RTE Widescreen on a Philips TV

NollaigDE1

HI,
Just wondering if anybody else if suffering from this problem with RTE 1 and 2,
Most times when I change to these channels it automatically changes the screen format to 14:9 zoom, chopping off the top and bottom of the picture and leaving 2 big bars on each side, meaning I have to manually change it back to widescreen to get a decent picture, This happens on both stations on NTL analogue, so I tried it on my brothers tv through an aerial and get the same, yet it doesn't do this through Sky digital, Its the only station that does this, Seems to be worse on Philips TV's,

Mossy Monk

believe it or not but that is supposed to happen. it is the tv changing to the correct ratio

Rick_

Although RTÉ themselves state that 14:9 is not the correct ratio to view widescreen programmes in, yet this is exactly what they make our TV's do! (I have 2 Philips Widescreens myself).

Why don't they broadcast with the thick black bars at the top and bottom ala Channel 4 and send a 16:9 switch signal instead? Muppets.

Paddy

Telefís

Where do RTÉ state this Paddy?
Are you watching on digital or analogue?

NollaigDE1 as Mossy says your telly is doing exactly as it is supposed do - indeed I wish my set did this - it doesn't have a 14:9 zoom option like you, just a 16:9 zoom. Indeed it is ridiculous that sets are being sold without a 14:9 zoom option - this is standard right across Europe now on analogue for stations that have made the switch to widescreen, and was set many years ago. There is no excuse for no 14:9 option, especially in light of all the other crappy aspect ratio controls you get and never use.

Channel 4 also use 14:9 letterbox on analogue Paddy, as every widescreen broadcaster does 'in these islands'. Some films yes, and the odd American drama also are broadcast with full 16:9 letterbox on Ch 4, but that is all. 14:9 letterbox is the standard.

If you're selling your set Nollaig, I'll take it off ya

NollaigDE1

I don't believe this is what it is supposed to do as you lose some of the picture when it does this, the picture looks far better in widescreen, what I object to is the picture changing automatically, no other station does this, If I have my TV set to 16:9 it should stay that way.

My sister has a Black Diamond TV that lets you set the Ratio for each channel as you tune it in, and this stops this auto switching.

BTW lose part of the scores on top of screen during football while watching on 14:9 zoom

Mossy Monk

NollaigDE1 wrote:

I don't believe this is what it is supposed to do as you lose some of the picture when it does this, the picture looks far better in widescreen, what I object to is the picture changing automatically, no other station does this, If I have my TV set to 16:9 it should stay that way.

whatever you believe this is what is supposed to happen. if you like watching your analogue tv with the picture stretched horizontally that is your choice but you will have to check your tv's manual on how to stop it as it is a signal sent by RTÉ that switches the tv to 14:9

Richard

Mossy Monk wrote:

whatever you believe this is what is supposed to happen. if you like watching your analogue tv with the picture stretched horizontally that is your choice but you will have to check your tv's manual on how to stop it as it is a signal sent by RTÉ that switches the tv to 14:9

I think that RTE are the only broadcaster to send a 14:9 signal on analogue. I imagine it is annoying if you want to zoom the picture to 16:9.

It will be different to RTE on Sky because there they broadcast a proper 16:9 anamorphic picture.

The UK channels don't broadcast 14:9 signals like RTE do, although I believe that when Channel 4 broadcast 16:9 letterbox they sent the appropriate signal. The BBC don't, but many TVs detect the letterbox picture and adjust anyway.

faceman

I have a 32" phillips and i know what u mean. I signed up for digital tv and the tv is compatible with widescreen transmissions meaning i never have to change the ratio.

Telefís

Okay there's a bit of confusion here. Do (as I presume) RTÉ broadcast a 4:3 signal which displays a 14:9 letterboxed image, or do they send this out along with a 14:9 signal that allows sets that have that mode to convert?

How does the set recognise the 14:9 zoom option if the signal being received is a 4:3? Likewise with the 16:9 zoom option - how does the set recognise the 16:9 bars on a 4:3 signal?

Nollaig if your 14:9 zoom mode is cropping out image information too, then it's not doing its job properly. It should only cut off the thin black bars.
It must be irritating. You manual may help in storing aspect ratios, but a lot of sets don't allow you to do this.

Rick_

Telef&#237 wrote: »

Where do RTÉ state this Paddy?

www.rte.ie/widescreen . Look at the middle picture and what it says under it. RTÉ state that a streched OR squashed picture is wrong, YET they send out a 14:9 switch signal which results in a squashed AND streched picture!

Telef&#237 wrote: »

Are you watching on digital or analogue?

Both, but I'm talking about Analogue in this case.

Telef&#237 wrote: »

Channel 4 also use 14:9 letterbox on analogue Paddy, as every widescreen broadcaster does 'in these islands'. Some films yes, and the odd American drama also are broadcast with full 16:9 letterbox on Channel 4, but that is all. 14:9 letterbox is the standard.

What I'm complaining about is NOT that channels show material in 14:9, (with the small black bars at the top and bottom), it is the fact that RTÉ send a 14:9 switch signal to make the television picture change, something that NO OTHER broadcaster in the UK or Ireland do. Yes, Channel 4 send a 16:9 signal for some programming and films, and this is what I was saying RTÉ should do for their widescreen films and TV shows. Instead they show the widescreen programming in 14:9 (fair enough), but send a 14:9 signal out with it, which I think is awful. The picture looks just totally wrong, something that even RTÉ tell you on their website about widescreen!!

Paddy

Telefís

Now I've checked on my own set I know what you're talking about Paddy - mine does exactly the same! (don't watch that particular set very much).
RTÉ 1 & 2 both convert to 14:9 on the Auto mode on analogue!
The BBC for whatever reason convert to 16:9, stretching the image even more than RTÉ, as does TG4, while only ITV, Ch4 and TV3 correctly remain in 4:3.

With RTÉ, the only explanation I can think of is that it is intended that the 14:9 zoom mode is activated on sets, but those that don't have the zoom mode (like yours or mine) use the 14:9 stretch mode instead
Why is there even a 14:9 stretch mode on sets anyway - is there a single broadcaster in Europe that broadcasts a compressed 14:9, i.e. true 14:9 signal??!

Nollaig, just thinking there, is your set definitely converting to a 14:9 zoom mode, and not a 16:9 zoom mode? If the latter is the case, this would explain the cropping of the image.

Rick_

Telef&#237 wrote: »

The BBC for whatever reason convert to 16:9, stretching the image even more than RTÉ, as does TG4, while only ITV, Ch4 and TV3 correctly remain in 4:3.

Does your TV automatically switch to 16:9 for letterboxed programmes on BBC and TG 4? IS this a switch signal, or is your TV one of those 'smart' TV's that can detect the black areas and adjust itself automatically?

Paddy

Telefís

I wonder that too - how do you know if your set is a 'smart' set, or if is actually recieving some sort of info signal? Is it possible for a station to send out a standard 4:3 image, but a different aspect ratio 'conversion signal'?

On the two widescreen sets I have Paddy both always convert Ch4 16:9 letterboxed programmes like the West Wing, ER or films to the 16:9 zoom mode, or 'cine' mode as it's often called. The odd time when the BBC do it it does this too.

I find it very irritating as often you're watching Ch4 output in 'auto' like News which is perfectly normal in 4:3, but then the set switches to 16:9 zoom upon the start of a letterboxed programme without you realising that you were on auto all along, and not the 4:3 mode.
I don't know anyone who uses this cine mode as the resolution falls through the floor, and it also crops away image information, more than just the black bars, similar to Nollaig's 14:9 zoom mode.

Why can't a manufacturer come up with a simple 14:9 zoom that neatly slices off the thin bar bars, leaving us with a nice slightly larger image?
Does anyone know of a set that does this? It's a joke no sets seem to come with it - it's what most of us across Europe are watching!

Rick_

You must have a smart set as the BBC do not send out 16:9 switch signals. In fact, only RTÉ and Channel 4 do this, so if your TV is switching itself to different screen ratios by itself on any channel apart from these 3 then it's a smart TV. I think the TV can detect which parts of the screen are showing constant black, it recognises this as letterboxing and adjusts itself accordingly.

Telef&#237 wrote: »

Why can't a manufacturer come up with a simple 14:9 zoom that neatly slices off the thin bar bars, leaving us with a nice slightly larger image?

Telefís, more recent Philips TV's do this for you already!

My TV has the following options:
Widescreen - 4:3 - 14:9 - 16:9 - and Super Wide

The super wide option gets rid of the small black bars at the top and bottom, but does not squash the image at the left and right, so the entire image takes up the screen and it looks a little more like widescreen via analogue, although it isnt! Try it on your Philips TV's and see what modes it has. Look for Super Wide.

Paddy

Elmo

why not ask some one in RTÉNL?

Technical info/reception queries Ireland & N Ireland:
popeb@rte.ie

Executive Director
RTÉNL
mick.kehoe@rte.ie


http://www.rte.ie/about/organisation/rtenl.html

http://www.rte.ie/tv/widescreen.html