Mixing aspect ratios?

[cKGunslinger]

OK, I have this issue that when I watch certain programs - SNL, Daily Show, etc - it's obvious that I'm losing part of the image off screen. You can see that banners along the screen are chopped-off in all directions.

My set-up is as follows:

• * DirecTV satellite input (SD). I have the receiver set-up to display 16:9.
  * Tivo Series2 receiver. I also have this setup for wide-screen output.
  * 50" Akai (Samsung) DLP. Options for this include 4:3, 16:9, stretched, cropped. I have 16:9 selected.

Is there something I'm doing wrong? I suppose I need to find a channel that this is obvious on and hold the same image (maybe C-Span?) and cycle through my options to find the right mix.

 

[Jugernot]

On the Directv box, goto Setup, HDTV, and click the Center tab at the top. You can move the picture up to compensate for your overscan issue.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: Jugernot
On the Directv box, goto Setup, HDTV, and click the Center tab at the top. You can move the picture up to compensate for your overscan issue.

Hmm.. I never considered it to be an overscan issue. The amount it cuts off looks to be significant. I might have to try going directly from my DTV unit to my TV to set it, skipping the Tivo. I'll try it when I get home this evening.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Yeah, there's no such option on my DTV - I get 4:3 and 16:9 as the only options for Video setup. Ditto for Tivo.

I set my TV to 4:3 temporarily and I had vertical black bars on either side, but the viewable image still had parts of it cropped, so I assume it's an input before the TV becomes a factor.

Also, I'm running Coax between the wall and the sat receiver, Coax between the receiver and the Tivo, and S-Video from the Tivo to the TV.

 

[erwos]

Maybe I'm confused here, but if all your sources are SD, wouldn't it be easier to just set them to output in 4:3 and then set your TV to display in 4:3?

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: erwos
Maybe I'm confused here, but if all your sources are SD, wouldn't it be easier to just set them to output in 4:3 and then set your TV to display in 4:3?

Actually, I think I'm the one who's confused. I was thinking that even though I have SD sources, many shows are broadcast in widescreen (letterboxed.) I suppose the way to handle that is to have all sources set to 4:3, then have the TV stretch it 16:9?

I guess I thought the DirecTV had some magic that would give me a correct 16:9 source for available shows...

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Actually, I think I'm the one who's confused. I was thinking that even though I have SD sources, many shows are broadcast in widescreen (letterboxed.)

If they are indeed being properly letter-boxed (aka, black-bars on the top and bottom), you should probably leave the set at 4:3. You should not be losing anything with the sources you've described (I think?).