hdtv channels in letterbox?
 

I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead of
black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it. What's
up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox) the TV
stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is letterboxed?

Thanks,

Eddie G

Eddie G wrote:

I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead of
black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it. What's
up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Eddie: Welcome to the transition period of Hi Def Television
Programming....

For years we have had only Black or gray bars on 16:9 HD sets...

Now with better Station HD 'software', the HD black bars are
available

as textured color bars on 4:3 upconverted SD Programs. Generally

speaking, you'll not see Colored bars on a pure 16:9 HD source

on a 16:9 HD set.



Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox) the TV
stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is letterboxed?


IF you have gray bars (means 4:3 Program source) on 16:9 set,

and IF your set top box allows.... You can stretch the side gray
bars

to zero by using the Sony 'Wide' from a SA3250HD STB from TWC.

The gray bar removal via zoom is also related to the SA3250HD

firmware installed & how the STB is set up...... OR If DVI

cable is used.



Thanks,

Eddie G

"Eddie G" mickeddie at comcast.net wrote in
:

I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead
of black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it.
What's up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

So does CBS Detroit. It will help avoid burn-in.

Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox)
the TV stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is
letterboxed?

Because the HD channels send a letterboxed 4:3 image inside a 16:9 HDTV
image, whereas the SD channels are just--well, SD channels. Your TV may
have a setting for letterboxing them. Check your manual.


--
Dave Oldridge+
ICQ 1800667

A false witness is worse than no witness at all.

Within these hallowed halls, Dennis Mayer of
added the following to the collective conscience:
Eddie G wrote:

I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but
instead of black bars on the sides there were colored bars with
texture to it. What's up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Eddie: Welcome to the transition period of Hi Def Television
Programming....

For years we have had only Black or gray bars on 16:9 HD sets...

Now with better Station HD 'software', the HD black bars are
available as textured color bars on 4:3 upconverted SD
Programs.

Generally speaking, you'll not see Colored bars on
a pure 16:9 HD source on a 16:9 HD set.

Yea, textured side panels can be perfect for burn-in avoidance and look
nicer than black bars.

When I read the OP the first time I read "text" and not "texture" thinking
in the side bars they had "Headline News" type extras. Now I'd like to see
this, however YMMV. ;-)

The movie industry has used optical methods to film widescreen movies
onto 4:3 stock film. The same technique can be designed into rear
projection TVs to avoid burn in. The burn-in does not occur on the
screen, but in the imaging unit inside the TV. So if the TV receives
a 4:3 signal, it can stretch it side way digitally to fill the 16x9
imaging device, when the stretched image is projected to the screen,
an anamorphic lens can "unstretch" the projection optically, in the
same way a widescreen image is filmed into 4x3 film.

The same can work with letterboxed movie too. The 2:35x1 image can be
stretched digitally height-wise to fill the 16x9 imaging device
completely, then another lens unstretch it optically before the
projection.

As long as the imaging device never image any black bars, picture of
wrong aspect ratio will not cause any burn-in problem.

Of course the best way to avoid burn-in is to buy a DLP.


"Eddie G" mickeddie at comcast.net wrote in message ...
I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead of
black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it. What's
up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox) the TV
stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is letterboxed?

Thanks,

Eddie G

The movie industry has used optical methods to film widescreen movies
onto 4:3 stock film. The same technique can be designed into rear
projection TVs to avoid burn in. The burn-in does not occur on the
screen, but in the imaging unit inside the TV. So if the TV receives
a 4:3 signal, it can stretch it side way digitally to fill the 16x9
imaging device, when the stretched image is projected to the screen,
an anamorphic lens can "unstretch" the projection optically, in the
same way a widescreen image is filmed into 4x3 film.

The same can work with letterboxed movie too. The 2:35x1 image can be
stretched digitally height-wise to fill the 16x9 imaging device
completely, then another lens unstretch it optically before the
projection.

As long as the imaging device never image any black bars, picture of
wrong aspect ratio will not cause any burn-in problem.

Of course the best way to avoid burn-in is to buy a DLP.


"Eddie G" mickeddie at comcast.net wrote in message ...
I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead of
black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it. What's
up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox) the TV
stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is letterboxed?

Thanks,

Eddie G

Except that such a set with lenses for each aspect ratio and the mechanism
to move them in and out of place will be very bulky and constly. For that
price you can probably buy a couple more RPTV sets and replace them after
the screens are burned in. The multiple lenses could also lead to major
convergence errors. A better soulution will be for the TV to electronically
generate some kind of pattern in the area of the bars that has same
brightness as the rest of the image.

"Caloonese" wrote in message
om...
The movie industry has used optical methods to film widescreen movies
onto 4:3 stock film. The same technique can be designed into rear
projection TVs to avoid burn in. The burn-in does not occur on the
screen, but in the imaging unit inside the TV. So if the TV receives
a 4:3 signal, it can stretch it side way digitally to fill the 16x9
imaging device, when the stretched image is projected to the screen,
an anamorphic lens can "unstretch" the projection optically, in the
same way a widescreen image is filmed into 4x3 film.

The same can work with letterboxed movie too. The 2:35x1 image can be
stretched digitally height-wise to fill the 16x9 imaging device
completely, then another lens unstretch it optically before the
projection.

As long as the imaging device never image any black bars, picture of
wrong aspect ratio will not cause any burn-in problem.

Of course the best way to avoid burn-in is to buy a DLP.


"Eddie G" mickeddie at comcast.net wrote in message
...
I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead of
black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it.
What's
up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox)
the TV
stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is letterboxed?

Thanks,

Eddie G

Except that such a set with lenses for each aspect ratio and the mechanism
to move them in and out of place will be very bulky and constly. For that
price you can probably buy a couple more RPTV sets and replace them after
the screens are burned in. The multiple lenses could also lead to major
convergence errors. A better soulution will be for the TV to electronically
generate some kind of pattern in the area of the bars that has same
brightness as the rest of the image.

"Caloonese" wrote in message
om...
The movie industry has used optical methods to film widescreen movies
onto 4:3 stock film. The same technique can be designed into rear
projection TVs to avoid burn in. The burn-in does not occur on the
screen, but in the imaging unit inside the TV. So if the TV receives
a 4:3 signal, it can stretch it side way digitally to fill the 16x9
imaging device, when the stretched image is projected to the screen,
an anamorphic lens can "unstretch" the projection optically, in the
same way a widescreen image is filmed into 4x3 film.

The same can work with letterboxed movie too. The 2:35x1 image can be
stretched digitally height-wise to fill the 16x9 imaging device
completely, then another lens unstretch it optically before the
projection.

As long as the imaging device never image any black bars, picture of
wrong aspect ratio will not cause any burn-in problem.

Of course the best way to avoid burn-in is to buy a DLP.


"Eddie G" mickeddie at comcast.net wrote in message
...
I was watching an HD channel that had the program in 4:3, but instead of
black bars on the sides there were colored bars with texture to it.
What's
up with that?? ESPN hd seems to do this.

Also, why is it if I watch an SD channel (say a baseball game on fox)
the TV
stretches it to 16:9, but on the fox-hd channel it is letterboxed?

Thanks,

Eddie G