Sick of scrunched up picture on digi TV.

Candy53

After me refusing to have a digital tv for years, I finally gave in and bought a 26 inch, which is adequate for our room, for my hubby last Christmas.

We had a lovely old flat screened Phillips tv before with lovely picture and sound, but it finally gave up.

I hate the digi tv with a passion! You can't sit to the side of it because you can't see the picture, and if the sunlight goes on it you can't see it either. I don't find the quality of the picture any better, and we've had to fit 2 speakers to it to get a decent sound.

However, the biggest problem I have with it is that the picture is nearly always scrunched up. Everyone looks too short. Does everyone have to put up with this? It's so annoying now. Most channels do it except for what we used to call the real tele. Whether it's on 16.9, 4.3, or 4.3L, it makes no difference. We are with Sky, and occasionally the picture is right so I don't know why it can't be like that all the time. My daughter has a large screen with freeview and hers is as bad.

Candy

Heinz

What picture format is your Sky box set to output, 4:3 or 16:9?

Candy53

16.9, but I've tried it on 4.3 and no difference.

Candy

penrhyn

Assuming you have the TV connected using Scart then the correct setting for the Sky box is 16 x 9, the TV's aspect ratio should also be set to 16 x9, and scart switching should be enabled.

The reason you can't see the picture from the side is probably due to having a budget TV, some of these Technikas, Onn etc don't have very good panels.

Notmyrealname

Candy53 wrote: »

After me refusing to have a digital tv for years, I finally gave in and bought a 26 inch, which is adequate for our room, for my hubby last Christmas.

We had a lovely old flat screened Phillips tv before with lovely picture and sound, but it finally gave up.

I hate the digi tv with a passion! You can't sit to the side of it because you can't see the picture, and if the sunlight goes on it you can't see it either. I don't find the quality of the picture any better, and we've had to fit 2 speakers to it to get a decent sound.

However, the biggest problem I have with it is that the picture is nearly always scrunched up. Everyone looks too short. Does everyone have to put up with this? It's so annoying now. Most channels do it except for what we used to call the real tele. Whether it's on 16.9, 4.3, or 4.3L, it makes no difference. We are with Sky, and occasionally the picture is right so I don't know why it can't be like that all the time. My daughter has a large screen with freeview and hers is as bad.

Candy

Thats what happens when you buy a budget TV. You get a poor screen with a low contrast ratio and low brightness and a narrow viewing angle. Mine is 178 degrees and you can see the picture until you're almost looking 90 degrees to the screen.

The software in the TV is also poor as well so it either doesn't support AUTO aspect ratio switching which is what you need or it doesn't detect it and therefore doesn't switch.

However you're going through the Sky box. Make sure your Sky box is set to 16:9 in Settings, Picture. Sky should then put black bars down the sides of the picture when the programme is 4:3 so no more short people. However it depends on the broadcaster of the channel sending the signal so the box knows to do it.

almillar

As above, there's nothing wrong with the digital system, you just bought a cheapo TV. Unless it's a channel with horrible low bandwidth, the sound and vision is better than on analogue.
Again, make sure your Sky box and TV are set to 16:9. This means that any widescreen programmes (that's most of them these days) will look correct, but also that old stuff (Dad's Army comes to mind) will look squashed - these programmes are 4:3, but are broadcast at 16:9 as people don't like the bars down the side, I'd rather view it at the correct shape.

molerat

The problem I have found is that Sky often broadcast US 4:3 programmes in 16:9 format which does make people look short and fat.

almillar

molerat - so then you change your TV setting to 4:3 to get the fatties back to the right shape. So few 4:3 programmes are broadcast properly these days, the HD channels seem to have helped with this.