new to widescreen - sky picture size and aspect ratio

auldendunn

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hello everyone
I'm new to widescreen (just got a sony 32FQ75).
Is it possible to get the sky picture the same size and ratio as terrestrial?
I seem to have tried all combinations of Sky settings (16:9., 4:3, Widescreen on/off) together with options on TV menu (4:3, wide, 14:9, zoom and smart) and still there are differences between the picture sizes.
Anyone know the answer please? Also why are there so many options - can anyone explain?
Best wishes to all
 
I’m not sure what you mean but if you have the Sky Box set to 16:9 in the setup you will get 16:9 picture if it is being transmitted, some stations only transmit in 4:3 so that’s the format you will receive them not unless you have set the screen to an other preference.

Some stations transmit on terrestrial in such as on now TV Burp in 14:9 but on sat it is in full 16:9.
 
Thanks Garrett
but I'm not sure that you've answered my question.
what I mean is if I watch BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, CH4 or CH5 on terrestrial and then switch to any of these channels on digital (SKY) the picture is always a different size eg heads slight cut off etc. No matter what menu combinations I use I can't ever get the same programmes to show exactly the same amount of picture or black border etc...
Hope you can understand this - however when one's knowledge is limited, it's difficult even to express "symptoms" in a meaningful way.
Cheers
PS if the broadcsts are actually in different ratios, then that explains things. But are they all different?
Sorry if I just appear thick.
 
auldendunn: First of all have you set your sky box settings to widescreen?

I must add that even if you have the digital channels are output in a different screen ratio to there terrestrial equivalents so you will nearly always get diff size black bars but heads are not normally chopped off so it does sound like you haven't got the settings right. You should have your sky box and TV both set to widescreen/16:9.

On some digital channels you will then get big black borders left and right if they are outputting 4:3, small borders left/right if they are outputting 14:9. Smallish borders top and bottom if they are outputting 2:35 and a full screen if they are outputting 16:9. You will also get some weird stretched pictures on channels that output 4:3 stuff but don't send out the border info so your sky box outputs it in 16:9. Some channels just completely bugger the whole thing up and you end up with all sorts of sizes.

Confused :confused: :confused: TV channel aspect ratios confuse us all at times.
 
You need your picture format on Sky set to '16:9', and Scart Control set to 'On'. The connection between Digibox and TV must be via a fully wired scart cable, with the Digibox end plugged into the 'TV out' scart socket.

Don't have a Sony TV myself, but from what I've read from other owners, should then set the TV to 'Smart' mode.

If a Sky channel is being transmitted in full 16:9, then the TV should switch automatically to full screen 16:9. If the transmission is 4:3 (like Sky One :)mad: )), then how the picture is displayed will depend on your TV settings. Most W/S TVs these days give you a choice of how to display 4:3 images. Generally:- 4:3 with black bars left and right ('pillarbox'); picture stretched sideways to fill the screen (so called 'stretchyvision'); picture 'intelligently' stretched so that the centre of the picture is undistorted; picture 'zoomed' out to fill the screen.

The 'zoom' option is useful when viewing pictures transmitted in 14:9 (think of BBC programmes on terrestrial, with the thin black lines top and bottom). However, if you watch a full 4:3 picture using this zoom setting, then you would indeed see the top and bottom of the picture being cropped off, as you described.
 
Hi
Thank you for your responses and patience.
Your information sounds so right - I've just got to get my head round it now and then I'll let you know how things are.
Thanks again especially mandlebrot and AV Junky.
 

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