why am i getting letterboxed?

[javadragon1]

Hmmm.  Judging from the response here, either everyones happy with it, or my account has been singled out for this.

Anyway, two days ago, many of the channels have started arriving in letterbox (aka widescreen). I am wondering if anyone

at Verizon or anyone else who might know, can tell me why they started doing this, and are they going to return to

regular screen soon?

[Keyboards]

I assume you are referring to SD channels displaying in letterbox.  This is how many of the networks (both broadcast and cable - especially on sporting events) are now sending their picture.  Also, some of the HD channels (SyFy for instance) during non-primetime hours sometimes sends their image 4:3 letterboxed on their HD channel as well as their SD channel.

[javadragon1]

Yes, while I've certainly seen programs come this way, it still seems weird to think that most broadcast and cable channels,

and Starz all started doing this 24 hours a day at exactly the same time Tuesday morning.

But if this is what indeed happened, I sure hope they reconsider their decision soon. I still don't understand why

the providers and their advertisers would want to deliver content in an inferior-quality format.

[dave_langer]

The shows that are doing it  with the letter box black bars are probably sending it over in its Original Aspect Ratio (OAR).

That is actualy not inferior but superior since the tv station is not distorting the picture by making it zoomed in to fix your entire wide tv screen.

You want movie channels to be doing this, so you are seeing the whole picture and its not being cropped.

Its just like when we did not have wide screen tvs people would complain about having to see black bars on their 4x3 tvs.

The black bars are better since you are seeing it as it was intended.  Plus after a few minutes you wont even notice the black bars.

[javadragon1]

Well, I don't really watch all that much television anyway, so perhaps it's only a minor inconvenience. For movies

being shown as they are originally intended to look, and folks enjoying them that way, I'll take your word on that.

As for regular programs and sports, however, when everyone looks four feet tall and fat as a wine barrel, it is rather 

a distraction.

I apologize, readers for sounding like a rant against letterbox; that was not my intention. I was only trying to

find out whose decision it was to cause this and whether or not I could address my concerns to someone who

might know something.

Anyway I still am hoping this is just an experiment, as baseball season is coming up, and here, we are pretty big

on our local team. Yes the network that broadcasts the majority of games is one that has gone letterbox.

Also, I do appreciate the time and effort you guys have shared, participating in this discussion. Thank you.

[dave_langer]

Make sure you are watching the HD version of the stations.  What you are talking about sounds like the SD signal streached into 16x9 so you can get umpa loompa look.

Also try hitting the # on your controller to see if that helps.  Also on your TV settings make sure you are using 16x9 or just scan.

Make sure the actually TV setting is not zoomed in.

Also do you have an HD TV or is it a 4x3 old school TV?

[javadragon1]

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to post in a while. But a quick update. I did get a little bit of time to look at tv

this weekend and found that some of the channels have returned to full-screen. The others seem to be now

of a format not really full-screen (there's still dead space at the top and bottom) but larger than letterbox. While

some of the channels now look proportioned right, some still have that squashed look. So it's a little better.

We have three tvs with fios using older, I guess, SD boxes, so there is no built-in aspect setting. Two of them are

newer and have zoom capability, and that did help a bit, but requires some remote juggling when

switching around channels and the guide. The other, the one I tend to use most, is, as you say, "old school".

Again, thanks for participating, maybe "they" are listening after all, hehe.

[ZOH1]

I for one hate letterbox. 2 weeks ago, I noticed all of a sudden a bunch of channels other than a few lower-numbered ones (e.g.2,3,4,5,8,9,10) are all letterboxed. I do not have HD channels. But, they are all letterboxed just 2 weeks ago. Is there anything that can be done to get full screen again on a standard definition tv screen? I also read that people with HD TV's watching non-HD channels (e.g. 50, 54, 180, 199) get letterboxed pictures as well. So, is the only way to get a full-screen picture is to get HD Tv's and HD STB's and watch only HD channels? That seems so unfair and cruel to now have to pay all this money to get new equipment and such just to watch in full-screen? I would imagine if you want to watch in true HD, you would watch only the HD channels with HD equipment. Otherwise, if you are watching non-HD channels, you likely have a standard definition tv, like me, and still many other users. It makes no sense to me to make those non-HD channels letterbox.

[BarbaraG2]

I'm getting all HD channels letterboxed as well.