Who do I contact at the BBC about the incorrect aspect ratio being broadcast on 301 (Badminton) at the moment? The image is stretched vertically with huge black curtains at the side.
The BBC never broadcast 4:3 full-width on DTT/Freeview - they always broadcast a pillarbox signal for 4:3 material. On the main networks this is usually accompanied by an AFD signal that can trigger a set top box to centre-cut and output a 4:3 full-width signal. However I'm not sure if the BBCi streams are equipped with an AFD set-up.
On satellite the BBCi streams used to broadcast permanently in 16:9 - apart from the multi-screen menu pages which have to be in 4:3 for any overlaid graphics to align. From memory it wasn't possible to trigger aspect ratio changes on most of the satellite BBCi streams dynamically - though this may have changed since the handling of the BBCi streams moved from TVC to the Broadcast Centre.
The BBC never broadcast 4:3 full-width on DTT/Freeview - they always broadcast a pillarbox signal for 4:3 material. On the main networks this is usually accompanied by an AFD signal that can trigger a set top box to centre-cut and output a 4:3 full-width signal. However I'm not sure if the BBCi streams are equipped with an AFD set-up.
Certainly, not all Freeview BOXES support automatic switching to centre-cut-out - I've got one I was given as a gift that resolutely insists on "windowboxing" all 4:3 material unless I manually go into the menus to fix it... (and then needs changed back to watch anything else, of course).
The BBC never broadcast 4:3 full-width on DTT/Freeview - they always broadcast a pillarbox signal for 4:3 material. On the main networks this is usually accompanied by an AFD signal that can trigger a set top box to centre-cut and output a 4:3 full-width signal. However I'm not sure if the BBCi streams are equipped with an AFD set-up.
Certainly, not all Freeview BOXES support automatic switching to centre-cut-out - I've got one I was given as a gift that resolutely insists on "windowboxing" all 4:3 material unless I manually go into the menus to fix it... (and then needs changed back to watch anything else, of course).
That sounds like either a very early ITV/ONDigital box which didn't get an AFD software update (ISTR that some Pioneers were bad in this regard) - or a very oddball model. AIUI all "Freeview" branded DVB-T boxes have to support AFDs (and thus centre cut correctly AFD signalled pillarbox material) to qualify for Freeview branding?
Does your box have a Freeview logo anywhere on it or its packaging?
Yeah, it does have a Freeview logo, and it was only bought last year. And it's crap (it's a tiny Sagem box, FTR) - the sound and picture also get out of synch if you leave it on one channel for a while.
It works for channels like UK History that actually broadcast 4:3, but not for the BBC's 4:3-in-a-16:9-frame.
Yeah, it does have a Freeview logo, and it was only bought last year. And it's crap (it's a tiny Sagem box, FTR) - the sound and picture also get out of synch if you leave it on one channel for a while.
It works for channels like UK History that actually broadcast 4:3, but not for the BBC's 4:3-in-a-16:9-frame.
The BBC never broadcast 4:3 full-width on DTT/Freeview - they always broadcast a pillarbox signal for 4:3 material.
...and quite right too, force people to watch tv images the way they are intended to be viewed.
Depends. We still have 4:3 TVs in our house, so pillar boxed 4:3 that doesn't include the signal to go into 4:3 cut-out is annoying. Also, if people choose to, they can still set their equipment up wrong so that a cut-out image is stretched across a 16:9 screen.
On top of it all, pillarboxing reduces the resolution of the image, so even when cut-out, it's still not seen as it's supposed to be seen.
On top of it all, pillarboxing reduces the resolution of the image, so even when cut-out, it's still not seen as it's supposed to be seen.
Yep - though many broadcasters treat 12F12 4:3 material as pillarboxed 12P16 internally, even if they ARC back to 12F12 4:3 full-width for broadcast to the viewer, so the resolution reduction has taken place even if the final broadcast is back to 720x576/704x576. (AIUI it isn't just the BBC who convert all 12F12 material broadcast as "4:3" to 12P16 internally)
