Adverts are switching correctly. There is no manual changing of aspect ratio at all, my TV and the Humax do it all automatically.

What happens if you set the TV aspect mode default to 4:3 rather than auto?

Before with my panny set to 4:3 when HDR powered up it would send the signal to make the image WIDE but this is no longer the case.

Yes I could use auto but then when viewing other sources I will get a distorted image.

Automan.

One of the first things I noticed after the update was that the BBC breakfast presenters looked slimmer all of a sudden.

No settings have been changed, the Humax is set to 16:9 Widescreen and the Panasonic TV is set to Auto.

I just doesn't seem as good as it did, seems to be squished sideways.

If you set the Panasonic to 4:3 (we're talking about HDMI mode only - ok!), then the effect depends on the resolution of the source. At 576i, the Panny forces the aspect ratio to 4:3, irrespective of whether the source programme is 16:9 or not. If the source resolution is 720p or 1080i or 1080p,(ie a - HD resolution) then the Panny follows whatever the source sends. If you leave the Humax on "Original" (v-format button on remote) and the Panny on 4:3 , then every channel is shown in 4:3 mode except BBC HD, which is natively 1080i. I haven't tested with ITV HD or Luxe HD, but the effect should be the same.
If you have the Humax set to one of the HD resolutions (720p, 1080i or 1080p) to force upscaling, then it seems to be mostly ok - 4:3 programmes are shown with black bars at the side (pillarbox) and 16:9 programmes occupy the whole screen. Some of the Zone channels are ok, but some not - they are letterboxed and pillarboxed This is with the display format set to "auto" in the Humax menu.
So many variables - all interacting with one another

What works for me is to set the Humax to 16:9 TV type with 4:3 pillarbox display mode. I set the v-format to original on the remote and set the Panny to Auto. Everything displays in its proper aspect ratio on HDMI.

My wife doesn't bother with HDMI mode at all as it involves turning on the amp for the sound, so she just uses the SCART mode. The WIDE signal is set on the SCART lead for 16:9 programmes, so they display correctly. Most of the other programmes display OK except for some of the Zone Horror channels which seem to be broadcasting widescreen material at times but are squeezing it into a 4:3 ratio. In this case having the Humax at auto and the Panny at auto the screen is stretched back to 16:9. If the Humax is set to 4:3 letterbox, then it pillarboxes the image - presumably because Zone Horror don't have the 16:9 flag set. If you're watching a lot of this channel's output, then you may have to make manual adjustments.

David,
Exactly the same happens on my Panasonic. I think if you check your Sony aspect ratio setting, you may have it fixed to 4:3. If you change it to auto it should be ok.
My reasoning on this is that 576i or 576p are SD resolutions so the TV is controlling/forcing the aspect ratio. When you set the Hummy to upscale (or are on a genuine HD channel), then the TV knows that HD is always (should be always) 16:9

Before the last updates I left vformat on Original. This would detect SD and send it at 576 wide and if the SD was 4:3 you would see the original 4:3 picture (black bars each side), or if HD and send it at 1080i.

Fat-Tony - The TV is set as it was before the upgrade and it worked with vformat set Original, but now it does not. TV setup as follows:
Screen Format: Wide
Auto Format: On
4:3 Default: 4:3

If you set the TV to 16:9, then the Humax will fill the screen properly on a widescreen (16:9) programme and will pillarbox a 4:3 programme properly also. The previous behaviour of the Humax was different. The current behaviour is probably more technically correct in that you can leave the TV in a 16:9 mode and the Humax not send any switching signals, but instead outputs a 16:9 image at all resolutions, with 4:3 programmes pillarboxed. I'd imagine it hacks off people who like to stretch a 4:3 picture across a 16:9 display, but you can't please all of the people ...

With my Panny TV that gives all channels other than BBC HD in 4:3

If the program is a 4:3 one I get grey bars, black bars and very tall people.

Before the "upgrade" I used to have it set.

VFormat 1080i
Wide Mode 4:3 Pillar Box
TV 4:3

Now I have to have the TV set to Auto or 16:9 which messes up sometimes other sources also use HDMI input 1 on the TV from my HDMI switching amp.

All used to work 100% properly for 10 months till the quality tested Humax upgrade broke it.

Its not the end of the world but is a backward step.

Automan.

Different configs are going to have different results. I actually never noticed the problem because I route the Humax HDMI connection through my Onkyo amp, which I have set to upscale everything to 1080p.

Obviously for the tests I set the amp to just pass through the signal from the Humax without any conversion. I've watched a load of stuff tonight without the upscaler and it's all been fine. The only downside to setting the TV on auto is that if there is a movie with cinema widescreen (2.35:1 ratio I think), then the TV tries to eliminate the top and bottom black bars, thus stretching the picture. Probably best to leave the TV in 16:9 ratio as you have done and let the Humax pillarbox or letterbox the picture.

I'm watching the Jools Holland show and flicking between the HD and BBC2 SD channels to check the discrepancy between the DD 5.1 volume and the DD 2.0 volume and it's minimal on the Onkyo. So the lack of a volume control on the PCM audio signal is not an issue for me either!

Using the information in this thread, I've now found some settings which restore the previous situation, although the Humax upscaling does seem to result in some overscan.

The point is that this should not be necessary. There are only two UK TV aspect ratios, and the the 16:9 flag is there to tell the TV which is being used by the current broadcast. The broadcaster has to choose whether other aspect ratios are framed to fit within 16:9 or distorted/cropped to fit 4:3.

The fact that the Humax no longer to passes on the flag to the TV via HDMI is clearly a retrograde step.

DD 5.1 and DD 2.0 will be the same level, it's not DD on SD broadcasts but mpeg1 layer 2 sound. BBC HD uses both DD2.0 and 5.1 ITV HD is DD2.0 only. There's a large difference (about 5dB) on my Denon amp between DD (2.0 or 5.1) and mpeg pcm. It's really only a problem if you are watching ITV HD with the volume cranked up and it drops back to mpeg sound.

If we ignore the condescending fools who don't actually own a Sony TV and are hence talking out their proverbial, it does seem that Humax have made a change that now makes it impossible to get the correct aspect ratio on a Sony TV without manual intervention on every channel change or being forced to use the low quality Humax up-scaler.
I'm sure Humax thought they were doing the right thing and fixing something for some other make of TV but that doesn't help me or others.
What actually would help is if there is anyone out there who has aspect ratio switching working correctly on a Sony TV could you please let us know your settings.

Me.

Post #23.

Sony set to "Wide"

Rgds.

Les.

What really bugs me is the time it takes my Sony Bravia to switch between SD and HD. Why should it take so long?

Sorry must have missed that. What V.Format are you using?

"Original".

Rgds.

Les.

OK, thanks, just wanted to check. Glad it works for you. It definitely doesn't work on my X series. So I'll revise my comment to be 'some SONY TVs' no longer switch aspect ratio correctly.

I have had the same problem on 40V2500 and have found the following settings work:

Foxsat HD/HDR
TV Setup
Screen Ratio: 16:9 - Widescreen TV
Display Format: 4:3 Pillar Box

V-Format: Original

Sony TV
Screen Menu
Target Inputs: Viewing Only
Screen Format: Wide
Auto Format: Off

This works with Foxsat connected direct to TV with HDMI.

Much the same as what I now have to do with my Panasonic.

Snag being I use the same HDMI input with items of equipment that work properly (well at least better) than the Humax does with it well tested upgrade.

Now I have to keep finding the TV remote to select 16:9 for use with Humax and 4:3 with all my other gadgets that still know how to tell a telly to switch to 16:9 when and if required.

Bob_Cat, any comments yet?

Automan.

What happens if the hummy is set to 'anamorphic' mode?

I haven't received the SW update yet!

It stretches 4:3 to fill 16:9 (Short/fat people)

The HDMI output worked fine on the previous versions, why did Humax have to break something that worked fine, do they not test before they release, it makes you wonder.

We have waited nearly a year for this release, now I am more unhappy that not being able to delete while the unit was recording.

It looks like Humax have broken something that isn't even listed in the things they fixed/changed, if you get what I mean.

Not quite.


Assuming the Screen Ratio is set to 16:9, this is the effect of the individual Display Format options when a 4:3 picture is displayed:

4:3 Pillar Box (4:3 with black bars left and right, supplied by the Humax)
14:9 Pillar Box (as above, but zooms the picture slightly to fill more of the screen)
16:9 Centre Cut Out (i.e. zooms to 16:9 but loses top and bottom of picture)
Anamorphic (squashes the 4:3 to something even thinner)

The Humax provides a complete 16:9 picture to the TV for the first 3 options. For the Anamorphic option, it supplies a 4:3 picture and assumes the TV will stretch it (sends a W/S switching signal?). I see little point in this option - it's compressing the 4:3 then stretching it again, best to use 4:3 Pillar Box.

None of these will result in short, fat people.

Will Auto not work?

Doesn't your tv just expand it for you?

Also, in many good tv's the upscaler is often better than the Humax's (you need to compare them to ascertain which is best in your case), in which case it makes sense to set the Humax to 16:9, Auto and Original and then let the tv do any upscaling that's necessary.

Most tv's also have aspect adjustment and its usually possible to find a setting that expands 4:3 without it looking unduly stretched although again quality of stretching varies brand to brand.

I don't really see where the moan is on aspect ration here. Its pretty obvious that 4:3 isn't going to fit a 16:9 screen without stretching. Maybe the Humax kept this hidden previously and did the stretching for you. However, the tv can do exactly the same service with its format button and in a lot of cases has options that make it better.