Sky Aspect ratio switching to 4:3 from 16:9

Mart999

I've noticed in the last few days that some channels are automatically switching to 4:3 whereas before everything displayed as 16:9

My system setting is 16:9 on my Sky box (for first and second locations). Now I have to manually use the TV remote instead of the Sky remote to switch these channels back to 16:9 which is annoying. I've switched the box on and off and taken out the viewing card etc. but no joy.

This never happened before, only in the last few days.

Does anyone know what might be wrong? Have Sky changed the software or something? Thanks.

Tony

More likely your tv's setting is not quite right.

steveon

The program you are watching may actually have been broadcasted in 4:3 aspect ratio or may be from a broadcast from Europe such as champions league matches arent always in 16:9.

In my cases you are actually simply stretching the picture on your tv to fit the screen.

Mart999

Yes I think these are 4:3 broadcasts alright, but before a few days ago the stretching was done automatically when I changed channel with the Sky remote. I hadn't changed any setting on the Sky box or TV so I'm confused why it's not showing the picture without the black bars on the side.

I'll continue to mess with the settings to see if I get anywhere

Winters

I have been having the same problem since the weekend, its a Sony TV and Pace Sky box.

Randomly the television will switch to 4:3 from 16:9. Sky box is set to output to 16:9 and the tv is (and is constantly being changed back to) with Wide (16:9) or 'smart' mode. I was not too sure if other people had been having the same problem or not. It did not happen before last weekend and seems to happen nearly at random regardless of program being broadcast (as it never happened before).

Mart999

I have a Pace Sky box and a Toshiba tv. What you described is what's happening to me.....everything set to 16:9 on tv and Sky box but being auto-switched back to 4:3. Very annoying.

byte

It's possibly a setting in your TV. I know most big brands have an option on how to display 4:3 images in Smart/Auto mode. Options include standard 4:3 and stretch modes, like Panoramic, or suchlike. Of course, stretching 4:3 pictures to fill the screen will also distort the picture and make people a bit fatter.

ZOLTAN28

I don't think it's the tv - because it was happening to us as well last week (seems to have sorted itself now).

I assumed someone had switched something on the tv or the sky settings but having read this it was obviously something to do with Sky - too much of a coincidence that it happened to different people at the same time.

cgarvey

This happens on my Sony TV if I change the aspect/zoom on the TV manually. The solution is to turn Sky off, change TV to 4:3 (not 16:9/Smart/etc.) and turn Sky back on. Auto switching works fine (until my next override for when RTE/TV3 screw with ratios!).

Sam Radford

The Sky Digibox will output 16:9 only if the programme is broadcast with that aspect ratio. It will not "stretch" a 4:3 programme. Only your TV will do that (but I can't understand why any discerning viewer would want to watch a distorted picture!)

Winters

Sam Radford wrote: »

The Sky Digibox will output 16:9 only if the programme is broadcast with that aspect ratio. It will not "stretch" a 4:3 programme. Only your TV will do that (but I can't understand why any discerning viewer would want to watch a distorted picture!)

Well, that would not be true.

The problem has only all of a sudden popped up. It was never an issue until last month when it randomly (maybe a Digibox update?) began to happen. If it was an issue with the aspect ratio of the signal then this issue would have existed for the whole length of time I have had the Sky box installed (~ 11/12 months) and not just in the past few weeks or so.

It happens reguardless of channel, aspect radio bein broadcast on those channels (Most channels being broadcast are all in 16:9 anyway, with or without the additions of letterbox lines).

[apoligies for dragging up old thread ]

syboit

cgarvey wrote: »

This happens on my Sony TV if I change the aspect/zoom on the TV manually. The solution is to turn Sky off, change TV to 4:3 (not 16:9/Smart/etc.) and turn Sky back on. Auto switching works fine (until my next override for when RTE/TV3 screw with ratios!).

Interesting you mention rte/tv3. is there something up with these channels ?

I've a 4:3 sony tv and sky+ box set to 4:3, seems to me of all the channels the rte's/tv3 are the only ones that still seem to come through in 16:9 !!!

cgarvey

syboit wrote: »

Interesting you mention rte/tv3. is there something up with these channels ?

Not particularly, other than they seem to have the wrong aspect a bit more frequently than, say, BBC/Sky channels. By wrong I mean that 4:3 content is marked as widescreen, and vice-versa. I can override it on my TV, but that's an extra few button presses!

O7Pat

If you turn scart control to off on the sky box then the picture will stay at what ever settings u choose.
Only disadvantage is that when u turn the tv on it doesn't find the sky box automatically, u have to pick the scart imput or source.

steveon

Mart999 wrote: »

I have a Pace Sky box and a Toshiba tv. What you described is what's happening to me.....everything set to 16:9 on tv and Sky box but being auto-switched back to 4:3. Very annoying.

On Toshiba tv's if you press menu and goto the last option to the rite you will see an option marked stretch 4:3 picture to fill screen this will solve the problems on Toshiba televisions, have come across this problem a lot lately...

mustang68

I've a hitachi connected to the skyHD box by HDMI cables and I noticed some odd aspect ratios last week, sometimes the channel banner was half off the screen. Seems to be gone this week.

O7Pat

If u are using the copy function on sky + it can cause the change to 4:3/ widescreen as a result of the sky copy 'bug'

cgarvey

O7Pat wrote: »

If you turn scart control to off on the sky box then the picture will stay at what ever settings u choose.

Right, but then I've to manually change the aspect ratio every time station/programming aspects change, which just makes the problem I describe worse.

O7Pat

cgarvey wrote: »

Right, but then I've to manually change the aspect ratio every time station/programming aspects change, which just makes the problem I describe worse.

Ok, that doesn't happen on mine, once I turned off scart control the aspect setting stayed at what I had set it at.

Admiral

did anyone ever get a fix for this because its happening to my Sky + box now. its defo not the TV

any help?

Personally I don't see the need for a fix. I don't have a widescreen TV but if I did I'd make it my duty to ensure that 4:3 programmes appear in pillarbox mode for the simple reason that it's the correct aspect ratio for a 4:3 broadcast. Using the extra space on the screen will just distort the image. Even on my laptop, which does have a widescreen LCD, I have scaling disabled.

I'm sure Watty will agree with me.

ongarite

I can't see what the problem here is also. The Pace Sky+ FW was updated in the last 2 weeks and loads of users on Digital Spy are complaining.
The Sky+ box is doing exactly as it should, displaying 4:3 TV show in format it was filmed or displaying 16:9 in its correct aspect ratio.
If you wan't to stratch out 4:3 content to 16:9, setup your TV to do it.

Magister

Using your TV remote, use the menu to turn off the auto format. On Sony TVs go to picture, detail setting. This seems to solve the problem as I think thatit was overriding the SKY+ box settings.

John mac

Magister wrote: »

Using your TV remote, use the menu to turn off the auto format. On Sony TVs go to picture, detail setting. This seems to solve the problem as I think thatit was overriding the SKY+ box settings.

28-06-2008 09:57


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