# Feature Request - Un-StrechOVision



## kckucera (Aug 1, 2005)

Hoping that Dish can compensate for that awful strech mode in so many channels. I would think the reverse interoplation of the 622s Strech Mode might do the trick. I believe we will be seeing these awful streched images for years to come from stations like A&E, TBS etc. I would be happy to watch in 4x3 mode with higher definition than SD.


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## 459707 (Aug 15, 2007)

kckucera said:


> Hoping that Dish can compensate for that awful strech mode in so many channels. I would think the reverse interoplation of the 622s Strech Mode might do the trick. I believe we will be seeing these awful streched images for years to come from stations like A&E, TBS etc. I would be happy to watch in 4x3 mode with higher definition than SD.


Push the RATIO or FORMAT button on your TV remote. Your TV is set for 16:9 (because that is what your 622 is outputting) but if a 4:3 program is being stretched to 16:9, and you want to un-stretch it or watch it with bars on the sides, set your TV to 4:3. Thats what I do, and it looks just fine. No more fat/stretched people!

Your right, Dish/the studios that provide the channel should fix the problem, but for now, just use the workaround.

Hope that helps!


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## GravelChan (Jan 30, 2005)

sdschramm said:


> Push the RATIO or FORMAT button on your TV remote. Your TV is set for 16:9 (because that is what your 622 is outputting) but if a 4:3 program is being stretched to 16:9, and you want to un-stretch it or watch it with bars on the sides, set your TV to 4:3. Thats what I do, and it looks just fine. No more fat/stretched people!
> Hope that helps!


Bang myself on the head!!! Now why didn't I think to do that! :nono2:


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## kckucera (Aug 1, 2005)

Great Idea, Thanks
Kuch


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## Suomi (Jan 7, 2006)

That still doesn't fix the stretch-o-vision in many cases. The Turners, as well as some others, use a stretch that is not constant. It is stretched more toward the sides. So unstretching it would make the center portion too skinny. My solution is to watch the SD version of the offending channel during the offending program.


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## bartendress (Oct 8, 2007)

sdschramm said:


> ... the studios that provide the channel should fix the problem,...


I agree with this part of your comment.

If you are unhappy with the Stretch-O-Vision these networks produce, contacting those networks to complain is the only thing to do. We pay E* to deliver the content... they have no control over the source signal any given network provides to E* for uplink.

The saddest part is that there is a large portion of the consumer base that believes that when they watch the Stretch-O-Vision content, they are watching HD.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Another fun game to play while watching stretch-o-vision...

Back away a few feet from your TV... then slowly move to either the left or right and back up some more. Keep doing this until you reach a viewing angle that when you look straight ahead you are seeing a square instead of a widescreen rectangle. Remain at this viewing angle while watching the stretched show and give your brain the perspective-induced illusion of normal ratio!


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## Mr.72 (Feb 2, 2007)

my tv's format button doesn't unstretch a stretched show. i'm not sure that's a very common feature.


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## dave1234 (Oct 9, 2005)

Mr.72 said:


> my tv's format button doesn't unstretch a stretched show. i'm not sure that's a very common feature.


Mine doesn't either. Many TV's are not able to unstretch.

The suggestion to include the feature in the 622/722 is great! Has this been added to the feature request thread???


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## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

I think the idea to UnStretch, not sure if we should be asking Dish to do that. Never know what the Broadcasting Networks would do, if Dish started altering, their HD Broadcasts.


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## Mr.72 (Feb 2, 2007)

well, you can already stretch it if it's 4x3, why would it be different to unstretch it?

mostly it's irritating that these tv networks do this to begin with. and it's inconsistent. sometimes one show will be in normal HD, then another episode of the same show is stretched (like Dirty Jobs, for example).


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## theoak (Nov 5, 2007)

My television has an "automatic" setting, where it can detect 4:3 and 16:9 format and display it accordingly.

Of course, for "normal" SD satellite, it shows everything in 4:3 with the bars on the side. For those programs that are 4:3 and are boxed in that, I can manually "zoom" to get the picture fill the screen. Of course, when you zoom, the quality decreases so I have to either live with the boxes, or decrease the quality. If it is straight 4:3 I usually keep the bars on the side; I do not do the stretch-o-rama thing. If it is 4:3 with bars in that, I usually zoom.


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## Slordak (Dec 17, 2003)

sdschramm said:


> Push the RATIO or FORMAT button on your TV remote. Your TV is set for 16:9 (because that is what your 622 is outputting) but if a 4:3 program is being stretched to 16:9, and you want to un-stretch it or watch it with bars on the sides, set your TV to 4:3. Thats what I do, and it looks just fine. No more fat/stretched people!


A large percentage of televisions lock into 16x9 mode when viewing both 720p and 1080i content. Why? Because the content doesn't need any stretch handling; it's guaranteed to be 16x9, by definition. Thus, this "solution" isn't able to be used by many individuals, in addition to the other comments about how the stretching is often non-uniform or "partial stretch plus crop".


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## tedb3rd (Feb 2, 2006)

You could install movie curtains. Then just close them a little bit--BAM! 4:3 ratio! If you can't see the side, then brain don't know it's stretch-o-vision.

I'm surprised that so many folks prefer the 'stretch' over the black bars on the side. I imagine that many folks would call/complain about the black bars. Of course, if the menu setup allowed you to choose something like "Image Distortion ON" or "Image Distortion OFF" then everyone would opt for the black bars.


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## 459707 (Aug 15, 2007)

tedb3rd said:


> You could install movie curtains. Then just close them a little bit--BAM! 4:3 ratio! If you can't see the side, then brain don't know it's stretch-o-vision.
> 
> if the menu setup allowed you to choose something like "Image Distortion ON" or "Image Distortion OFF" then everyone would opt for the black bars.


if you covered the sides, the center of the picture would still look stretched. It would be like watching a rectangle with the sides cut off on a square tv.

Also, thats funny about the distortion on/off. its true, many people would turn it off but yet complain about the bars. That would be a funny conversation when the DISH rep has to explain to the person they need to turn ON distortion for them to go away. then they would think twice.


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## Suomi (Jan 7, 2006)

sdschramm said:


> if you covered the sides, the center of the picture would still look stretched. It would be like watching a rectangle with the sides cut off on a square tv.
> 
> Also, thats funny about the distortion on/off. its true, many people would turn it off but yet complain about the bars. That would be a funny conversation when the DISH rep has to explain to the person they need to turn ON distortion for them to go away. then they would think twice.


I think what he was saying is that most shows on TBS/TNT are a non-uniform stretch. The center isn't stretched, but closer to the edges it is stretched.


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## Mr.72 (Feb 2, 2007)

on the stretched shows, I have noticed that the whole image is stretched, to some extent anyway. I can't say I've ever tried to do a screen capture and un-stretch it linearly and see if that fixes it.

Again I say, HDTV is not ready for prime time. This is one of a number of silly nuisances that remain to be cleared up before this product category on the whole can be considered mature.


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## snowcat (May 29, 2007)

Just hit the Page Up button on your Dish remote till it says "gray bars". This unstretches the image and puts in 4:3 mode. Page up changes HD channels while Page down changes SD channels.

I tried it today on TNT HD on it seemed to looked pretty good.


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## Mr.72 (Feb 2, 2007)

putting the box in "gray bars" mode just covers the part of the image on the sides with gray bars. it does not unstretch it.


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## slowmo (Sep 22, 2006)

Slordak said:


> A large percentage of televisions lock into 16x9 mode when viewing both 720p and 1080i content. Why? Because the content doesn't need any stretch handling; it's guaranteed to be 16x9, by definition. Thus, this "solution" isn't able to be used by many individuals, in addition to the other comments about how the stretching is often non-uniform or "partial stretch plus crop".


First change the 622 to output at 480i or 480p and then change the display's aspect setting to 4:3.

Works for both my commercial and consumer plasmas made by Pany.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I just record content I know will be 4:3 off the non-HD feed. It looks fine, but then again these are shows that HD would just give you a better view of skin blemishes.:grin:


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## Mr.72 (Feb 2, 2007)

switching the box to 480i or 480p is hardly a reasonable workaround. reminds me of another legit feature we don't yet have on the 622 (native pass-thru). 

but in reality, what's the point in watching TBSHD or any other channel in HD when you are setting the 622 to 480i?

FWIW my DVD player does a bang-up job of upconverting SD DVDs and they look WAY better than SDTV broadcasts such as on the SD TNT etc. channels. There is some legitimate benefit to be had from the content provider upconverting an SD program and putting it on a "HD" channel. But there is little benefit to doing so and stretching it.


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## slowmo (Sep 22, 2006)

Mr.72 said:


> switching the box to 480i or 480p is hardly a reasonable workaround. reminds me of another legit feature we don't yet have on the 622 (native pass-thru).
> 
> but in reality, what's the point in watching TBSHD or any other channel in HD when you are setting the 622 to 480i?
> 
> FWIW my DVD player does a bang-up job of upconverting SD DVDs and they look WAY better than SDTV broadcasts such as on the SD TNT etc. channels. There is some legitimate benefit to be had from the content provider upconverting an SD program and putting it on a "HD" channel. But there is little benefit to doing so and stretching it.


I certainly don't argue against your point that upconverting SD programs is a waste of time.

However, for those inclined to watch the censored, cropped, and upconverted crap on TBS or TNT, I was merely suggesting a way to view an undistorted / unstretched image by changing the 622's output to 480 in order for the display's aspect settings to be more effective.

Reducing the 622's setting to 480 isn't going to hurt the PQ of the TBS / TNT content. It already sucks to begin with.


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## racton1 (Nov 7, 2007)

phrelin said:


> I just record content I know will be 4:3 off the non-HD feed. It looks fine, but then again these are shows that HD would just give you a better view of skin blemishes.:grin:


Speaking of skin blemishes, I do notice it more in HD. I wonder what the actors think when they see themselves in HD format?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

racton1 said:


> Speaking of skin blemishes, I do notice it more in HD. I wonder what the actors think when they see themselves in HD format?


To be fair... movie actors/actresses have been dealing with this for many years. Film is much better definition than HD and blown up on a much bigger screen for all to see.

TV shows, and live news programs, are where HD becomes the difference-maker. Those folks have probably been skimping on the makeup (men and women) because the TV resolution was known to be poorer than the "big screen"... so those folk are now having to adopt the movie industry makeup rituals.


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

The only way I know around the stretch-o-vision is to watch the sd versions and you can put them in the aspect of your choice. Most HD channels using stretch - o - vision now, are nothing more than upconverted sd stretched to fit the screen anyway.


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