[merged] Aspect Ratio Problems

[Jonathan David]

My software version is the same as Skaven

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

[pedg]

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

Details are: 4001-2A and 2A

[spiderplant]

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?

[pedg]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

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?

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.

[Jonathan David]

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

[Skaven]

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

Originally Posted by Skaven

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

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.

[Jonathan David]

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.

[pedg]

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?

[Skaven]

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

[Skaven]

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.

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Skaven

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.

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

Originally Posted by Skaven

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.

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

[Sipowicz]

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!

Originally Posted by Sipowicz

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!

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