Questions on going HD

[roll-em]

I am on the verge of ordering an upgrade from Tivo to HD. While visiting a local installer, they showed me HD on their TV. On a few of the HD channels, the display was partial screen (4:3 ratio). I was told that was because the commercials were not filmed in HD. Is that so?

Later, I began to wonder if all the SD channels come in the 4:3 ratio. That would be discouraging. It would waste the value of our big screen TV.

Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help.

 

[Joe The Dragon]

I am on the verge of ordering an upgrade from Tivo to HD. While visiting a local installer, they showed me HD on their TV. On a few of the HD channels, the display was partial screen (4:3 ratio). I was told that was because the commercials were not filmed in HD. Is that so?

Later, I began to wonder if all the SD channels come in the 4:3 ratio. That would be discouraging. It would waste the value of our big screen TV.

Any guidance on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help.

some channles do that. But now days lots of commercials are in HD.

Look at a sports channel to see what HD is like.

 

[roll-em]

Thanks, Joe. My concern is will the SD channels all be 4:3?

 

[JAG72]

Later, I began to wonder if all the SD channels come in the 4:3 ratio. That would be discouraging. It would waste the value of our big screen TV.

All SD channels are 4:3 ratio. If you want them to fill the screen there are options in the receivers to stretch the picture to fill he whole screen.

 

[DodgerKing]

I never made sense to me why people like to stretch images to fill the whole screen. Why do you want to see short fat, stretched, and distorted images and people? You are not adding anything to the picture. It is the same image. Funny thing is these same people would be upset if they spent a lot of money on a family portrait, and when they got the image it was stretched from 4:3 to 16:9.

 

[ranmic]

It would waste the value of our big screen TV.

I see your point, but also consider the fact the more and more is shot in HD today and it's only gonna keep going. I myself hardly watch and SD anymore.

 

[roll-em]

I never made sense to me why people like to stretch images to fill the whole screen. Why do you want to see short fat, stretched, and distorted images and people? You are not adding anything to the picture. It is the same image. Funny thing is these same people would be upset if they spent a lot of money on a family portrait, and when they got the image it was stretched from 4:3 to 16:9.

Dodger, I am confused. I have an SD Tivo now so I see everything in SD and it fills the screen without any distorted images. Would it be different with an HD receiver?

 

[Liquidforce88]

Dodger, I am confused. I have an SD Tivo now so I see everything in SD and it fills the screen without any distorted images. Would it be different with an HD receiver?

No your tv is streching the picture to fill the screen. You are watching a distorted image and don't even realize it. Switch it to the proper format and see what it is really supposed to look like.