[GunsNRoses]

I just got my antenna hooked up yesterday so I could finally get digital and HD programming. All the local channels are shown in 4:3 except when they are in HD. However, ABC has a different format. I don't know what it is. It's in the middle of 4:3 and 16:9. What is it and why do they use it? And what is enchanced TV? I was watching Monday Night Football and it said it is shown in enhanced TV. Thanks.

 

[Marissadad]

It's 14:9

 

[Randy Boecker]

Are you talking about SD format or HD format? On my Toshiba widescreen, HD shows fill the screen in 16x9. I always zoom SD material so it fills the screen, so I don't notice on SD stuff.


As for Enhanced TV (I hate that phrase) it's some dumb interactive internet thing so you can be sitting at your computer interacting with events on the show. They started using it for Millionaire, apparently have moved to sports now. If you really want to play with your computer and watch TV at the same time, log on to ABC.com the next time you seen an "enhanced tv" logo on your screen.

 

[Marissadad]

SD is 14:9, HD is usually OAR.

 

[MikeKO]

GunsNRoses,


It would be easier to help you if we knew where you were at.. please update your profile to city/state.


It could be that your local ABC station is not broadcasting HD, or it could be that they weren't broadcasting HD when you checked. Some stations do the bizarre 14:9 conversion for their digital feeds. The logic for this eludes me, but a lot of them do it.


Mike

 

[alterego]

This may be slightly off topic, but does anyone know how they do the conversion to 14x9? Is it streched, zoomed, or what?

 

[GunsNRoses]

I live in Los Angeles. When I was watching Saving Private Ryan it was in 16:9 but any other program that is not HD is shown in 14:9.

 

[Randy Boecker]

I took a good look last night and sure enough, the SD is 14:9. I'm getting ABC from WPVI in Philadelphia.

 

[MikeKO]

Just depends on the station... Here in the SF Bay area, ABC SD is in normal 4:3 (as it should be). Complain to your station.

 

[Garrett Adams]

The Sacramento ABC station also uses 14:9 for 4:3 content being broadcast on their main 10.1 channel. Their engineer told me they thought it looked better than 4:3. Only a tad of that top and bottom is lost, unlike the forced full 16:9 view. Plus people don't have that grotesque stretched look. IOW, I like it.