Aspect Ratio Wrong!

alienandy

Established Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
251
Reaction score
5
Points
98
I've had this issue for some time now, and now it's me off!!

We had Sky installed back in July last year. We had a Sky+ HD in the front room and a SkyHD in the bedroom. At that time the Sky+ HD box always produced the correct aspect ratio, but the SkyHD box did not. So if I watched say Russia Today on there, it would be a stretched picture.

Now I have just replaced the SkyHD box with a Sky+HD one that I got from feebay. Now after I hooked this up, I had a niggle with it, so I done a forced update as the firmware was quite old. I also did the same with the box in the front room too. My niggles were sorted out which I was very happy with, however BOTH boxes now give the wrong aspect ratios! I have not changed any settings on my front room tv, so that is not to blame. (it's set to Auto).

Both boxes are connected via HDMI, and the only settings that I can see are for Scart. Any ideas how I can solve this issue? No I'm not going back to scart! lol.

Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Have you also checked that the picture setting on the TVs has not been changed from 1:1/Just Scan/Whatever your tv calls exact pixel resolution to 16:9 or anything like that? Seems a bit weird that suddenly your original box is also doing it and you haven't changed settings.
 
Have you also checked that the picture setting on the TVs has not been changed from 1:1/Just Scan/Whatever your tv calls exact pixel resolution to 16:9 or anything like that?

Agreed - if the HDMI output resolution is set to Automatic and the TV is still stretching out 4:3 broadcasts via the HDMI input, it is because the TV settings have been changed (or updated), rather than the Sky box outputting something different.
 
Settings/HD Resolution needs to be set to Automatic.

Nice one. Sorted on the front room TV. (Panasonic 37" Plasma).
Done the same thing on the box in the bedroom, but unfortunately it changes nothing with that TV. (Samsung 32" LCD). I've gone through all the settings on the TV and there is nothing I can do, other than manually keep changing the aspect ratio. Not to worry. The front room one IS more important. lol.

Thanks mate. Much appreciated.
 
Nice one. Sorted on the front room TV. (Panasonic 37" Plasma).
Done the same thing on the box in the bedroom, but unfortunately it changes nothing with that TV. (Samsung 32" LCD). I've gone through all the settings on the TV and there is nothing I can do, other than manually keep changing the aspect ratio. Not to worry. The front room one IS more important. lol.

Thanks mate. Much appreciated.

Samsung TV's, like many sets, don't support HDMI AR switching so you have to change it manually.
 
If its the same as my samsung you cannot change it manually,as far as the tv is concerned if it comes via hdmi it is 16.9.
 
I've had many arguments with Samsung support over why their tv's do not support 4:3 switching via HDMI.

There support is the worst ever - and even insisted that, in my case, my two Sky boxes and two different Virgin boxes and a Bluray DVD must all have the same fault if the tv isn't switching.

She shut up when I said that the Bluray player worked fine on a Toshiba tv - and the Blurray player is a Samsung.

I don't think I had ever had a call with Samsung CS when I thought at the end - they were helpful.

But I can confirm that nearly every Samsung tv will not support 4:3 switching via HDMI.
 
Samsung support were excellent when my TV developed a problem.
What problem exactly does yours have?
 
Samsung support were excellent when my TV developed a problem.
What problem exactly does yours have?

If you read the thread it is not a fault as such but rather a design fault that it does not support Aspect Ratio switching via HDMI and produces "stretchyvision" on 4:3 aspect pictures and which support to the other poster appeared to want to blame everything but the correct item - their TV.
 
Settings/HD Resolution needs to be set to Automatic.

My 1.5Tb HD box is set to 1080i and my Samsung 46" C8000 shows the correct format, whether it be 4x3 16x9 or letterbox without me doing anything. TV set to 16x9.
Terry
 
My 1.5Tb HD box is set to 1080i and my Samsung 46" C8000 shows the correct format, whether it be 4x3 16x9 or letterbox without me doing anything. TV set to 16x9.
Terry

No it doesn't. If the sky box is set to output 1080i via HDMI, and if the Samsung is set to display 16:9, then it is not by any stretch of the imagination showing a 4:3 picture when you watch (say) GOLD and a 4:3 programme is being broadcast. You may think you are seeing 4:3 correctly when tuned to a HD channel which is broadcasting 4:3 material - because the channel has manually added the black bars to the original 4:3 transmission so that when your TV stretches the picture out to fill the 16:9 display the black bars maintain the correct ratio - but that is not down to your TV doing the job properly, it is the channel broadcaster stopping your TV from getting it wrong.

Tune to an SD channel broadcasting 4:3 material and you will find that if you want to watch the programme in the correct aspect ratio, you will have to manually change the display setting to 4:3. Else you'll end up with stretchyvision.
 
My 1.5Tb HD box is set to 1080i and my Samsung 46" C8000 shows the correct format, whether it be 4x3 16x9 or letterbox without me doing anything. TV set to 16x9.
Terry

That will only be the case for 4:3 material on HD channels. The OP was talking about SD channels which, with the box set to 1080i, will always stretch the 4:3 pictures :).
 
No it doesn't. If the sky box is set to output 1080i via HDMI, and if the Samsung is set to display 16:9, then it is not by any stretch of the imagination showing a 4:3 picture when you watch (say) GOLD and a 4:3 programme is being broadcast. You may think you are seeing 4:3 correctly when tuned to a HD channel which is broadcasting 4:3 material - because the channel has manually added the black bars to the original 4:3 transmission so that when your TV stretches the picture out to fill the 16:9 display the black bars maintain the correct ratio - but that is not down to your TV doing the job properly, it is the channel broadcaster stopping your TV from getting it wrong.
.

I don't mind how or why I see the correct ratio, whether it's the black bars or whatever, or if it's the TV or the sky box, as long as I see it correctly. What is the difference between 4x3 with black bars and 4x3 without black bars
without changing the size of the TV.
 
I don't mind how or why I see the correct ratio, whether it's the black bars or whatever, or if it's the TV or the sky box, as long as I see it correctly. What is the difference between 4x3 with black bars and 4x3 without black bars
without changing the size of the TV.

4:3 with black bars is how the broadcasters should (and usually do) transmit 4:3 material on HD channels. 4:3 without is how all SD channels transmit 4:3 material and is up to the TV to determine that the "widescreen" flag is not sent with the broadcast and switch the display accordingly. Note some SD channels do not stick rigidly to the use of the widescreen flag for 16:9 material and sometimes incorrectly use it on 4:3 broadcasts.
 
Last edited:
If you read the thread it is not a fault as such but rather a design fault that it does not support Aspect Ratio switching via HDMI and produces "stretchyvision" on 4:3 aspect pictures and which support to the other poster appeared to want to blame everything but the correct item - their TV.

The Samsung TVs I've had do support switching via HDMI, but the Sky Box has to be set to output Auto.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom