Anyone have HD-HBO or Showtime?

[Mr Peabody]

I recently went to cable. I have the cable card inserted into my Sony widescreen 30" HDTV. When I first started watching HD-HBO the movie was in 4:3 and the TV screen mode was correct. Later i noticed on the same channel it was then 16:9 on a different movie. The screen mode I used on the Sony was "full" which is to display the movie in it's native format. So I guess I can assume that HBO and Showtime do not upscale or convert movies for the HD channels? But no movies are originally 4:3 are they? Anyone else have this happen on these channels or know what's going on here? I don't have the problem with my Toshiba DLP but I keep it in auto format and it probably re-formats the movie and another difference is I'm using a DVR box on it.

[EdwardGein]

On your remote click set up You will then have a screen option which will be set as such until you do otherwise. Click the option that says 16:9 and I think its 4:3 off the top of my head. the main thing is if you set it at 16:9.

When you go Showtime HD and all the other HD Channels that you get assuming your cable company has given you an HD Box/DVR, the picture will be widescreen HD and not the punk ass 4:3 picture. When you go to a non HD Channel, the picture will be in 4:3 format.

The important thing is that you have a default size set up with your cable box/DVR. PS It is very importnat that you review everything on your set up menu and where the default has been set at as well as click "a" or whatever it is for more menu options. You need to see everything.

Likewise with your HD TV, you should have the DVD input set at 16:9, etc.

[drseid]

I recently went to cable. I have the cable card inserted into my Sony widescreen 30" HDTV. When I first started watching HD-HBO the movie was in 4:3 and the TV screen mode was correct. Later i noticed on the same channel it was then 16:9 on a different movie. The screen mode I used on the Sony was "full" which is to display the movie in it's native format. So I guess I can assume that HBO and Showtime do not upscale or convert movies for the HD channels? But no movies are originally 4:3 are they? Anyone else have this happen on these channels or know what's going on here? I don't have the problem with my Toshiba DLP but I keep it in auto format and it probably re-formats the movie and another difference is I'm using a DVR box on it.

I used to have both, now just HD-HBO... The short answer is that some material is still 4:3... This is usually original programming like HBO's "Inside Sports." I have found pretty much all of HBO's *movies* are in HD 16:9 format, and the vast majority have DD 5.1 sound as well.

---Dave

[Geoffcin]

I recently went to cable. I have the cable card inserted into my Sony widescreen 30" HDTV. When I first started watching HD-HBO the movie was in 4:3 and the TV screen mode was correct. Later i noticed on the same channel it was then 16:9 on a different movie. The screen mode I used on the Sony was "full" which is to display the movie in it's native format. So I guess I can assume that HBO and Showtime do not upscale or convert movies for the HD channels? But no movies are originally 4:3 are they? Anyone else have this happen on these channels or know what's going on here? I don't have the problem with my Toshiba DLP but I keep it in auto format and it probably re-formats the movie and another difference is I'm using a DVR box on it.

On my Cable box HD-DVR, the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD, if you set the format to "pass through" then whatever format the source is will pass through to the TV. If your TV does not accept all formats the Cable box can be set to up, or downconvert the signal.

Although no movies are orginally filmed in 4:3 format, many, if not most are broadcast this way. If you reformat this to 16:9 you will have a distorted image.