Who do I need to complain to about my SD channels being centercut?

[brotato]

Okay, so I first started noticing this on SNL back around October or November, but now it seems to have permeated all my channels that have an HD side.

I have a 625 and I've noticed that my SD feed is being centercut on Spike, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and USA..including my local stations. There could be more, but that's all I've noticed.

So, my question is, who should I complain to? Is it the broadcaster doing it or is it DISH?

This is extremely frustrating to me. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[kvnfl]

What do you mean by "centercut?" If it is a moving horizontal line, then you have a Ground Loop Isolation problem.

 

[brotato]

What do you mean by "centercut?" If it is a moving horizontal line, then you have a Ground Loop Isolation problem.

I mean that the left and right sides are being chopped off.

Instead of the 16:9 being squished to fit my 4:3 screen they just lop off the sides.

 

[Bradtothebone]

I mean that the left and right sides are being chopped off.

Instead of the 16:9 being squished to fit my 4:3 screen they just lop off the sides.

....which is exactly what the local stations do for their analog OTA feed. Dish is just passing this on to you. I can't speak for the satellite channels, but, again, Dish just passes on what it gets off the C-band.

Oh, and to SatelliteGuys!

Brad

 

[sgarringer]

I mean that the left and right sides are being chopped off.

Instead of the 16:9 being squished to fit my 4:3 screen they just lop off the sides.

I think this is the broadcasters. I noticed many of them are placing their station bug right on the edge of where a 4:3 TV would display, with a little "HD" logo next to that. I'm guessing that stations are converting from an "also HD" to a primary HD format, and just continuing to feed the 4:3 feed for low definition viewers...

 

[brotato]

....which is exactly what the local stations do for their analog OTA feed. Dish is just passing this on to you. I can't speak for the satellite channels, but, again, Dish just passes on what it gets off the C-band.

Oh, and to SatelliteGuys!

Brad

Ha..thanks...I hope I can be of some value here as I'm a DISH employee, but this is a question nobody seems to have an answer to.

 

[brotato]

I think this is the broadcasters. I noticed many of them are placing their station bug right on the edge of where a 4:3 TV would display, with a little "HD" logo next to that. I'm guessing that stations are converting from an "also HD" to a primary HD format, and just continuing to feed the 4:3 feed for low definition viewers...

I cannot express to you how annoyed this makes me.

 

[sethwell]

mine are being centercut as well, they just started doing this in the past week or so. i first noticed it after watching SNL, then noticed it on NCIS, heroes, and a couple other shows. i have noticed it on NBC, CBS, and FOX, not sure about ABC since i pull that one in on OTA. i'm wondering if it has to do with local stations prepping to change to HD locals. My DMA was announced to be added sometime after march. maybe they are sending the hd feed right now and it just gets chopped instead of squished?

 

[osu1991]

This is going to happen more and more for satellite channels as the networks are only going to want to provide one feed to cut down on costs, and most people are going to complain if they have black bars at the top and bottom of their 4x3 analog tv's.

 

[brotato]

mine are being centercut as well, they just started doing this in the past week or so. i first noticed it after watching SNL, then noticed it on NCIS, heroes, and a couple other shows. i have noticed it on NBC, CBS, and FOX, not sure about ABC since i pull that one in on OTA. i'm wondering if it has to do with local stations prepping to change to HD locals. My DMA was announced to be added sometime after march. maybe they are sending the hd feed right now and it just gets chopped instead of squished?

We've had HD locals here for a while.

 

[brotato]

This is going to happen more and more for satellite channels as the networks are only going to want to provide one feed to cut down on costs, and most people are going to complain if they have black bars at the top and bottom of their 4x3 analog tv's.

I would love black bars..at least I would be seeing the whole picture.

I wish the general public wasn't so dumb.

 

[Bobby H]

Brotato, what you're talking about is a very common practice in broadcasting.

Since so many ill-informed viewers don't like black bars the practice of making a 4:3 extraction from the center of a 16:9 HD image is the only other alternative. It's a mild version of the pan and scan technique.

Most new shows on network TV are produced in that fashion. They're shot on film or videotaped in HD with high definition video cameras. The cinematographers / videographers try to shoot with 4:3 center weighted safe action in mind so when the ends are lopped off the HD image for 4:3 SD audiences they won't be missing a lot of key material. Still, the compositions are framed more for 16:9 than 4:3 these days.

Most local TV stations are repeating the same practice. They have one main channel that is geared for HDTV. Their SD output merely crops into the image. Sometimes odd things like the TV station's logo get clipped.

There is really no recourse against this practice other than converting one's home TV viewing setup to HD. In fact, things are just going to get worse for SD-only viewers. In another couple or so years we'll see TV shows abandoning the 4:3 center-weighted safe action zone and really just compose for 16:9 exclusively. People still watching 4:3 TV then will see some really noticeable image clipping in shot compositions.

 

[godwheel]

Click on the "format" button on your remote (I believe it is the * or # key). This will display the whole image (you will have top and bottom bars).

Worked for me

 

[brotato]

Brotato, what you're talking about is a very common practice in broadcasting.

Since so many ill-informed viewers don't like black bars the practice of making a 4:3 extraction from the center of a 16:9 HD image is the only other alternative. It's a mild version of the pan and scan technique.

Most new shows on network TV are produced in that fashion. They're shot on film or videotaped in HD with high definition video cameras. The cinematographers / videographers try to shoot with 4:3 center weighted safe action in mind so when the ends are lopped off the HD image for 4:3 SD audiences they won't be missing a lot of key material. Still, the compositions are framed more for 16:9 than 4:3 these days.

Most local TV stations are repeating the same practice. They have one main channel that is geared for HDTV. Their SD output merely crops into the image. Sometimes odd things like the TV station's logo get clipped.

There is really no recourse against this practice other than converting one's home TV viewing setup to HD. In fact, things are just going to get worse for SD-only viewers. In another couple or so years we'll see TV shows abandoning the 4:3 center-weighted safe action zone and really just compose for 16:9 exclusively. People still watching 4:3 TV then will see some really noticeable image clipping in shot compositions.

Yeah, I guess I'll wait for the 922 and see how much it will cost me to upgrade to that + buy a new TV.

 

[brotato]

Click on the "format" button on your remote (I believe it is the * or # key).

Worked for me

Doesn't work that way for an SD receiver.

 

[Bradtothebone]

I cannot express to you how annoyed this makes me.

You know, I understand your frustration, but the fact is that MOST people with SD TVs want full-screen video. I haven't watched analog in awhile, but NBC, and maybe FOX, used to letterbox 16x9 content for analog. Maybe they still do, but it's becoming more rare.

For the time-being, if you want letterboxed content, you will need to get a HD receiver and watch HD channels downconverted to SD (or bite the bullet and get an HDTV).

Brad

 

[Bobby H]

Click on the "format" button on your remote (I believe it is the * or # key).

Doesn't work that way for an SD receiver.

I think Godwheel was making a joke.

When I watch any SD material, such as the local evening news, I merely watch it pillar-boxed. I can't stand the various stretch effects. It just makes the picture look stupid.

 

[thedamaja]

My local CBS just upgraded to an HD studio. Flipping to the SD version of the HD broadcast I noticed I only get half a weather man.

Kind of funny

 

[Justsuern]

Click on the "format" button on your remote (I believe it is the * or # key). This will display the whole image (you will have top and bottom bars).

Worked for me

I was just going to suggest this. We bought 2 new HD tv's, 15" and 22". When my husband was watching ESPNNews, the sides were cut off. We called DN who had us go through the hoops with software versions, check switch, etc. Then they said it was the tv. So called Best Buy who said nope, it is the satellite. Called DN back and went through more hoops. Gave up. But did learn my locals were finally in HD. (Which turned into a nightmare!). Then that night my husband was watching tv on our 42" HD and pushed the Format button by mistake. Realized the screen size had changed so we tried it on the new TV's. When we get the Letterbox option, we don't get the sides chopped off.

 

[englandman44601]

just to see do you have 2 tvs? when my receiver is in dual mode i can view my 4x3 2nd tv in letterbox