Re: Black side stripes
 

I have a Panasonic TV. AV control is set to on, and I am pretty sure I am using the TV out scart from the STB, I will check however as you ask.

Re: Black side stripes
 

Not sure about Panasonic TVs but on my Sony there are 2 options that set widescreen settings. The first one was called "Auto Format" and was the one that would detect black bars and zoom them off-screen. The one that was causing my TV to display 4:3 pictures in stretchyvision was called "Format Correction" and acted independently of "Auto Format". You may want to check the settings on your TV to see of there's anything similar there.

Re: Black side stripes
 

My panny has Auto, Zoom, 16.9, 4.3

Re: Black side stripes
 

I'd say 4:3 would probably be the best setting then. It should switch to 16:9 when the STB tells it to.

Re: Black side stripes
 

Thats the way my Thomson works, and what I suggested in post 18.

Re: Black side stripes
 

What? You think I actually read your posts? ;)

Re: Black side stripes
 

:p: :p:

No I think you have to get someone to explain them to you :D

Re: Black side stripes
 

Duh! You got me there :rofl:

Re: Black side stripes
 

The whole point of this thread was to discuss why when the TV is displaying a picture in a format that the STB tells it too does it have black bars down the side.

Interestingly enough i noticed last night that if i watched the football on Eurosport or ITV analogue the black bars werent there. They were only there on ITV digital. Why is it correctly displayed on Eurosport and not ITV digital.

Re: Black side stripes
 

*sigh*

Eurosport and analogue ITV (and analogue BBC) show pictures in 4:3, the resolution they get from the host broadcaster.

The digital versions of both ITV and the BBC use a 16:9 display, because that's how they film the studio stuff, and so *the BBC and ITV themselves* add the bars on the right and left, to the broadcast. The STB isn't putting the bars in, it's just showing you the pictures it's receiving, black bars and all.

The side-issue that this thread got pulled onto was that actually, having bars left and right on a widescreen set is the correct way to view 4:3 content, rather than having it streched to fill the screen...

Re: Black side stripes
 

Unfortunately when my TV receives an RGB signal 4:3 mode is disabled. The only way my TV displays the black bars on the side in RGB are when channels send the black bars (like BBC1 does with the football).

Re: Black side stripes
 

I think that is what it is supposed to do. If the STB forwards the black bars to your TV then you should see them - if the channel had no bars in the first place the TV will just display what it gets sent from the STB (filling the whole screen).

Re: Black side stripes
 

Shame the STB can not add these black bars, but I guess it would be too complex with some channels sending them and some not.

Re: Black side stripes
 

I've read most of the comments in this thread, but none fully address the problem as I SEE IT.

Ok it is a 4:3 picture transmitted by the host country TV company, in a 16:9 frame broadcast by BBC/ITV in digital format - hence the black bars. But to my eyes this 4:3 picture LOOKS like a 16:9 picture compressed into a 4:3 frame because all the players tend to look like matchstick men, and the perspective seems wrong. I'm sure if it was possible to stretch the 4:3 picture back to 16:9 format everything would look 'normal' again!!

Has anyone else noticed this?

I may be wrong, perhaps I've been watching s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d pictures on my panasonic TV for too long. (panasonic call it justified - where the left and right edges of a 4:3 picture are distorted to fill the 16:9 widescreen)

On a second point can anyone explain why the left and right blank areas on football matches from BBC are black, but the same areas on ITV/ITV2 seem to have a golden glow? (NO its NOT a problem with my TV)

Re: Black side stripes
 

OK, this is the last one. The Beeb have added black to the picture. ITV have added the gold curtain effect.