# Aspect Ratio on TV2



## jwmsr (Aug 18, 2007)

I have tried to find an answer to my VIP622 question in lots of places, but I have not found it yet. 

Can anyone tell me if the ASPECT RATIO of the TV2 output remains at 16:9 if the original signal started in 16:9 ?? I know that TV2 is downconverted to 480, but I don't know if the aspect ratio is also converted.

The reason is that I am wanted to upgrade my TV2 set and I can't see much use in a widescreen that always has sidebars on it.

Thanks for your help!
jimmy


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## DishTSR3Mentor (Nov 3, 2006)

You're not going to be pleased with this answer Jim, but tv2 is set for 480i and 4x3 is your aspect ratio - it is the same output as a SD 322 rcvr (with the exception being that you can watch downconverted HD channels) 

However, some tvs will allow you to stretch the ratio to fit your screen but the Dish receiver does not provide this feature at this time (or at any time that I can tell).


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## Taco Lover (Jan 8, 2007)

jwmsr said:


> Can anyone tell me if the ASPECT RATIO of the TV2 output remains at 16:9 if the original signal started in 16:9 ??


If a 16:9 show is on TV2 (tuned to an HD channel or watching a recorded event that's HD), it should fill your 4:3 TV and cut off the right and left. If you push the * button on the TV2 remote, you can switch to letterbox and have black bars on top and bottom. At least this is how it is on my set.


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

This is one of the things that burns by butt about the 622. It's really the only MAJOR thing that just makes me want to find some sort of "Earl Pitts" analogy to throw in here! "You know what makes me sick? You know what makes me so angry I could... " 
(midwestern AM readio listners know who I'm talking about)

...is the complete IDIOCY of Dish's programmers to assume that everyone would use a 4x3 set as TV2. Yes I know TV2 does not provide and HD signal. But then again TV1 though the coax, composit and s-video jacks aren't HD either yet they have the ability to send a 16x9 picture in SD by making creating an anamorphic picture (everyone is tall and skinny--you use the stretch mode to make everyone look normal)! 

I currently have my 622 in single "share" mode so I can see a glorious anamorphic SD 16x9 picture in my bedroom 16x9 TV in full 480i. If I look at TV2's output in this mode on the coax, guess what? It too has a full 16x9 picture in 480i. But if I put the 622 in the dual mode, TV2 is magically transformed into a 4x3 only format where any 16x9 content is window boxed or the edges are cut off in a full screen 4x3 pillar box mode! What the hell? In that mode my only option is to put the TV in the Zoom mode (not the stretch mode) to fill the screen with the window-boxed picture therefore losing significant resolution I know the 622 can give over coax RF!

Is this STUPID or what? There are some of us (and more every day) that have more than one 16x9 TV! It doesn't have to be HD, but why can't they send anamorphic the way they do now over TV1 in Dual mode or TV1 and 2 in single share mode?

"Now Pitts off!"


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## Calvin386 (May 23, 2007)

I have a 16x9 on the TV2 output. I set my TV's(Sony) wide mode to wide zoom. Which streches the SD picture gradually(less in the middle and more as it gets to the edges) to fill my screen. The strech is really unnoticable. 

When watching HD programming on TV2, I have it set to letterbox. Once I set it at normal for SD and letterbox for HD, the 622 automatcally switches the format for me as I go back and forth between SD and HD. This is on the TV2 location only. TV1 will stay on whatever format(normal for me) I put it on despite the source.


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## Calvin386 (May 23, 2007)

My rant is why didn't Dish just make tv2 an HD output anyway. I would love to have my tv2 HD. I don't see where it would take some great technological leap forward to have to HD outputs on one receiver. 

Dish really let me down there.


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

One of the sets I’m using on the TV2 home distribution RF output is a Sharp LC-19DV12U 19” HD LCD panel. Yes the 622s output on TV2 is 480i, but when viewing HD content, selecting letterbox format (on the 622 TV2 remote) yields a 16x9 image (assuming you are viewing 16x9 content) that fills the entire screen with no right/left cropping and no black bars at the top/bottom of the viewing area. And at 19”, the picture is very hard to discern from a true HD (720p, 1080i) viewing experience when viewed from just a few feet away from the screen. Selecting normal format (on the 622 TV2 remote) zooms the image up approximately 20% causing the amount of cropping that one would expect when using a 4x3 aspect device in order to fill the viewing area without top/bottom black bars.


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

AVJohnnie,

The full screen picture is really a zoom mode on your TV. You can do this on almost any 16x9 TV. But the picture you get is not the same quality as if it were anamorphic 480i.

See ya
Tony <- Still can't believe people pay tons of money for best pix possible then volutarily distort the image


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

TNGTony said:


> AVJohnnie,
> 
> The full screen picture is really a zoom mode on your TV. You can do this on almost any 16x9 TV. But the picture you get is not the same quality as if it were anamorphic 480i.
> 
> ...


I think the poster's question was about it maintaining the 16x9 aspect, not the quality of the HD image. Granted, the image quality has to suffer from the down scaling and yes, you will need to select a zoom setting on your 16x9 display (if it doesn't happen to have an auto zoom mode) that fills the viewing area. But the entire image of the original 16x9 content is maintained, and in correct original aspect - so by selecting a proper zoom setting you can still maintain the original 16x9 image in its entirety, without cropping, just down-rez'd.

And I don't dispute that you may be seeing differing results with your particular setup either, but on my sets the HDNet test pattern:

Schedule can be found here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=74738&highlight=test+pattern

shows that my wide aspect sets connected to the TV2 RF output, using the 622's Letterbox mode, and viewing 16x9 HD content gives the same viewable image, edge to edge, top to bottom as viewing the content, in "Normal mode" on the sets connected to the HD component HDMI outputs.

BTW this maintaining of the entire down-rez'd content/aspect allows for the creation of very respectable looking 16x9 Anamorphic 480i DVD copies of 16x9 HD content.


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## jwmsr (Aug 18, 2007)

AVJohnnie said:


> I think the poster's question was about it maintaining the 16x9 aspect, not the quality of the HD image. Granted, the image quality has to suffer from the down scaling and yes, you will need to select a zoom setting on your 16x9 display (if it doesn't happen to have an auto zoom mode) that fills the viewing area. But the entire image of the original 16x9 content is maintained, and in correct original aspect - so by selecting a proper zoom setting you can still maintain the original 16x9 image in its entirety, without cropping, just down-rez'd.
> 
> And I don't dispute that you may be seeing differing results with your particular setup either, but on my sets the HDNet test pattern:
> shows that my wide aspect sets connected to the TV2 RF output, using the 622's Letterbox mode, and viewing 16x9 HD content gives the same viewable image, edge to edge, top to bottom as viewing the content, in "Normal mode" on the sets connected to the HD component HDMI outputs.
> ...


Thank you all for your responses!

Although you had different ways of expressing it, I think I am hearing from most of you that HD 16:9 content is converted to 480i 4:3 for output to TV2... or it can be displayed as 16:9 content in a letterbox. If that is true, then I am disappointed and I'm not sure I want to invest in a 37" 16:9 LCD for TV2. :nono2:

AVJohnnie, I think you are saying that if I "letterbox" the TV2 output, it may fill my 16:9 screen with a 480i image (downconverted from HD). That is what I am after. But I don't think I'll be nearly as happy if it is an image that has been shrunken to a letterbox by the 622, then zoom'ed artificially by the TV2 software..... that is bound to diminish the quality of the image. But you sound happy with your image; am I interpreting that correctly?

Thanks for your help!
jimmy


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

jwmsr said:


> AVJohnnie, I think you are saying that if I "letterbox" the TV2 output, it may fill my 16:9 screen with a 480i image (downconverted from HD). That is what I am after. But I don't think I'll be nearly as happy if it is an image that has been shrunken to a letterbox by the 622, then zoom'ed artificially by the TV2 software..... that is bound to diminish the quality of the image. But you sound happy with your image; am I interpreting that correctly?
> 
> Thanks for your help!
> jimmy


Basically correct&#8230; By setting it to letterbox, you will retain the original 16x9 format of the content. However as part of the down-res they also shrink the entire image so that on an un-zoomed wide aspect set this will appear aspect correct, but shrunk-in on all sides leaving black bars. By then enlarging the image using your set's zoom modes, the image will (mostly) refill to the extremities of the viewing area. This of course depends on the actual content - i.e.: 1.85:1 should mostly fill the viewing area with no bars while 2.35:1 content is likely to still leave top/bottom bars unless you zoom to a level that again crops the left/right sides.

And BTW -- For a couple of months before deciding to lease my second 622, I was doing this with my Philips 37" HD LCD, also with surprisingly good results. However, your mileage may vary...


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Calvin386 said:


> My rant is why didn't Dish just make tv2 an HD output anyway. I would love to have my tv2 HD. I don't see where it would take some great technological leap forward to have to HD outputs on one receiver.
> 
> Dish really let me down there.


How you would you get the HD signal from TV2 out 300 to the other side of your house? Can't do it over the coax cable because the receiver would never make it to the market due to DCMA crap.


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