I am a Charter Cable customer in the St. Louis, Mo. area and recently tried their HDTV channels. Picture quality is OK but the non HD programming on a HD channel shows up as a "box". Not 4x3 just a square box I have a Motorola DCH 3461 HD box and have tried everything I can to "stretch" the non HD programming so I do not see the picture switch from full screen to a box and so on.
As per the manual for the Motorola 3461 and Charter I can only "stretch" or change aspect ratio for channels that are NOT HD channels. Since the HD box detects the HD channels and locks in the "stretch" or fill screen option is not available.

Does this sound right?
Our local PBS channel transmit all programming in HD and always fills the screen.
Switching from full screen to a box is very irritating.

Ideas?

What do you mean by "box" and not 4x3? Do you mean you see no video? If you do see video and you're getting a non-stretched signal try checking your TV. I have my parents' TV set to native, so that it doesn't stretch and look goofy. The TV switches between 4:3 and 16:9 depending on the signal it's receiving from the cable tuner.

I think you got it on your last statement "The TV switches between 4:3 and 16:9 depending on the signal it's receiving from the cable tuner."

And that the issue.
Box or square picture area, one in the same.

My real question is the earlier one:
As per the manual for the Motorola 3461 and Charter I can only "stretch" or change aspect ratio for channels that are NOT HD channels. Since the HD box detects the HD channels and locks in the "stretch" or fill screen option is not available.

Is this just a funtion of the Motorola 3461 or do they all work that way?
If the HD channel would step down to 480i from 1080i for non HD programming then the Motorola 3461 would work OK. I am trying to verify if it normal for most HD channels to transmit some programming in 1080i and others in 480i?

Hope this helps
Thanks