Everything in widescreen, letterbox format since ONT replaced

[ZOH1]

I have 4 standard definition tv's, 3 digital adapters and one 2500 STB.  Up until last week, I was able to view every program on every channel full-screen with no distortions.  I watch all non-HD channels (e.g. 2,4,11,50,52,180,190,199,250).  Later that week, I had a problem with the picture on channel 2.  So, after many repeated days of calling and other troubles too many to mention here, a technician finally came to the house Monday afternoon.  He first replaced my ONT box to see if that fixed anything.  It did not. 

He then came back 2 days later and diagnosed the problem as being with CBS. After he replaced my ONT box on Monday, I noticed just about every program on every channel I used to watch before in full-screen except 2,3,4,5,9,& 10 were in a widescreen, letterboxed format in which the picture looked squished down with black bars about 1.5 inches thick across the top and bottom of the screen. 

I know some people prefer this widescreen format, but I hate it.  Also, since my tv screen is not that big to begin with, the widescreen format makes things look even smaller.  Some commercials and a a few programs still fill up the whole screen, but most programs and some commercials are widescreen.  Even though I know the ONT box converts the light signal into the copper-wire, I cannot help but suspect if the new ONT box somehow screwed things up so that I can no longer watch any programs I used to enjoy in full-screen, but now I am left with widescreen pictures having 1.5 inch thick black bars across the top and bottom that I find very annoying. 

The only channels left that are still displayed on full-screen are 2,3,4,5,9,10 (not 7 or 11) and 250+.  On channels where newer programs are shown in widescreen, older programs that aired even just a few years ago are still full-screen, but any newer programs are widescreen (even though as of 2 weeks ago, I could still watch them full-screen).

I understand broadcasters are gradually putting out their programming in 16:9 vs. 4:3 on their own timetable.  Some even started years ago.  But, then how is it that I was still able to enjoy all the programming in full-screen on every channel until 1.5 weeks ago?  My understanding was the cable companies downconvert and encode the signals before redistributing them to customers.

The 2500 STB has no aspect ratio menu option and my TV has no such menu option either.  I know some people will probably just tell me to get a bunch of HD TV's.  But, from what I have been researching, many people who have HD TV's have their own picture problems involving aspect ratios.  Besides, our old standard def tv's still work great with great picture and I am not going to shell out a bunch of money for 4 new HD TV's and cable boxes and HDMI cables just to find out I still have some picture problems needing zooming or stretching or aspect ratio changes that my still leave me with some other problems.

Any thoughts?  Is there any possibility the new ONT box screwed thing up somehow or Verizon did something at the network or server level?  I find everything just too much of a coincidence that all this seemed to happen at the same time.

I could understand if maybe few programs here and there on some channels were widescreen while others stayed full-screen over the last few years.  But, what are the chances everything happened all within the same week as they were trying to diagnose my first problem (which is still not fixed, by the way)? 

I have been trying to reach out to people at Verizon with no luck and 1 person I did reach basically denied any fault on their end, which is not surprising given my past experiences reporting problems to them I knew were not my fault through my own troubleshooting and diagnosis as an IT professional myself, but they kept denying it was theirs, just to find out 2 weeks later they finally admitted they were at fault.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[beetlejuice2]

Have you tried rebooting your ont yourself?

I know when I did it reset everything and I had to choose between standard or widescreen for an aspect ratio.

All I did was unplug the ont for around 5 minutes, then I turned my router off then on, and that was it.

As soon as I turned my tv and box on it gave me the 2 choices and wouldnt let me go any further until I made a choice.

I also got the same screen when I got a new dvr box.

I'd say give it a shot.

[Keyboards]

Zoh -

The ONT only does an optical to elctrical conversion.  It does no processing on the signal - all that is done in your STB so the ONT can't be responsible for changing the aspect ratio or format of the video signal.

[ZOH1]

Yes, I tried rebooting the ONT. I did not reboot the router, but that should not matter since the router is really for more the program guide and video on demand stuff. My understanding is you could still watch cable TV without the router on, you just could not connect to the Internet to get the on demand stuff and program guide. Not every single show and program is in letterbox format, but most of the higher-level channels are past channel 11, and channel 7 and 11 as well. It just strikes me as very odd that it seems all of this happened all about the same time. Since the TV's and STB's are all SD, there is no option for changing aspect ratio since by definition, standard def is 4:3. So, I was wondering if perhaps the ONT was involved somehow in changing the aspect ratio or something is not downconverting right. I noticed a few times while watching a Steelers game on CBS that at first when the game comes back on the picture is letterboxed for a few seconds and then changes back to full screen. I do not know if this is Verizon doing this, the cable box fixing something, or CBS. Again, I find it very strange that all of a sudden this happened on mostly all, if not all, channels and programs whereas 2 weeks ago, everything was full screen on my standard def. I understand that even with HD Tv's people still get letterboxed shows. I myself have seen letterboxed shows even though it was showing on an HD TV. So, I am just trying to understand what is going on here and if there is anything I can do to change things back to full screen. This also happens on all 4 tv's in the house, 3 of them use DCT700 digital adapters and 1 of them uses a 2500 STB. So, I can see maybe 1 STB failing but not all 4 devices. So, that is why I concluded that it has to be either the ONT box or Verizon at the light hub. Of course, it could be the broadcaster, but again, what are the chances every broadcaster made the switch all in 1 or 2 days simultanously and decided to all send letterboxed signals when everything was full-screen 2 weeks ago. I do not get it. One more thing. Not all programs and channels are letterboxed the same way with the thickness of the black bars on top and bottom being different thickness on different channels. Even for the video on demand stuff, the black bars are of different thickness vs. when watching the exact same show live (well, live as in the time it is being broadcast).

[ZOH1]

According to 1 broadcaster, Verizon changed their equipment to specifically letterbox the SD network programming content specifically at the request of the broadcaster based on complaints the broadcaster got from users not liking a center-cut image. It seems from my perspective, that if all this were coming from the broadcasters, then everybody would be seeing the same letterbox change all over the country at the same time. But, from what I have gathered, it seems to differ from region to region, state to state, month to month and year to year, which would make sense if the provider was making changes from their different local offices. I saw other tv's in my area from another provider showing the same SD channel and show still in full screen, whereas some other tv's with Verizon are letterboxed. It seems to me the changes are due to gradual changes made by different providers according to region.

[jozee1]

i just happened to come across this and i am very interested b/c my mom has been having this problem now for about a week, a tech came over today & told her basically the same thing that its being broadcasted this way from the stations, she only has the letterbox on a few stations showtime cbs and a few other local stations,

i am interested to hear its happening only to people w/out HD, mom doesnt have an HD tv except in the bedroom and its not happening  at that t.v.!! 

i was more or less searching for a remedy but i guess alot of people are having same issue