IMG 1.6 question: No widescreen guide data?

[#1]

I thought that IMG 1.6 would offer a widescreen show guide on HD TV's.  Got 1.6 at some point since last night and and do not see, nor a setting for, a 16:9 TV listing guide.  All on screen displays remain in the 4:3 aspect ratio as with the old IMG version?

So, does anyone in the FiOS TV world have a native 16:9 channel guide or any 16:9 menus yet?  The image below from FiOS labs does not look artificially stretched to me, and thought that was a v1.6 feature.  Thanks.

 

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Everything I have heard about the Motorola boxes that Verizon use indicates that they can only support a 16:9 OR 4:3 guide, not both.  So in order to be compatible with all types of sets the guide that is pushed to subscribers is 4:3 (the screen shot from "Verizon's Lab" may actually be a 16:9 but you won't find it in the wild..

[#3]

Its ironic that so much of the FIOS marketing is focused on their enormous HD content, yet they can't put up their own programming guide in HD.

This ought to be a user selectable feature or automatically driven by the aspect ratio setting on the video (if your sending 1080i or 720p from the STB, it should switch to a widescreen IMG).  A widescreen IMG would be especially useful given how poorly the FIOS IMG utilizes screen space (can only show 1.5hrs of programming horizontally).

[#4]

The guide look depends on what type of channel you are on.

Look at the guide when on a SD channel, then switch to a HD channel and look at it.

[#5]

The guide is the same no matter SD or HD. If your guide takes up the whole screen, its being STRECHED due to your 4:3 override setting. But it's not a true 16x9 Guide. You can try it yourself.  Set your 4:3 override to OFF and check out the guide in SD and HD.  We want a true 16x9 AR Guide, just like the Dish has.  It can be done!

[#6]

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@juice421 wrote:
The guide is the same no matter SD or HD. If your guide takes up the whole screen, its being STRECHED due to your 4:3 override setting. But it's not a true 16x9 Guide. You can try it yourself.  Set your 4:3 override to OFF and check out the guide in SD and HD.  We want a true 16x9 AR Guide, just like the Dish has.  It can be done!

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No one is disputing that it can be done, the problem is that the hardware platform that Verizon has chosen does not support it in a way that allows both 4:3 and 16:9 so Verizon compromises by using a 4:3 no matter what the box is set to.

[#7]

Its hard to believe the that hardware platform has anything to do with whether the IMG can be presented in widescreen format.   If the video settings are set to upload 1080i or 720p, I'm sure the software could be programmed to present a widescreen IMG.

[#8]

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@spangreen wrote:
Its hard to believe the that hardware platform has anything to do with whether the IMG can be presented in widescreen format.   If the video settings are set to upload 1080i or 720p, I'm sure the software could be programmed to present a widescreen IMG.

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And if I have my override set to 480i or 480p  and my HD set to1080i, what does it do then since the hardware platform can only support a single IMG format?  That is the limitation that to my understanding is why it is in 4:3.  

[#9]

Proof by contradiction

I am Using IMG 1.6 and have 2 6416 HD DVRs.

One gets a widescreen 16:9 IMG the other get 4:3 IMG. (It is obviously possible, and in the wild)

I believe the settings for the on-screen graphic with the 6416 are probably different, but I can't get to that menu anymore since the 1.6 upgrade....

[#10]

Meant to add that the SD overide setting for both boxes is set to 480p