#1  
  11-11-2011, 12:30 PM
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is this the latest trend or something? I don't watch much satellite even though i pay alot for it, but i've been channel surfing lately, mostly to watch news as it was a busy week for news. More and more, I'm looking at these black bars at the top and bottom of my screen. When I paid for my t.v., I paid to have the program take up the entire screen. If I wanted a smaller picture, I would have gotten a smaller t.v. These black bars are distracting and annoying as hell. Is there a button on my remote control I can use to get rid of this? What do you think about this?
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  #2  
  04-07-2012, 01:38 PM
 
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Widescreen is industry standard now and has been for some time. I wouldn't worry about the black bars, yes initially it's annoying, but after a while you get used to it but I do agree with you on one thing, the full screen is there so why not use it all. All the new tv shows that are being made nowadays are made in widescreen format and if you have a widescreen tv, they will fill the entire screen, it's just a new tak on what we 'oldies' are used to.
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  #3  
  04-09-2012, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by ppsw View Post
Widescreen is industry standard now and has been for some time.
Since about 2003, to be exact. Virtually all primetime programming switched to HD format at that time. These days even talk shows and news all are presented in 720p or 1080p 16x9 ("widescreen format") HD. If you use an older 4x3 squarish-shaped TV, then it's fit into the available screen.

There's really no way to just chop off the sides to make it fit.
- Sometimes channels selectively offer "pan and scan" (P&S) mode, which is sort of like chopping off the sides, but not really.
- Some DTV boxes let you zoom into the image, which is also comparable to chopping off the sides, though not entirely.
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  04-11-2012, 06:49 PM
 
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NBC, IIRC, has pan-and-scanned 4:3 feeds of their 16:9 programs for their SD feed. Personally, I think they should just pillarbox/letterbox it, instead of cropping it. Looks better anway, and doesn't distort or cut off the shots.
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  04-12-2012, 12:46 AM
 
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I agree with that, it's different if the show is an old one and was originally made in 4:3 but the distortion of the picture, from any format to another, makes the show difficult to watch and unenjoyable to watch too.
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  #6  
  04-12-2012, 11:28 AM
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TV station workers that stretch a 4:3 image to 16:9 should be punched in the eyes.

Family members that stretch video on the home HDTV need to be given a stern lecture.

I want to watch Batman, not Fatman!
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  04-12-2012, 11:46 AM
 
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It just bugs me because it doesn't look how it's meant to. If it was properly reformatted, fair enough.
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  #8  
  04-13-2012, 10:13 PM
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I've worked at the same hotel for 8 years. 2 years ago, we got all widescreens during a vast renovation. I have to turn on the lobby t.v. every morning, yet I still see these black bars. I knew widescreens have been commonplace for a bit, but I wasn't aware it was as far back as 2003.

Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. We don't see things in widescreen with our eyes, why should our t.v.'s be any different? Can anyone name one single benefit to them? I think some of these flatscreens have sharp picture quality, but I think it's too much. I don't like things freakishly bright.

I would rather die a million horrible deaths than have a widescreen. Hate isn't a strong enough word. I loathe them. I just hope that square t.v. I bought in 2001 lasts. I know this is a common problem: widescreens won't fit in most entertainment centers that are several years old. So if I were forced to get one, I would have to get a new entertainment center, reconnect everything, no thanks.
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  04-13-2012, 10:41 PM
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lol your stuck in the stone age. they have been filming in widescreen years before they had tvs in widescreen. when you go to the movie theater its widescreen why shouldnt tvs be the same way?
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  #10  
  04-14-2012, 04:25 AM
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More like I have an appreciation for classics, lol

I tend to not like change. Ever. Just about every time they tinker with something to try to make it "better", they make it worse. Anyone remember the new coke?

what's worse, they don't even give people an option anymore, do they? it's like all widescreen tv's now. I hate it when they discontinue stuff. I could sit here and rattle off a ton of discontinued products I'd love to have back.
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  04-15-2012, 11:08 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by konfusion View Post
they have been filming in widescreen years before they had tvs in widescreen. when you go to the movie theater its widescreen why shouldnt tvs be the same way?
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Originally Posted by wiseguy182 View Post
More like I have an appreciation for classics, lol
But that's his point -- there have been widescreen films since the 1950s, home TVs just took a lot longer to catch up. This is something that has been in motion for a very long time.

The reason why you still see black bars on your hotel's widescreens is because of the content. If it is HDTV, it will be 16:9 and fill up the screen. Widescreen movies, however, are shot in a variety of aspect ratios (2.35:1, 1.85:1, 1.66:1) that do not fit exactly into 16:9. If the content does not conform, there is no hoodoo that the TV set can perform to fix it. The black bars are there so that the picture does not have to be stretched or cropped, which is worse; black bars are a good thing.
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  #12  
  04-15-2012, 12:01 PM
 
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If tthe TV has Progressive Scan function on it, then you can make some small adjustments to things. After the day I had yesterday, I am beginning to come around to the idea of a modern telly. The one I had in one of my upstairs rooms went kaput yesterday. Me, with an arthritic condition in my hands, trying to get that heavy thing downstairs was not a pretty sight nor was it pain free. Modern tellys are not as heavy I think and easier to manoeuvre.
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  #13  
  04-15-2012, 06:51 PM
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Take up less space, too!
Heck, some can hang on a wall like a picture. Then you have plenty of space for something else where it used to be.

The very best HDTVs are made by Sony -- the XBR and Bravia sets. Almost all of them have added filters to make the picture look better than the source, be it tapes, DVDs, satellite/cable, etc. That's why Sony sets cost more -- it's not because of the brand name.
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