Why does MeTV (247) look squished since early June?

[Jon J]

I've been watching older recordings of MeTV. Until early June the picture had been a slightly zoomed 4:3 picture so everything looks normal. Hoewver in early June they swiched to horozontal compression. Is this only me? Is there something I can set to stop it?

 

[LQQK]

The bigger Q, why is Dish-TV still transmitting GS instead of HD?

 

[primestar31]

I've been watching older recordings of MeTV. Until early June the picture had been a slightly zoomed 4:3 picture so everything looks normal. Hoewver in early June they swiched to horozontal compression. Is this only me? Is there something I can set to stop it?

Nope, they did this to their national feed. There's nothing you can do. It's horrible.

 

[ekilgus]

I discovered that Me TV on 247 looks a lot better if you set the screen format to stretch. The picture seems to resemble a more normal look and closely approximates the look of the picture on my OTA Me TV channel that I get at 720p.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Nope, they did this to their national feed. There's nothing you can do. It's horrible.

"Strech-O-Vision?" or maybe in this case, “Shrink-O-Vision”

 

[Jon J]

I discovered that Me TV on 247 looks a lot better if you set the screen format to stretch. The picture seems to resemble a more normal look and closely approximates the look of the picture on my OTA Me TV channel that I get at 720p.

Yes, this works, but the larger question is why they switched.

 

[n0qcu]

They didn’t switch it’s been this way since they have had MeTV.

 

[Jon J]

They didn’t switch it’s been this way since they have had MeTV.

Must disagree. I have noncompressed recordings until June 1of Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaii Five O and Peter Gunn.

 

[ekilgus]

Nope, they did this to their national feed. There's nothing you can do. It's horrible.

They must be transmitting two signals because the OTA version of METV I receive at 720p looks the same. I did, however, notice the normal format on 247 does indeed look recently "squished", the black side bars are bigger. Like I said, set the screen to stretch for a much improved picture that doesn't look stretched.

 

[Riverpilot]

Yeah, they changed something. I thought it was just me for awhile. Dunno why they couldn't have left it like it was, looked exactly like the OTA version.

 

[ekilgus]

Yeah, they changed something. I thought it was just me for awhile. Dunno why they couldn't have left it like it was, looked exactly like the OTA version.

I don't think so. Originally they had the normal 4:3 format which would look stretched when changing the screen to stretch. Now it seems the normal is squished so changing the screen to stretch seems make the picture seem normal. I think it's an improvement.

 

[n0qcu]

Here's a post from MARCH confirming its been this way since then (which happens to be when DISH first started carrying MeTV.
ME TV On Dish

 

[sam_gordon]

MeTV network feed is HD. I think since about a year or so ago. That means the "normal" feed SHOULD be 16x9. Any 4x3 content should have pillars on the side. Any 16x9 content should fill the screen. That's how it's delivered to the OTA affiliates.

 

[JSheridan]

I think Dish is getting the 16x9 content and squishing it to fit their 4x3 SD format.

 

[Jim5506]

If they would only postage stamp it, we could at least use zoom.

Has DIRT been asked to report this?

 

[pattykay]

Here's a post from MARCH confirming its been this way since then (which happens to be when DISH first started carrying MeTV.
ME TV On Dish

From later in that same thread, confirming that it looked fine on EA in early April (and too late for April Fools):
ME TV On Dish

Does seem strange. Mine is fine here on EA as well. Wonder if it's an EA vs. WA thing?

After reading this discussion, I had to check out Me TV. I am on eastern arc and the picture looks just like what Scott posted above. It is not distorted at all...looks like normal 4:3 to me.

 

[DishSubLA]

Viewing MeTV now via Dish LIL Channel 54 (HD) and OTA Ch 54 (HD) and on OTA Channel 56.3 (SD), and the picture is still the slightly zoomed 4:3 identical on all 3 channels I can get MeTV, and still very watchable, so the fouled up stretcho vision is NOT MeTV national feed. Either Dish is doing something or maybe MeTV has an additional feed in stretcho vision via fiber or something. Just a guess but such a second feed could meet the demands of some locals who carry MeTV and carriers can choose the feed they want.

 

[DJ Lon]

I discovered that Me TV on 247 looks a lot better if you set the screen format to stretch. The picture seems to resemble a more normal look and closely approximates the look of the picture on my OTA Me TV channel that I get at 720p.

I actually contacted MeTV about this and I was told by them only resolution is to set the screen format on Dish's receiver to stretch

 

[sam_gordon]

I just compared ch. 247 with the OTA (HD) version. It was old Beverly HIllbillies. There were some pillar boxes on the side, but they were thinner than "normal" 4x3 pillar boxes. Both channels (Dish delivered as well as OTA) looked identical.

 

[dare2be]

There were some pillar boxes on the side, but they were thinner than "normal" 4x3 pillar boxes.

Yep, I've been saying this all along. MeTV is zooming/stretching/cropping their content ever so slightly into what looks like a 14x9 image. Pisses me off.