HDTV Tuner or HD station the problem? (1 Viewer)

[dan fritzen]

I have the Samsung SIRT151 HDTV and Widescreen TV (SOny 34XBR800) and last night I was watching ER on NBC and it was 1.85:1 ratio but I had black bars on the sides and top and bottom. but when I watch ABC or CBS (whoever uses widescreen) I get the correct ratio.

Is this an issue with my receiver or the station broadcasting the signal?

 

[Brian L]

I would wager that NBC was simply taking the SD feed, and placing it in a 16:9 frame. Since the program was letterboxed, you get the black bars you saw.

You can equate it to watching a non-anamorphic letterboxed DVD.

Do you know if your affiliate was sending out a 1080i signal? On my set, when I get a 1080i feed, I can NOT use any zoom or stretch modes on the TV, so you can try to use the modes in the Sammy.

FWIW, my local UPN sends out an SD feed. When I watch Star Trek Enterprise (also 1.85:1), I can use the Sammy's Zoom mode to blow the picture up to properly. If UPN sent out a 1080i, I would not be able to do that.

You may be able to work around the issue by setting your Sammy to output 480i (there is a switch in back), but that it not very convenient.

BGL

 

[dan fritzen]

Thanks for the response Brian. I know the local, Minneapolis, NBC sends out 1080i, other stations in town that do SD have gray bars on the sides and this one was all black bars.

The Sammy only lets me use zoom on SD stations. I wish my TV or the HDTV receiver could zoom a 1080i or 720p signal.

 

[Brian L]

I know the local, Minneapolis, NBC sends out 1080i, other stations in town that do SD have gray bars on the sides and this one was all black bars.

I have the same problem with my local FOX station.

For reasons I can not fathom, they send out a 1080i signal, yet they will NOT send the NASCAR races out in 480p Faux Wide Screen, but send the 4:3 SD feed out in the middle of a 16:9 frame.

Dohhhhh!

BGL