Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I have this ongoing problem with aspect ratio since the upgrade, also friends in Stevenage have the same problem. I am in Letchworth/Hitchin area with two 4001NC boxes and have had this problem on both boxes at the same time since the upgrade, prior to this I didnt have a problem.

Both boxes set to 16/9 Widescreen, one Sony Wega and one standard 4:3 Hitatchi TV

What happens is maybe once or twice a week overnight I come down in the morning to see most channels have black borders to the left and right, both boxes are always set to 16/9 ratio. If I leave them for a few days the rectify themselves or I can fix it by going into the visual settings going to 4/3 and then back to 16/9 again. When this happens some channels the program will have black borders to the left and right of the picture and when the commercials come on it will change to 16/9 for all the adverts and then when the program comes back again you can see it shrink again. It was like this on ITV1 London this morning on GMTV. List of some channels affected

Channel: Black borders

ITV1 In program
C4 all the time
c5 no problem
Smash Hits all the time
QVC all the time
Remaining music channels all the time
ITV2 in program
Buy NTL all the time
BBC News 24 no problem
BBC Three No problem
BBC Four No problem
BBC Parliament No Problem
e4 Plus 1 No Problem
CBBC No Problem
Cbeebies No Problem
BidupTV No Problem
Sky Movies 1 no problem
Sky movies 2 all the time
3 all the time
Movies 4 no problem
movies 5 no problem
movies 6 no problem
movies 7 no problem
movies 8 no problem
movies 9 no problem
remaining movie SKY channels and Filmfour no problem


I wont list the rest, but that the general problem: info from the boxes if its any help

AGC Signal Level 73
SNR 36.0 db
pre RS errors: 0.0e+00 per 0.5s
Post " " 0.0e+00 per 0.5
AGC Signal level: 73
Return power: 53dbmV


Im getting continous streams of code 166 lost IB lock every one minute with the occasional lost oob lock.

Any ideas, as I have an eng booked again for next week and realy not sure what he is going to do,

Thanks in advance

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Not sure if I understand you correctly here. Are you saying that the TV shows 4:3 programs with black bars down each side, and widescreen pictures fill the screen?
If that is what you are saying then thats what is supposed to happen.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I've noticed this before on the pre-LCR3 software. Although it's not one of the official setups of the NTL software, the boxes are capable of sending 4:3 pictures (and 14:9 as well) in a vertical letterbox. The reason I know that it's not the TV doing this is that if you bring up the guide while this is happening it stretches the whole width of the screen (whereas if the TV was doing the letterboxing the guide would be in the centre of the picture).

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

No, Widescreen programs show borders to left and right, its like the whole thing goes back to front and cant decide if its going to show 4:3 or widescreen, It happened yesterday morning, and always once or twice a week this will happen.

This has only started to happen the night of the upgrade and continues to happen once or twice a week, as Ive said, I can resolve the picture size by switching from 16;9 to 4:3 and back again

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

GMTV isn't broadcast in widescreen, but the adverts during it are, so you are seeing the correct picture there. If you mean that the STB is adding black borders on the left and right instead of the TV, then that is a little weird, but as long as it's still sending a 16:9 signal, the picutre will look fine.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

What hardware version of box is yours, and your friends boxes? (Page up, page down, blue, more).

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Proppin this was post on the 22/04/04 originally as a seperate thread then merged into the CR3 feedback.

This is unconnected to any visual output from the television companies. So its not about GMTV not being in widescreen or the fact that Sky transmit 16:9 during a program but then drop back into 4:3 for the adverts(quick aside when will this stop?)

Its funny that we have gone from problems with 16:9 on the Pace boxes to problems with 4:3.

Guess this sort of thing keeps people paid ;)

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Hi Propin

HW Type: 4001-2b
HW Version : 2 B

All channels are still showing correct ratio in program and advers on both boxes. Ile post again when it happens again, prob will be next week overnight some time again :)

Thanks for you help guys.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

AHHH Great, someone else with a 4001NC box. Propin, Do you think it might be somat to do with the 4001N code, HW version ?

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

OK its just happened again Sunday May 02 12:00


This time though its all 4:3 channels have borders to left and right.

Ive gone into settings again on both boxes, changed 16:9 to 4:3 and back to 16:9 again and all ok again.


Yawn. :(

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

What hardware version have you got Jonathan?

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Do you know what channel you were watching, and was it the same channel on both boxes? Did they go at the same time?

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I had this same problem on my Grundig 16:9 set.

In the STB setup screen their is an option to turn on or off Scart control. When I switched it off my problems finished. For some reason, some times when i changed channel, the scart signal flutuated fooling my TV in to 4:3 mode, even when the TV was set to always use 16:9.

Weired.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I was on one of the music channels at the time, sure it was The box, which was ok, then next time after 12:00 pm yesterday I flicked through found all channels had the left and right borders, or all that were not in widescreen. Ile try turning scart controll off, one one of the the boxes, see if that does anything. Thanks mrm1

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

My software version is the same as Skaven

HW Type: 4001-2b
HW Version : 2 B

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

We have also had this problem on our box. Happened about 5 or 6 times since the upgrade.

Details are: 4001-2A and 2A

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I'm still struggling to understand what the problem is. If you have told the STB you have a 16:9 TV, and you are viewing a 4:3 programme (eg QVC), then there should be black bars down the side. Maybe if someone posted some screenshots (direct off the TV, not via a capture card) that might help.

Skaven: For your 4:3 Hitachi TV, why have you told the STB you have a 16:9 TV?

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Normally you can have black bars down the side for 4:3 signals when the set top box is set to 16:9 but this is just down to the display setting on your TV. The problem forces the blacklines down the side from the set top box giving you no control about how you display it.

For example our box is connected to a tivo and the output from this can be displayed on the 16:9 TV downstairs or the 4:3 upstairs. normally if a 4:3 program has been recorded it will display okay on the 4:3 tv and on the 16:9 tv you have a choice of 4:3, 16:9 zoom or smart zoom depending on wether you like the right aspect ratio or a full screen. When this problem happens there is only one sensible way to watch the program on the 16:9 TV and its looks silly on the 4:3 TV.

Plus as mentioned before this must be a bug as the black lines dissapear if you change to 4:3 display and then back to 16:9.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Spiderplant: Ok i'll hope this will help you understand a bit more about our problem.

When watching QVC the signal outputed is pure 4:3.

On a 4:3 (old style) television the picture will fill the screen. No matter what the set top box is set to in settings (4:3, 4:3L or 16:9)

On a 16:9 (widescreen) television, it will not matter what the set top box is set to because the signal is pure 4:3. However what complicates matters in this regard is how you display a 4:3 picture in a 16:9 frame. The sensible option is to squash the picture into a 4:3 shape on the 16:9 frame. Done by the television this will put black bars either side of the picture to 'push it into the shape that most people know as a 4:3 picture.

What we are describing is a problem where the set top box is doing this 'pushing' before it hits the television. So the picture is 'pushed' even more when displayed on the 16:9 television.

Hope this might make things more clearing??? :)

As for why does Skaven have his box set to 16:9 even though he has a 4:3 television. Well some 4:3 televisions can 'push' the picture down to 16:9 so we can get a higher resoloution picture then 4:3 letterbox but thats a whole new story :D

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Thanks Johnathan for that, All Im trying to tell NTL here is I have never seen any boxes outputing bars to the left and right on any tv in my house on any sofware revision prior to Lcr3 and have been with NTL since the Cabletel days for 9 years, analogue and digital, and have never had this problem, even when I used to have OnDigital, Why do I have to keep reseting my settings to get the picture back to normal once or twice a week. Talking to faults is a waste of time, as all they want to do is send booster signals or get an engineer out to tell me nothings wrong and faults dont know what they are doing again and then trying to charge me 50 quid, your our last resort propin :D

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

God help us!!
OK I'm sourcing a HW 2 version of box with CR3 code to leave on soak test. I doubt its a HW2 specific problem tho. Anyone suggest channels which have caused their boxes to show this issue?

Skaven, if you don't have any widescreen TV's then leaving the boxes in 4:3 mode will stop it doing it to your boxes. 4:3 P&S will make 16:9 pictures fill the screen, 4:3 letterbox will mean 16:9 pictures will have black bars top and bottom, the aspect ratio will also then be correct no matter what you watch.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Proppin i couldn't really tell you which channels to be honest might cause this, my tivo changes the channels as it wants so...
I will try and keep an eye on it for future reference.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Will keep an eye on ours to see if it goes again and if so when (strangely enough on a tivo as well but don't think thats the problem). If it does go again is there anything that I can do before resetting the display back to normal that might help?

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Skaven, if you don't have any widescreen TV's then leaving the boxes in 4:3 mode will stop it doing it to your boxes. 4:3 P&S will make 16:9 pictures fill the screen, 4:3 letterbox will mean 16:9 pictures will have black bars top and bottom, the aspect ratio will also then be correct no matter what you watch.[/QUOTE]


AGGGHHHHHHHH. Slap propin round the head with a fish. Ive said in my original post I have a Sony Wega widescreen and also a satndard 4:3 tv one downstairs, one upstairs, Both do it on all channels (nearly all as I listed) at the same time.

Currently the box on the 4;3 tv Ive set to 4;3 Leterbox, as Im a fussy get, and what me bars (top and bottom, not left to right) heheheheh

And the Sony Wega Widescreen is still set to 16:9 Widescreen, Ile let you know if it happens again and what tv is showing what.

Cheers Propin

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Its Friday, and its happened, again, seems to be every Friday, and last week was Friday and Sunday at 12:00 exactly , the usual channels effected, ie all 4;3. Propin, no effect with my box set to 4;3 leterbox.

Will now go to visual settings, change to 4:3 and back again.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Do you mean midday or midnight? (If midnight, do you mean Thursday-Friday?)

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

It will be most useful to know what channel you were watching or the box was left on before the issue occurs.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

This has been happening to me since Thursday this week (that's when I noticed it any way) E4 (for ER) went funny on me, I checked both the tv and cable settings and they were both unchanged (i.e. both set for widescreen). This afternoon, whilst channel hopping, it changes; one channel wide the next 4:3! (When it is supposed to be wide!)

This is happening to widescreen output on a widescreen TV. I thought it was just our set, but by the previous posts, we are not alone! My STB did give an error message last night and asked me to reboot it! (no channels available!!???) I did, and still I have this problem!

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Where in the UK are you mate? The reboot should get rid of the issue that people are talking about here.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

In East Anglia, North of Cambridge and South of Peterborough! The reboot did not fix it! - not been watching TV today, trying to get ToCA RD2 to work!! so I can't say if it's still happening!!

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Do you know whether the Cambridge (Langley) or Peterborough (Bromley) headends feed you?

I would check your scart leads, or check whether scart control (possibly only a Langley menu option) is set to on. Also check that your scart feeding the TV is fed from the TV out scart socket of the STB and not the VCR out. The TV out has pin 8 switching, the VCR out does not.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

The Sunday it happened was 12:00 PM afternoon. And again last Friday, I could be watching any channel it doesnt mater which one Propin, it just happens, and then all others are affected, appart from channels that are 16:9 all the time, like BBC.

I cant be bothered with this anymore m8, as Im about to cancel and go to sky, thanks for your help, hope the other guys get fixed

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Ok Proppin, it happened to me tonight, caught it on the tivo.

It happened at approx. 10:26p.m. as Sky One was showing Las Vegas. Coming out of the program which was shown 16:9 the adverts were in the squashed 4:3 ratio we have described before.

Re: Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Yep, I've managed to get a HW version 1 to do it as well. It seems to be a different kind of isue to the L2.9 (Copyright Tristan software name http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=12240 ) widescreen issue where boxes forgot their widescreen settings.
I've managed to create this fault on at least two boxes so far. I'm still looking into what actually triggers the issue. Apologies for the inconvienience but be assured its being looked at. You do not have to go into settings to fix the issue, just going in and out of Guide fixes it for a while.

Aspect ratio problems
 

Is anyone having problems with the aspect ratio on the Langley STBs? This problem has developed over the last week or so. What happens is that a 4:3 image is squashed horizontally so that the picture is really narrow with black bars down the outside (it looks a bit like watching a 16:9 picture on a normal telly). I've got a widescreen TV with the STB output set to 16:9 and the TV switches automatically between 16:9 & 4:3, but I watch non-widescreen programmes in 4:3. I can fix it by going into the guide, but it's starting to get a pain in the bum. So far it's happened on $ky Onâ ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¬, Mix, UK Gold, Q and a few others. Does anyone know if this is a software issue?

Thanks

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

I have exactly the same problem - the 16:9 picture squashes itself up to 4:3, resetting the box or switching to the guide and back seem to cure it again - but it is very irritating. :grind:

It has only started since I got CR3. :(

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

I thought that it was software related, but I can't understand why it's taken so long to manifest itself. I suppose it'll have to wait until the next software update to be fixed :( I expect it's "coming soon" - I won't hold my breath. I could try phoning faults, but the last time I phoned with a similar problem with Channel Five a couple of years ago I couldn't get ntl to understand what the problem was :rolleyes:

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

I've seen it on Sky One and Sky one Mix over the last couple of days. Can't say I've noticed it on other channels.

Don't think it's software related as nothing has changed in the last few days and it doesn't effect all channels. More than likely something to do with the feed coming from Sky.

Sadly as Proppin no longer inhabits these parts it's unlikely you'll get an answer quickly. Maybe if you post over on Digitalspy he'll be able to check at the source for you.

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

Sorry Dezzo but I disagree - mine started doing it on various channels just after my CR3 update - it never did it prior.

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

no problems here....Kirklees :)

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=11793

This is a link to a previous discusstion about this problem. As you can see at the end of it, our sadly missing friend Proppin, had said that ntl had noticed the problem.

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

At first I thought this was a problem with the channel itself. But then I went to visual settings on the NTL menu and checked that TV size was set to widescreen. It was. But just checking this and refreshing the setting makes the problem go away. So after looking at the visual setting menu, non-widescreen 4:3 programs are back to normal.

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

If this is the same problem as affects the Bromley software, firing up the browser (by going to interactive or the front page of the TV guide) fixes it.

Re: Aspect ratio problems
 

The two threads have now been merged. It's a shame that Proppin decided to leave us - he will always be welcome to re-join. :)

Re: [merged] Aspect Ratio Problems
 

OK, it sounds as though you are all having the same problem I have, but going into the settings doesn't do anything to fix mine.

Widescreen programs show correctly in 16:9 mode, 4:3 programs are stretched to fill the screen. This spontaneously decided to correct itself about a week ago, at which point I stopped putting the NTL box into standby and enjoyed proper aspect ratios right up until last night when I accidentally flicked the wrong power switch.

Now it's gone back to stretching the $:3 pictures. I'm confused in this topic by all the talk of different boxes/software versions... is this a common fault and is there a known fix?

Re: [merged] Aspect Ratio Problems
 

The problem being referred to is a 16:9 picture spontaneously deciding to squash itsef up into a 4:3. There is no fix and my CR3 boxes still do it once or twice a week. :rolleyes:

Re: [merged] Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I am finding that the Hits is broadcasting in 14:9 and that the problem described by Paul M is happening to me on ITV1 when they go from normal programming in 16:9 to ITN News which fails to switch the STB to 4:3 :)

Re: [merged] Aspect Ratio Problems
 

OK, well that is exactly the opposite problem to what I am having. Weird. I don't suppose I should even ask what a CR3 box is?

Re: [merged] Aspect Ratio Problems
 

Ok, this is a problem with people who are on the Langley platform (there BBC1 is on 101).
On occasions the box, when set to output a 16:9 signal, will only output a 4:3 signal in a 16:9 frame.So what you get on a widescreen tv is a picture with black bars on top and to the side.
This is easily fixable by going to the guide and then back to tv again.
NTL, through the sadly missed Proppinupthebar, is aware of the problem and more importantly has recreated the problem at the DMC.
So hopefully a solution should be at hand.

Re: [merged] Aspect Ratio Problems
 

I hate to say it again but that's not my problem. Should I start a new thread?