Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
black_hound
Enthusiast - Level 3

I just renewed my  2 year contract which included a free box but a billing screwup resulted in repeated charges for the box. A CS rep credited the account and said I had the wrong box and she would send out a new one. 

i had a 7100 Motorola HD box. I have an older television set (that cannot control aspect ratio) and I have never had HD service but this was the box I was sent by Verizon as part of my contract. Why they felt it had to be changed I don't know, but ..... the box they sent was a 2500 SD box which does not give me an acceptable picture.

It's totally random. Some channels are 16:9. Some are overzoomed 4:3. The FIOS channel bar at the bottom is partially off the screen and the content is clipped around the edges. Commercials are totally random in size and appearance.

The # key on the remote does not work. There is no option in Settings to change the aspect ratio. 

CS was ZERO help. They concluded that I had to either deal with the scattershot image sizes and clipped image content or go buy another television. SERIOUSLY VERIZON?

I couldn't get an answer as to why the box I was sent by Verizon as part of my original contract that provided a perfectly acceptable image had to be replaced with a box that doesn't provide squat.  I have had Verizon service for  approximately 7 years with this same television and this is the first time I've been given a box that can't produce an acceptable image and a remote that can't resize. So why now?

This smells like a bait and switch, or an attempt to get customers to pay for an upgraded box for a service they don't want  just to get an acceptable picture.  I live in an urban area and there is plenty of older equipment in these homes. So are customers like myself just being told even though you pay a significant amount of money for a Triple Play you are only getting 2 parts of the service?

I find it hard to believe there isn't some way to make the box or the remote change the image size. Can anyone help?

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
philomena92
Newbie

we have that problem right now with the 2500 boxes we've had since we got Verizon Fios in 06'.. they're SD boxes so they're set up to think you're using an SD tv.. but we have 2 flat screens now so the picture is all out of shape.. we have to upgrade to the HD boxes for it to look right.. which is more money..  i'm not sure why it's not working on your 4:3 tv because the 2500 works fine on ours..

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
black_hound
Enthusiast - Level 3

we have that problem right now with the 2500 boxes we've had since we got Verizon Fios in 06'.. they're SD boxes so they're set up to think you're using an SD tv.. but we have 2 flat screens now so the picture is all out of shape.. we have to upgrade to the HD boxes for it to look right.. which is more money..  i'm not sure why it's not working on your 4:3 tv because the 2500 works fine on ours..

 

I could easily be blowing smoke because I am not a technical person, but my understanding of the 2500 boxes are that they just send a 'raw' signal and leave it up to the television to control the aspect ratio. But maybe not since it seems to work just fine on your 4:3 television. I wish it did on mine!

I just want to know why someone felt it necessary to send us a downgraded box on a contract renewal. We were told that our new 2 year contract would be exactly the same as the expiring contract which included the free HD STB.  

It really seems like the left hand doesn't know (or care) what the right hand is doing 99% of time time.

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
LawrenceC
Moderator Emeritus

Hi black_hound,

You have a Private Support Case open that is still awaiting a response from you.  This issue appears to be related, so you should reply in your Support Case where Support Agents will see it.

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/General-Residential-Products-and/Billing-nightmare-over-set-top-box-AGA...

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
black_hound
Enthusiast - Level 3

Thanks, Lawrence. I will follow up with the Support Agents. Truthfully I thought this was solved, but clearly it is not.

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
philomena92
Newbie

why do so many topics go to private section?  we need to see how it's responded to in case we have the same problem..

but yes, our 2500 sd box, basically the 4:3 standard non HD box broadcasts to fit a 4:3 TV.. now some channels will have the black bars on top and bottom to accommodate the 16:9 aspect ratio..  you'll notice this if you run the 2500 box on a flat screen.. if you have it in 16:9 ratio on a flat screen it looks stretched.. the only way to watch regularly is in 4:3 mode.. which basically has the image with bars on all sides.. or you can zoom it and lose a portion of the image.. but it's because the box thinks you're using a 4:3 sd tv so the boxes appear on top and bottom so it can still fit the wider image it's filmed in.. so with flat screens you need the HD box i guess..  unless there is something i'm missing but there isn't a setting that i can find to change how the box exports the image for a flat screen or 4:3.   I know the HD boxes have an 'SD Override' option.. which i guess tells the box you're not using a 4:3 tv anymore.. but that option is not on the 2500 SD box.. believe me i looked..  but this is all in reverse for your issue anyhow as you're having trouble with the SD box on an SD TV...  which yeah, if you run SD the quality of picture is not as good as the HD programming.. so please let us know what they say to do for you.

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
black_hound
Enthusiast - Level 3

Hi philomena92,

When I get this issue solved I will definitely post how it was done. But so far, nothing has worked technically. We have gotten the billing issue resolved (I hope). I will wait for the next bill to arrive to see for sure. We also have the original HD box hooked up again but the problem is the same as with the SD box. No matter which aspect ratio we choose, there is no change to the picture. Some channels are 16:9 and some are 4:3. We can't seem to get them standardized to either ratio, which is weird because it worked perfectly well until the HD box was unhooked. When the HD box was reconnected it's all haywire.

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
black_hound
Enthusiast - Level 3

Update: To date nothing has been resolved. 

I am working with the CS people in a private support thread. The technical issue hasn't been resolved. I still cannot control the aspect ratio. The box doesn't affect the television at all and the remote # key still does not work.

Also, the billing issue is not resolved. I had a call from a CS agent who assured me that it was being taken care of. I just received my monthly billing statement and I am still being erroneously charged for equipment that was free as part of the contract offer.

I'm wiling to be patient with the techinical issues but I am out of patience in regards to the billing. It is pretty infuriating that the billing cannot be corrected and I'm tired of phone calls assuring me that it has been handled only to find out on the next billing cycle that it has not. 

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
black_hound
Enthusiast - Level 3

I had several emails in the private support area that I didn't respond to because I have been out of town. Now that I'm home I find that the ticket has been closed due to lack of response. 

Can you please reopen this ticket because the aspect ratio problems with the box are still not resolved.

Hope springs eternal.

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Re: Aspect ratio issues with SD box and no help from Verizon
LawrenceC
Moderator Emeritus

Hi black_hound,

Please post again in your Private Support Case thread to reopen it.  If you do not receive a reply there in 24 hours, post back here and let us know.

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