Widescreen ratio/res issue

[Deleted User] · 22/07/05 - 18:10

On itv ad now c4 they both look like e4 does.

I always used 4:3 letterbox setting on my cable box and only really and the "jaggies" on itv2 and e4/e4+1 but over the last couple of weeks it now affecting C4 ITV as well.

Any one else getting this ?

[Deleted User] · 25/07/05 - 12:38

WIDESCREEN STATUS UPDATE

question answered :-)

[Deleted User] · 25/07/05 - 13:08

This isn't the same problem. The problem that has been fixed is where the 16:9 setting defaults to the 4:3 setting. This problem is with the letterboxed widescreen setting and is not related.

[Deleted User] · 25/07/05 - 14:10

oh corrected :-)

6789 · 25/07/05 - 19:55

ITV are investigating a picture format fault that's affecting London at the moment.

Don't know about C4 though. Might just be a coincidence if they've been showing more widescreen stuff recently.

[Deleted User] · 25/07/05 - 20:23

e4 has suffered with it always and now thats crossed over to c4, no idea how it happens though

6789 · 25/07/05 - 21:57

It happens on channels that don't use the full 720 pixel resolution across the screen. (They use numbers like 544 or 704 instead). The STB has to interpolate to add the extra pixels, and the older Pace boxes aren't very good at doing it when in letterbox mode. It's a limitation of the hardware.

The ITV picture format issue I mentioned above caused the STB to do letterbox presentation when it shouldn't have. Since I posted that I've found out problem is now fixed in London, though it continues in south Wales.

[Deleted User] · 29/07/05 - 09:17

Now this issue is effecting Channel 4 and ITV1 I have had enough of the jagged edges and should probably get Telewest to replace the box for one which does the job properly.

Can anyone advise what is the best box to request from Telewest to cure this issue as I've only ever had the original Pace 1000 box.

Many thanks.

[Deleted User] · 29/07/05 - 09:44

Green Isaac wrote:

Can anyone advise what is the best box to request from Telewest to cure this issue as I've only ever had the original Pace 1000 box.

You will get either a pace 4000 box or a Scientific Atlanta 4200DVB, but I dont think they will give you the choice of which you want. As far as I am aware the SA box dosent suffer from the letterbox problem, but I could be wrong though :rolleyes:

-Chris

[Deleted User] · 29/07/05 - 09:55

ntlhellworld wrote:

You will get either a pace 4000 box or a Scientific Atlanta 4200DVB, but I dont think they will give you the choice of which you want. As far as I am aware the SA box dosent suffer from the letterbox problem, but I could be wrong though :rolleyes:

Many thanks for the info, I know it's over optimism!

The chances of them actually replacing the box is low. The current box has a fault which I have requested a few times that the engineer brings a new box but when they come they have no box and get the old box working temporarily instead.

There is some discussion on the TW Digital TV Support news group but surprisingly the support team didn't know anything about the fault which is rather strange as it effected E4 for a long time now.

I will see if they can being a Scientific Atlanta 4200DVB. However did this box suffer the fault of not being able to record onto DVD-R recorders or has this fault been addressed?

[Deleted User] · 01/08/05 - 22:28

I had the E4 problem with my old box, got fed up trying to get TW support to understand what I was on about though. Eventually it failed anyway and I got a brand new STB (same model, Pace 1000) which curiously is OK with E4.

[Deleted User] · 29/09/05 - 08:40

Does anyone have any more information about this fault?

Blueyonder support did say on their news group that they had seen the fault cured with a software update that we will receive with the CR4 code drop but now they are saying this update won't include the fix.

Can any of the clever people here confirm that this fault can be fixed with a software update?

I'm so confused by what they are saying and now the fault has spread to Five as well!

[Deleted User] · 29/09/05 - 15:33

I am not convinced this fault can be fixed by new code. It comes, as far as I can see, from having to process the image to both interpolate video that is not broadcast in full screen resolution and then letterbox it. I don't think the old boxes have the 'juice' to do it and either do a very bad job or just skip the interpolation step.

I may be wrong, I've no inside knowledge of the boxes, but the evidence suggests it's the case.

My guess is the only 'solution' is to demand a box that doesn't have the issue or for channels to stop broadcasting in reduced resolution.

[Deleted User] · 29/09/05 - 15:42

jong wrote:

I am not convinced this fault can be fixed by new code. It comes, as far as I can see, from having to process the image to both interpolate video that is not broadcast in full screen resolution and then letterbox it. I don't think the old boxes have the 'juice' to do it and either do a very bad job or just skip the interpolation step.

Thanks. That is pretty much what my mind is thinking but Customer Services are always so convinced it will be solved with a new code drop which never appears.

They will have to admit defeat sooner or later but why couldn't thy replace the boxes when the fault was first mentioned and save us many months of unwatchable pictures?

[Deleted User] · 29/09/05 - 16:19

I am totally uncomforted by statements about things being "fixed in the next code drop". I think this should more accurately read "we are investigating the issue with a view to trying to fix it in the next code drop".

I'm still waiting to see if the "widescreen switching" problem, where the TV forgets it is supposed to be in widescreen mode and reverts of 4:3 or 4:3 letterbox, is fixed in the Teleport release. At least this looks like a real bug that they might be able to squash, but we'll see!

[Deleted User] · 30/09/05 - 10:08

jong wrote:

I am totally uncomforted by statements about things being "fixed in the next code drop". I think this should more accurately read "we are investigating the issue with a view to trying to fix it in the next code drop".

I'm still waiting to see if the "widescreen switching" problem, where the TV forgets it is supposed to be in widescreen mode and reverts of 4:3 or 4:3 letterbox, is fixed in the Teleport release. At least this looks like a real bug that they might be able to squash, but we'll see!

Does any Telewest people here have any idea when this legendary CR5 code drop will be? CR4 was important to Telewest because of Teleport but what else will CR5 bring and is it important to Telewest to get it done any time soon?

Also have any one had a change of set top box which cured the poor scaling jagged problem?

I don't mind being patient (though I don't see why we should given they are happy to take large sums of money from us each month) but I think a fault that has been reported since last June should have been resolved by now.

Also has anyone a list of all the code drop dates and what the changes in software achieved as this may give a clue as to how much longer we have to wait?

lala · 30/09/05 - 13:43

For me the BBC channels are now being affected, whenever I select letterbox I get the crappy 4:3.

Sort it out Telewest.

Only C5 and Sky One are alright.

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 10:53

I've had this widescreen problem for ages, and just accepted it as the norm.

I've got a 32'' JVC widescreen tv, on the cable box when you go to the menu/settings you have got the three options, naturally i choose widescreen. I tried everything, resetting the box, checking scart connections etc, but still none and i mean none, not even BBC1 or 2, ITV, Channel4 etc, not one of them can i get in widescreen.

Do you think if i call them about this they will send an engineer out to 'have a look', or should i demand a new box. After all, i'm paying for a digital TV service!

What do you guys think, help and advice welcomed.

Many thanks in advance

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 11:12

If you can't get widescreen at all, then either it's your TV or you have a different problem with your set top box. Normally a reset will always cure the widescreen problem so you have a different problem.

Go to BBC News24 which is always broadcast in 16:9 widescreen and then play with the aspect ratio settings on your TV. It should be set to 16:9 or wide or whatever it's called by the manufacturer and the picture should get stretched to fill the screen. If people look fat in this mode, then the Telewest box is only outputting a 4:3 picture.

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 12:33

thay all look ok on my Panasonic 36in widescreen tv

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 17:59

Teresa wrote:

If you can't get widescreen at all, then either it's your TV or you have a different problem with your set top box. Normally a reset will always cure the widescreen problem so you have a different problem.

Go to BBC News24 which is always broadcast in 16:9 widescreen and then play with the aspect ratio settings on your TV. It should be set to 16:9 or wide or whatever it's called by the manufacturer and the picture should get stretched to fill the screen. If people look fat in this mode, then the Telewest box is only outputting a 4:3 picture.

It's no fault of the TV, the reason being, when i switch over to the normal terrestrial channels i get them in widescreen.

It must be the box, i shall give Telewest a bell on monday and tell them to rectify it. It's like i was saying, i'm paying for digital TV so if this means them repacing the box, so be it. Some one mentioned the S.A boxes, what are they like?
Photos anyone?

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 18:22

Assuming you mean analogue terrestrial channels, they are not broadcast in widescreen. Your TV must be stretching a 4:3 picture to fill the 16:9 widescreen. It may be using a 'smart' mode that makes this not as easy to spot as you think.

When you say you do not get widescreen what do you mean?

On News24, using the STB's widescreen mode, do you get tall thin people in a 4:3 window? Or fat people filling your widescreen? Or something else?!

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 19:59

The best you'll get out of terrestrial is 14:9 letterboxed widescreen, definitely no anamorphic widescreen.

Do as jong says and look at what you get on BBC News24.

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 23:03

Right, basically when you watch TV through your aerial, say for instance Coronation Street, it is broadcast in widescreen.

When watching this programme in widescreen, it does not quite fill the full screen, i.e you have a small black band at the top and bottom of the screen. This is nomal widescreen programming, yes?

So, when i turn to cable for the same programme, the black bands are gone and the picture fills the screen totally.
Jiggling round with the Telewest set top box settings: Widescreen, 4:3 Normal, and 4:3 Letterbox do not rectify the problem. Simply put, i'm not getting the same widescreen picture that i'm getting through a normal terrestrial aerial.

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 23:07

The issue with the box not switching to widescreen is a seperate issue to the one being discussed in this thread and is a known fault at ticket 7375594 where as our problem is ticket 5626016

However is you can't get widescreen pictures at all either you have got a very defective box or the settings have defaulted to 4:3 normal or your TV settings need to be adjusted as I understand the widescreen switching problem is intermittent.

So has anyone got any more information on the scaling issue? I bet More 4 will also suffer from this problem like the other Channel 4 channels.

[Deleted User] · 01/10/05 - 23:31

Betty Swallocks wrote:

Right, basically when you watch TV through your aerial, say for instance Coronation Street, it is broadcast in widescreen.

Unless you have freeview (digital terrestrial), No it isnt, analogue terrestrail is broadcast in a compromise format between 4:3 (square) and 16:9 (widescreen), called "14:9", this is broadcast inside a normal 4:3 frame, so you get a small band at the top on a 4:3 TV. If you see the small band on a widescreen tv, it means its set up wrong.

Betty Swallocks wrote:

When watching this programme in widescreen, it does not quite fill the full screen, i.e you have a small black band at the top and bottom of the screen. This is nomal widescreen programming, yes?

No, that is a 14:9 picture, it should be imidatly obvious that your watching a 14:9 picture inside a 4:3 frame, then strectched to fit a 16:9 screen. Basically everything is stretched.

Betty Swallocks wrote:

So, when i turn to cable for the same programme, the black bands are gone and the picture fills the screen totally.

Good, thats how its supposed to be, aslong as your telewest set top box is set to 16:9, then you should notice that you can see a good extra 4inches on each side of the picture over the areal.

Betty Swallocks wrote:

Jiggling round with the Telewest set top box settings: Widescreen, 4:3 Normal, and 4:3 Letterbox do not rectify the problem.

There is a glitch with the telewest widescreen settings, in that it forgets its setting, but there is no "problem" that your describing, you seam to think analogue is widescreen (its not) and your telewest isnt (which it is!)..

Betty Swallocks wrote:

Simply put, i'm not getting the same widescreen picture that i'm getting through a normal terrestrial aerial.

Please do yourself a favour and read this guide:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/widescreen/

-Chris

Hey there!

Quick Links

Widescreen ratio/res issue

Comments