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  1. #1
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    One thing I don't like about TV broadcasts

    I realize this isn't any fault of the way our TV is made, but still it's something that's irritating. This problem has to with the way TV channels are broadcast and aspect ratios. When watching DVD's, having the aspect ratio set to either 4:3 or 16:9 is usually the proper ratio to use to fill the screen. DVD's look fine with the TV set at these ratios because they're made for this. However, TV programs aren't made for this and if you set the TV to one of the ratios in order to fill the screen, it makes the people on the screen look like they've gained about 30 lbs. Doesn't DirecTV give you the option to receive their broadcast in the 4:3 or 16:9 ratios? It sucks having to watch all the TV shows with the vertical bars on each side of the screen.

  2. #2
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampi
    Doesn't DirecTV give you the option to receive their broadcast in the 4:3 or 16:9 ratios?
    Yes they could-which mean they have to send out anamorphic signal for widescreen materials, but those people that don't have wide screen TVs, and a satellite or cable box that don't have an 3:4/16:9 option will see the picture distorted.

  3. #3
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    I went back through my satellite manual and found a menu that allows you to choose which ratio you'd like to use. Unfortunately, switching the setting from 4:3 (which is where it was set) to 16:9 doesn't seem to change anything. If I set the ratio to 16:9 on the TV,even with 16:9 selected in the receiver's menu, the picture still looks distorted. The only ratio TV programs look good in is 4:3 standard no matter which ratio I have selected on the receiver. I wonder why changing the ratio setting in the receiver doesn't help?

  4. #4
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
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    Grampi, as it was stated before, ratio setting in the satellite receiver doesn't change any thing because picture DirectTv is sending is non-anamorphic. The picture they are sending is [fixed] 4:3 ratio and receiver can not change that ratio (unless using the zoom feature).

    To understand this feature better, you may have to look into ratio change feature on DVD players. Most DVd discs are recorded in anamorophic format (which mean wide screen materials are spread out vertically to fill out the whole screen-to get rid of black bars). When this disc is played on DVD player and you chose 16;9 ratio on the dvd player (this will tell DVD player that you have wide screen TV) , then the picture is send to TV unaltered. And wide screen TV will show anampohic material undistorted due to it geometry.

    But if you choose 16:9 ratio on DVD player (with Anamorphic DVD disc) and your TV is not widescreen, then picture will look distorted (everybody look tall). But if you chose 4;3 ratio on DVd player, then DVd player will take the anamprhic signal and readjust its ratio as so it will not look distorted on 4:3 TV screen.

    So getting back to satellite picture, Direct TV is sending their picture in 4:3 ratio only and it is non anamorphic. So to make ratio feature work on the satellite receiver, then Direct have to send out anamorphic picture (remember that anamorphic feature only work for widescreen materials). They may do that in the future as more people have widescreen Tvs in their house.

    http://www.hifi-writer.com/he/anamorphic/anamorphic.htm

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