB is set to Native mode, switch to one of the SD channels (CNN) and set Wide mode on your TV set.
Also any channels received OTA you will not be able to stregth either. I gotten use to leaving the picture the way it was made. Also I have a DLP so I don't have to worry with "burn ins".
Ok think that's it, stuff like CNN stretches and crops but OTA commercials, or shows not in HD I get side bars...yeah my TV has fixed viewing for the DVI.
I saw Showtime boxing use "blurry bars" for 4:3 material that can't be streched. Although not ideal its much better than black bars. Hopefully this catches on.
Someone please help me. You guys are confusing me. I currently have cable and I ALWAYS leave my TV on the Wide setting (actually my TV calls it the standard setting). I am assuing that this automatically stretches everything. I am confused when you guys refer to material that "can't be stretched" as everything i watch is stretched to 16:9. I also have a "stretch" mode on my TV. It seems to keep everything in the middle of the screen looking the same as 4:3 but on the edges the screen is distorted.
My regular 4:3 mode is called "narrow" and has gray vertical bars on each sided but I hardly watch any of this. I almost always keep it on standard(what you guys are calling "wide"). Is this wrong if what I am watching is not broadcast in Widescreen?
non-hd material is broadcast as 4:3 (except for TNT-HD and other few programs). If you leave your TV in standard mode (or something like that), you end up with either gray or black bars on the side. That's 4:3 material not stretched. You may stretch this material for whatever reason but it is not sent by broadcasters as 16x9.