XBOX on a 4:3 HDTV?

[Dylan_Greene]

I'm thinking of buying an HDTV just for my XBOX (I don't have access to HD tv programming) and since all tv I'll be watching is going to be 4:3, somebody suggested to purchase a 4:3 HDTV.
If I did this, would the HD image from the XBOX be letterboxed or stretched?
If the XBOX have a setup options:
HDTV: On
Widescreen: Off
then the games, in theory, could appear correctly (still losing the extra screen space provided by widescreen).
I'll be waiting until I get the XBOX before I purchase the TV either way. Hmm... I might even bring it to dealers to test the visual quality. (Too bad XBOX doesn't have a nice purse-like handle. )
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Dylan Greene
http://www.DylanGreene.com
http://www.TeacherReviews.com
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[Joel Mack]

Personally, I would consider a 4x3 HDTV to be a waste of money, but in answer to your question, I would expect the output from XBox would be letterboxed...
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[Michael St. Clair]

Proper 4:3 HDTVs are basically just taller, not narrower, versions of 16:9 sets. They definitely make sense for a lot of people. Some 16:9 sets could be considered a waste of money, when they just cut down the height of a 4:3 set and raise the price.
I suspect the XBox will be customizable in this respect.

 

[Dean Cooper]

I have a 4:3 HDTV, I justify it because I watch a lot of 4:3 content still ( which IMO looks like shit on a widescreen ). Its really going to be game dependent on what type of support your going to get. For example Cel damage supports 480P but doesn't support the wide screen formats. I'll write up what I find with mine when I get it, but I'm positive its going to change depending on the game and what the developers have chosen to support.
Dean

 

[Shawn O]

If you get a 4x3 that does anamorphic squeeze on both 480p & 1080i then it is the same ,in theory,as a 16x9 set.

 

[Dylan_Greene]

Do all progressive images on a 4:3 HDTV get stretched?
I don't want any stretching.
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Dylan Greene
http://www.DylanGreene.com
http://www.TeacherReviews.com

 

[Joe Murray]

You get a choice between stretch and having black/gray bars on both sides on a 16x9 tv.
On a 4x3 tv you have a choice between squeeze and black/gray bars on the top and bottom.
[Edited last by Joe Murray on October 09, 2001 at 05:46 PM]

 

[Camp]

On a 4x3 tv you have a choice between squeeze and black/gray bars on the top and bottom.

I don't know of any that offer the option of squeezing. What brands do that?
Sony's HD-capable 4:3 Wegas only display high def in a "letterboxed" view. I was under the impression all 4:3 HDTV's did the same.

 

[Michael Banks]

All progressive images do not get squeezed on a 4x3 set. 1080i and 720p are formatted for 16x9 while 480p can either be set to 4x3 or 16x9. I guess it's all in what the available options are in the individual games or options in the box.
I went to the gamecube party two weeks ago and all games were running on Panasonic CT32HX41 sets, which are 4x3 hdtv. While we were looking at Roque Squadron, we checked the options. From what I remember there was an option for interlaced or progressive output. The game was set at progressive and the set displayed a full screen image. I checked the menu on the set and it was locked in at 480p. 480i is ntsc standard while 480p is just a progressive form of ntsc standard, which is not considered a true highdef signal. When you kick the game to 1080i or 720p it will be displayed in a 16x9 form only.
I think it all comes down to what the developers set the game up for. More than likely 480p will still be fullscreen or optional widescreen since the "average" user has a 4x3 set.
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[Chad Ferguson]

I'm new to this HDTV thing, could someone explain what you guys mean by stretching the image on a 4x3 set? Is 1080i not a good thing for a 4x3?