OK, this might sound like a dumb question coming from me, but I don't have a Sky box... is it capable of automatically switching formats depending on format being broadcast?
A signal is embedded in the transmission which says what format is currently being broadcast. I.e. if you set the box up saying you're watching on a 4:3 set, does the box automatically switch to letterbox if the programme is 16:9?
All digital boxes are capable of switching formats between briadcasts. There are usually 3 choices- 4:3, letterbox (uurrgggghhh!) and 16:9. Cable, ITV and SKY all havve these functions.
I just thought Id say I saw more of this cropping nonsense last night. On ITV2s record of the year top 100 they showed quite a few 4:3 videos which included the new one from westlife cropped to the full 16:9 losing a rediculous amount of picture (but not resolutions as music vids are usually shot on film, meaning that they can crop it without losing resolution). I compared the version ITV2 showed with the proper 4:3 versions being shown on MTV and such and there is much more picture visible. Cropping is pathetic. Its possible to pillarbox, so they should do that. Luckily, when ITV2 show music videos as fillers, they dont usually cap them.
All digital boxes are capable of switching formats between briadcasts. There are usually 3 choices- 4:3, letterbox (uurrgggghhh!) and 16:9. Cable, ITV and SKY all havve these functions.
To elaborate on this (although I don't have digital myself, I have a friend with Sky) if you have a 4:3 TV set and a 16:9 programme comes on, you can make it so that it fills the screen but you only see the centre of the screen, not the left and right sides, you can have it in the letterbox format (self-explanitory) or you can tell the digibox you have a widescreen set and it'll squeeze the picture onto your screen and everyone looks tall and thin.
ALL Digital boxes do it. Not automatically, its a switching signal sent with the broadcast. Its not just the SKY boxes which do it but the cable and DTT boxes too!
It's not the Sky box switching AUTOMATICALLY, the box only reacts to signals sent by the broadcasters. That's the problem, as some broadcasters are better than others at sending the signals.
The BBC send NO signals at all on analogue, but are pretty well perfect at sending signals on digital.
ITV1 send the 14:9 zoom command on analogue when transmitting a 16:9 programme (with the sides cropped off); but, as is being discussed elsewhere, are a bit poor, so far, on satellite digital at least.
Channel 4 are okay on digital; seem to have never heard of 14:9 zoom for analogue, but DO occasionally send a 16:9 signal if they're putting out 16:9 on analogue.
The 'specifically digital' channels are a VERY mixed bunch; some send signals, some don't.
BB
BBC912
Widescreen TVs have made watching TV so complicated, did we really need them. At the moment the TV in our lounge is 4:3, but it will probably be the last 4:3 29inch TV we'll ever have. 4:3 TVs are getting rarer and rarer, its like were being forced to watch widescreen and I hate it. We've lived with 4:3 for so long then I don't see why we can't go on with it. Most digital channels still broadcast in 4:3 and I alwats have the SKY Digibox set to 4:3 mode so if it's able to put it to 4:3 it will. I must say I have enjoyed being able to watch BBC in 4:3 still as their trailers and idents are mostly widescreen now depending wether they're going into a widescreen 14:9 program. Normally when I'm watching a widescreen program in 4:3 on my digibox I very rarely notice any picture loss. That's why it's so habdy having the BBC centre their logo on trailers and idents and text, apart from obviously now BBC TWO which has ****
ed it up a bit, bcause anyone watching in widescreen BBC TWO the purple box goes right in the screen but looks ok on 4:3 because it's near the right side, at least companies like the BBC are still thinking of 4:3 viewers cos whenever my 4:3 tv breaks down I'm having it repaired!
Unless your TV is absolutely tiny, it's silly to have a digital system and only use it on 4:3 centre cutout. At least 90% of the reason why I got a digibox was so that I could see 16:9 programmes in their proper format!
RW
RW
I have a 14' set in my room, and when I first got my digibox I watched in 4:3 cutout, but now I leave it in 16:9 letterbox all the time. It's not too bad, except on weather forecasts where you need binoculars in order to be able to see the weather symbols! I can't stand watching 14:9 on analogue now, because I'm always conscious that I'm losing out on parts of the picture, and of course on 4:3 cut out you're seeing even less of the picture than analogue viewers!
But to all those who knock widescreen: when you see a proper 16:9 picture on a 16:9 television - which we have downstairs - it really does look fantastic!
I have a 14' set in my room, and when I first got my digibox I watched in 4:3 cutout, but now I leave it in 16:9 letterbox all the time. It's not too bad, except on weather forecasts where you need binoculars in order to be able to see the weather symbols! I can't stand watching 14:9 on analogue now, because I'm always conscious that I'm losing out on parts of the picture, and of course on 4:3 cut out you're seeing even less of the picture than analogue viewers!
But to all those who knock widescreen: when you see a proper 16:9 picture on a 16:9 television - which we have downstairs - it really does look fantastic!
(Edited by RW at 3:55 pm on Dec. 1, 2001)
Yes we have a 16:9 with 16:9 viewing, and its really fantastic!!