[the_sanguine]

Is the picture on a widescreen TV just a 4:3 picture streched (so that everybody looks fat) or do you actually see things at the side that wouldn't be on the screen of a 4:3 TV?

[Battlestar]

Not a dumb question at all


If you watch a 4.3 image on a widescreen TV then yes, most Tvs have an option to stretch the picture. If the picture is a 4.3 one then no extra info will be seen on a widescreen TV.

However most prime time (digital tv) is now in widescreen so it will look correct on a widescreen tv providing everything is set up correctly

[the_sanguine]

I've just had a PDW7 installed as well as sky+.

I've set the picture options on sky + to 16:9 and movies look great. However, some programmes like the football and news etc, everybody looks fat!

I also found at first that the lip sync wasn't right but it seems better now.

[Battlestar]

However, some programmes like the football and news etc, everybody looks fat!

This is because not every thing that is broadcast is in 16:9 widescreen.

[red16v]

Hi, not a lot of people realise that technically speaking for tv originated material, widescreen (16:9) pictures and 'normal' (4:3) pictures are exactly the same width ! 16:9 pictures are reduced in height compared to 4:3 pictures and in order to get the 'framing' of the pictures correct the camerman has to 'zoom out' slightly - as a direct result you 'appear' to see more picture information at either side. Regards, yt.

[the_sanguine]

I thought Stevie Gerrard had put on about 5 stone!

[per-Sony-fied]

Never watch a 4:3 programme in full screen 16:9 mode... it's silly and wrong.

14:9 mode is a good compromise for a larger picture.

In many respects it's still a good idea to buy a large 4:3 TV as the viewing area for widescreen programmes is greater than a equivalent widescreen set.
You also have the bonus of a much bigger picture for 4:3 broadcasts.