hi Asriel
I am new to this site as well and have the same complaint as you do ...
earlier this year, I emailed and snail-mailed the local network affiliates here in Atlanta and Dish and included ‘screens hots’ from my tv showing them that shows are having the left and right sides of the screen cut off ... never heard from anything from Dish and wrote everybody there that I could think of.
After one of my letters reached the local NBC affiliate, they started re-formatting network shows from the ‘centered and enlarged’ version to wide screen (
The Office, for example) but you could see the broadcast revert to ‘centered and enlarged’ during the commercial block between shows, then someone would “push a button” and it would zoom back to widescreen (with the bars on top and bottom)
... I recently found this Satellite Guys site and posted “
What’s the deal with the enlarged picture on broadcasts ... “ because i knew there had to be folks on here more knowledgeable than I.
Sure enough, it seems that those of us with SD (standard def, right, guys?) are stuck with whatever the local network affiliates want to shove at us.
I recently started watching a couple shows on the local ‘CW’ affiliate and did not bother with them previously. I recently sent them an email asking why the broadcasts are so (stupidly) enlarged and actually got a reply (a first!)... as follows:
“We only output one format from the station, 16:9 HD. Granted, 85% of our programs are Standard Def 4:3, which leaves blank bars at the side after the upconversion. We are owned by CBS, whose policy on conversion back to SD is to use a "center cut" format. This puts the picture back to full 4:3 for viewers that have a 4:3 tv. If cable or dish providers were to "letterbox" the HD to SD, you would end up with a small picture in the middle of the screen with black around all four sides when a 4:3 originated show is being run. Most of the Network HD shows are filmed with 4:3 viewing accounted for by keeping the action, or interest, within the 4:3 area.
Cable boxes have a setup choice for output format that will accommodate different displays and formats to suit the viewer, including letterbox to a 4:3 display. I am not sure about the receivers for Dish, but you may want to check with them to see if their HD box will do similar. I have checked with Dish on their format conversion to SD, and they do the center cut by default, unless asked for something different.
Since the CBS policy is for center cut, this is what we have them run.”
As a viewer, I really hate this policy amongst the big networks... HBO runs their signature series (True Blood) in widescreen but enlarges and centers most movies for instance. To date, only NBC and now Fox have started offering some shows in widescreen on the SD feeds. I would have loved to see ‘Flash Forward’ in wide screen last night.
But most of the bourgeoisie want their screen filled top to bottom and side to side. so much for a director making a show in wide screen.
