Re: Black side stripes
 

How should i use my TV correctly?

Re: Black side stripes
 

There is a signal sent by the STB (if fact, two signals) to tell your TV that it's sending a widescreen picture.

The purists claim that you should watch 4:3 content pillarboxed on a 16:9 TV. Most people don't though.

Re: Black side stripes
 

Terrestrial broadcasts are in 4:3, set your TV to 4:3 with your STB turned off.
Then turn on the STB and your TV should then switch according to what the STB is sending to it.

Re: Black side stripes
 

In your face, eight balls!

I should add that by "pillarboxed", I mean, with vertical lines left and right, in the same way the BBC are broadcasting the football.

Re: Black side stripes
 

I dont set any aspect ratio on the TV. I just let it deal with the signal in the way it was designed to. Is that wrong?

Re: Black side stripes
 

Its designed to show 4:3 pics in a 4:3 ratio, and 16:9 pics in 16:9 ratio. its not dealing with signals in the way it was designed to so i guess that would make it wrong.

Re: Black side stripes
 

If you are ever* watching an analogue picture and it fills your screen, then what you're watching is actually stretched horizontally. In these instances, your TV should be set to 4:3.

A TV set to auto should do this itself. However, my TV doesn't actually have an "auto" option - on mine, I just select 4:3 as the default size, and it then changes itself when it recieves a widescreen switching signal from the STB.


* sometimes channel 4 show films in letterbox widescreen on analogue - your TV should zoom this image so that it fills your screen, albeit at a lower resolution.

Re: Black side stripes
 

How can you even say that when you dont know what the TV is? IT might be designed to show a 4:3 pic in a 16:9ratio by strethcing the outter edges. Seems way off the point. How ever i got the answer (i think). From what people have said it seams the Digital and terrestrial analogue are transmitted in different formats. Terrestrial 4:3 and Digital 16:9, however the digital signal when showing the portugese pictures can only fill 4:3 but its still transmitted as 16:9

Re: Black side stripes
 

Because no manufacturer deliberately manufactures a TV which will deliberately distort pictures. Its not rocket science.

Re: Black side stripes
 

gary_580,

Post the make and model of your television, so some one can look into it, then hopefully these arguments can be resolved.

Re: Black side stripes
 

Now im really confused. If stretching a 4:3 picture to fit a 16:9 screen isnt distorting the picture what is it?

Panasonic TX32PD30

Re: Black side stripes
 

Its the way you are using it. It has been setup to stretch the pictures, in normal operation it won't.

Re: Black side stripes
 

While the experts are here, if I switch my STB to RGB my widescreen TV always stretches the picture to fill the screen no matter whether it is a widescreen program or 4:3 (and it makes no difference what aspec setting the TV is on!). Is there any way to get the STB to send the black sidebars for broadcasts that are 4:3?

Re: Black side stripes
 

What make is your TV, Tod?

Re: Black side stripes
 

Tod do you have AV control set to on? And are you using the TV out scart on the back of the STB and not the VCR out.