Widescreen on Sky

Why isnt 14:9 format available in picture settings on the sky guide? I know this is a modified format but letterbox mode doesnt work well for channels such as news 24 because you cannot read the writing on screen. I think because not that many of us have widescreen tv's yet it should be made available. It works well for terrestrial tv so why not for digital? It is also then at our choice how we watch the tv.

I think 14:9 is used generally as a compromise to keep both aspect-ratio lovers happy. It is mostly used on analogue (and some digital channels) because it does not interfere with the picture on 4:3 TVs, and still allows more picture to be seen on screen. I don't think this will be available on Digital because the box simply adds the black bars to a squashed image. I think it would probably require a lot of programming to achieve a 14:9 picture, and Sky/ONdigital probably don't think it's worth it.


Mark Grindon