TV Picture Change
wen059
Newbie

6/27:  Why are some local channels now in letterbox (bar on left & right)?

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Re: TV Picture Change
Lee_VZ
Contributor - Level 1

It sounds like the box isn't set to stretch Standard Definition broadcast.

Go to Menu->Settings->Video Settings -> SD Override and ensure it's set to stretch the picture.

Lee_VZ

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Re: TV Picture Change
film111
Specialist - Level 1

Strectching a 4X3 image will fill the screen, but it also distorts the image...make people look more stout, faces are wider, etc.   If there are bars on each side, that is because that is how those programs were meant to be seen (perhaps formatted for our old 4X3 square TVS.)  So you have the choice of keeping it as is for a normal, natural picture, or stretch it like Silly Putty for a distorted picture that fills the screen.

Re: TV Picture Change
Keyboards
Master - Level 3

@wen059 wrote:

6/27:  Why are some local channels now in letterbox (bar on left & right)?


First, if you mean letterbox then ther are bars left, right, above and below.  Bars left and right only is old standard def 4:3 aspect ratio as opposed to 16:9 HD.

The reason that any show sent by the local is letterboxed (as I defined above) is because the network has decided to send the picture in 16:9 on a standard definition channel.  FOX started doing this for sports starting with last year's NFL season, ESPN has done it for all their standard def channels, as well as many of the other SD channels (including most prime time networks, BBC America, and many others). 

This allows someone watching on an SD channel on an HD set to use zoom which does not cause the distortion that stretch cases if the image were 4:3 and still have a full screen image on a 16:9 set.  Hope that explains it.