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Old 04-01-2017, 07:39 PM
user181 user181 is offline
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Aspect Ratio & 4:3 Televisions

With both OTA broadcasts and internet streaming being increasing formatted in widescreen (16:9), it is getting more and more frustrating to view this content on older TVs when you don't have the capability to adjust the aspect ratio, and thus you have to deal with letterboxing on 2 sides (and sometimes 4 sides!). That said, does there exist any sort of hardware video processor device which can be inserted inline in the composite video signal to allow you to stretch and/or crop the video signal?
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Old 04-01-2017, 08:31 PM
centralradio centralradio is offline
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I've been running all my vids in letterbox with the cable.I dont want to crop anything out.The content I record on DVD will get reconverted to full 16.9 with the video editing software and watch on my commuter monitor..

The old TV shows/series from Youtube and other free video sites which is already 4.3 and I can just burn it and watch on my TV.I do need a TV streamer thayt will run off SDcards /Thumbdrives or computer.
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Old 04-01-2017, 09:03 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by user181 View Post
...when you don't have the capability to adjust the aspect ratio...
When are you having that problem? Most devices that have NTSC output also have an aspect ratio/zoom adjustment. I have noticed, though, using a RF converter box, that occasionally an SD subchannel will come up with "aspect cannot be adjusted."
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Old 04-01-2017, 11:21 PM
user181 user181 is offline
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Originally Posted by old_tv_nut View Post
When are you having that problem? Most devices that have NTSC output also have an aspect ratio/zoom adjustment. I have noticed, though, using a RF converter box, that occasionally an SD subchannel will come up with "aspect cannot be adjusted."

What you noted is precisely what I'm encountering -- some (but not all) OTA sub-channels give a message stating "aspect cannot be adjusted" when you attempt to do so. It is particularly irksome because, on these channels, the signal being broadcast is in 16:9 format, even when the shows are almost always 4:3. Therefore, the signal is sent with built-in letterboxing on the sides, and when that is displayed on the 4:3 screen, the show is horizontally "squished" (distorted) to fit. I've usually been able to compensate for this by using the DTV receiver's stretch or zoom functions as necessary.


With regard to online streaming, it is via Roku players and their ilk. While I don't have issues with the aspect ratio being distorted from these sources, I still like to have the capability to choose whether to zoom in (crop) widescreen content on an old TV. Sometimes, I like to be able to fill the whole screen without letterboxing, and sometimes I like to be able to see the whole image (with letter boxing) -- it depends on the content.
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Old 04-03-2017, 08:34 AM
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maxhifi maxhifi is offline
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I have been thinking about installing a second vertical height and vertical linearity pot on my TV, and a DPDT toggle switch on the back to go between "4x3" and "16x9".
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Old 04-03-2017, 12:25 PM
user181 user181 is offline
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Originally Posted by maxhifi View Post
I have been thinking about installing a second vertical height and vertical linearity pot on my TV, and a DPDT toggle switch on the back to go between "4x3" and "16x9".

That's an interesting approach. I was kinda hoping for a device which is a standalone component which could be inserted in the video signal.
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Old 04-03-2017, 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by user181 View Post
That's an interesting approach. I was kinda hoping for a device which is a standalone component which could be inserted in the video signal.
If you find one, please post info about it - this has got to be one of the biggest challenges of running a vintage TV full time. My Blu-Ray player/NETFLIX device does a good job of scaling, but my android set top box is a nightmare.
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Old 04-03-2017, 11:18 PM
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Penthode Penthode is offline
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HD can only be broadcast as 16x9. SD may be broadcast as 16x9 or 4x3. The broadcaster sets the emission MPEG2 encoder data to identify if 4x3 or 16x9 is being broadcast.

When SD 16x9 is broastcast AND the format data is set to 16x9,an OTA set top box will allow the viewer on a 4x3 receiver to select 16x9 letterbox or 4x3 centercut. The picture should not be squished or stretched unless the broadcaster has not set the emission encoder correctly.

PBS stations now emit 16x9 SD channels which can be displayed this way.
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