TV Aspect ratio

Supernova

Can someone explain how this is supposed to work?

I have two Freeview tuners routed through a SCART switcher and into the same old-fashioned 'square' TV.

Whichever one I'm watching I would like to see the picture in Letterbox.

The aspect ratio works fine on one Freeview tuner but my Pioneer Freeview/HDD/DVD-Recorder won't do Letterbox. Or at least BBC1/BBC2/ITV1 won't. Channel 4 will.

I heve selected Letterbox in all the preferences.

I would have expected the two Freeview machines to come out the same so any ideas where the fault might lie?

Little_John

The only thing I can think is how you have the pioneer box configured, make sure you have it set as a 3:4 TV and not 16:X this should then put the bands accross the top and bottom.

Supernova

OK thanks. Configuration is as you describe.

It's doing my head in really. Currently Football Focus is in Letterbox on both machines but BBC2 is Letterbox on one and Pan and Scan on the Pioneer machine. The Pioneer is the one I record from so would want that one to be right.

Sigh

Should I be going out and buying a rectangular TV?

amcluesent

>Should I be going out and buying a rectangular TV?<

IMHO, battling on with a 4:3 TV when using digital sources (Freeview/DVD) isn't so sensible.

But excellent quality CRT 16:9 TVs (Sonys) are being sold for silly money because of the fashion for LCD/Plasma. Pity the display quality of flat panels with SD broadcasts is rubbish ;-)