Added to make post above appear. Seems missing bug post is back on the forums!

Yep, that's exactly what I've got mine set to but I get stretched CNN.

When I had a Sony CRT, setting it to Wide would put it into 16:9 permanently. Try putting it into 4:3, then "reboot" the TV. Setting it to 4:3 would actually make it change to 16:9 as necessary, I guess it was the equivalent of an Auto mode.

I will check CNN on my setup tonight and let you know

CNN is OK on mine with those settings - strange

Edit: Apologies, I have the Sony TV Screen Format to Wide, Auto Format to On - I haven't changed these.

Rgds.


Les.

Nope, that just makes everything 4:3 (i.e. stick figures on 16:9 progs).

The Auto Format option doesn't seem to make any difference whether it is On or Off on mine. I assume this is because the HDR is not giving the TV any sort of signal about format.

It all worked perfectly before the update - what have Humax changed? I really wish Humax (or Bob_cat) would say something about this. Yes, I've e-mailed them but I'm getting the usual deathly silence. And no I can't be bothered trying to phone them.

It's very strange this, the Humax must be sending the signal because mine is auto-switching.

Mine was OK before, and it's still OK now - I can't explain yours

Rgds.


Les.

And mine wasn't OK before but it is now! Although I think it's because I had Display Format set wrongly, the 4:3 channels would be shown in stretchyvision.

Yep. Glad yours works but that probably makes the chances of Humax fixing anything very much slimmer for me.
In the old days with analogue signals (SCART) there were signals on separate PINs and/or in the picture itself. Some TVs handled one, the other or both.
With HDMI I'm not sure if there are still multiple methods for setting aspect ratio. HDMI is not separate signal wires, it is a data interface, and there is an AVI Info Frame that normally specifies the aspect ratio. I'm not sure whether the in-picture signalling is also present/possible.

Widescreen swithing is fine on a Toshy set.

This is a discussion I've had before. Some people claim that HDMI doesn't have any switching signal - others disagree. Others have suggested that some TVs just recognise the 576 line count (or some other such thing) and just assume that 4:3 is appropriate.

What I can say from personal experience is that not all TVs react to the same thing. When I first got Sky HD my existing TV was a Toshiba Regza and it switched just fine. I upgraded to a new Samsung and that doesn't switch.

As I noted in my earlier post - Samsung categorically claim that HDMI doesn't support 4:3. They seemed to be saying that HDMI only supports HD and HD by definition has to be 16:9. That's something that other people have said. It sounds short sighted to me but does have the ring of truth about it. After all - it is called HDMI not MDMI (Multi Definition Media Interface) and I think HDTV is specified as being 16:9.

Note that what also confuses things is that some channels are not broadcasting the aspect ratio flag properly!

I've just noticed that Star Trex on CBS Action is displayng as squished 4:3, i.e. a 4:3 frame but squashed horizontally. To get it to display properly, you would have to manually force your TV into Wide. All other programmes currently on are displaying properly.

However, my Panasonic Freesat TV is also doing exactly the same thing with this programme. So it can't be the HDR that's at fault.

Sort of but then 4:3 items from other gadgets using the same HDMI input are deformed to fill the screen rather than being displayed the correct shape.

Also some of the humax menus e.g. find a program go off the top and bottom of the screen.

Humax must not of heard of the phrase

"If its not broken don't fix it"

Automan.

LOL, I can't believe Samsung think they can get away with that. I only have the publicly available Informational version of the HDMI specification (sorry can't remember URL I got it from - it was ages ago - suggest FWSE).
In that specification it states that bytes M0 and M1 of the Auxiliary Video Information Infoframe are: "Picture Aspect Ratio (4:3, 16:9). See EIA/CEA-861B table 9 for details."
I don't have a copy of that particular reference but it certainly seems there is support for different aspect ratios.

As to HDMI being HD only. We all probably know that the HDR can output SD resolutions over HDMI so we know it is possible.

In fact in the specification there is a section specifically to do with SD over HDMI, in particular this bit: "Video formats with native pixel rates below 25 Mpixels/sec require pixel-repetition in order to be carried across a TMDS link. 720x480i and 720x576i video format timings shall always be pixel-repeated.".

FYI, here is the list of video formats supported by HDMI 1.0 (certainly not HD Only!):

6.3.1 Primary Video Format Timings
• 640x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1280x720p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1920x1080i @ 59.94/60Hz
• 720x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 720(1440)x480i @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1280x720p @ 50Hz
• 1920x1080i @ 50Hz
• 720x576p @ 50Hz
• 720(1440)x576i @ 50Hz
6.3.2 Optional Video Format Timings
• 720(1440)x240p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 2880x480i @ 59.94/60Hz
• 2880x240p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1440x480p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 1920x1080p @ 59.94/60Hz
• 720(1440)x288p @ 50Hz
• 2880x576i @ 50Hz
• 2880x288p @ 50Hz
• 1440x576p @ 50Hz
• 1920x1080p @ 50Hz
• 1920x1080p @ 23.98/24Hz
• 1920x1080p @ 25Hz
• 1920x1080p @ 29.97/30Hz

Excellent information, thanks. You're the first person who's been able to confirm that it's part of the standard. So basically it's another case of various manufacturers not implementing all the standard or not implementing it properly. Stupid idiots.

There's probably been confusion over the difference between HD and HDMI. HD is inherently 16:9 and HDMI is a transport protocol that can carry HD.

I set my LG HD TV which has an HDR on from "Original" mode to "4:3".

The HDR did not force the TV to 16:9 and instead everything was quashed in the middle 4:3 frame (like I get on my Panasonic).

Not an issue with my LG as the HDR is the only thing on HDMI #1

Ever since the upgrade I have had issues with the HDR changing its screen output at random. Even when I am in the menu system it sometimes switches to 4.3 or some other format that casues the image to be squashed or go to suedo widescreen so that I am unable to see the bottom of the screen.
I can be watching a recorded programme or a live one when it suddenly switches flicks around various formats and then if I am lucky it settles down back to 16.9! If I am not that I have to change channel or go into the guide eyc so that it suddenly wakes up and reverts to normal.

I know its not my Panasonic TV as when it happens on the HDR if I switch to the TV to view the same programme on the integrated Freesat Tuner it's perfectly normal.

At the moment its no more than a damn nuisance, I am however dreading it becoming a permanent problem.


My first HDR died with an HDD failure 2 months after I got it and if this one is going to give up the ghost because of software changes that at the moment do not look like being addressed, then I am not going to be pleased.

A Thought!
Have Humax fixed the issue of when the box wakes up to make a recording it selects the HDMI input?

If yes perhaps this is a side effect of a bodge to fix one problem that has created a new one?

Automan.

This is the exact same problem I get on my Panasonic TV too.

I rang Humax customer support about it, their useless suggestion was to force the TV in 19:6 mode and not leave it in Auto.

I explained that in the year of having the Humax it has been fine, something has changed for the worse with their box, the day it updated to 1.00.11

I would also like to point out that I have tried the forced 16:9 mode on the TV. We have seen the guide off screen to the left such that we cant see the channel names, this also has never happens prior to this latest software release.

It needs to be put right, they need to send the 'info' over HDMI as they used to, not tell me to put the TV into forced 16:9 mode.

I was happy, not so happy now.

Well, Well. Things seem to be getting worse!

The HDR was in standby and had started a scheduled recording. I turned it on to set up another recording which my wife had forgotten to ask me to setup. Low and behold I was met with a totaly green screen and just the sound coming out! I sat there dumbstruck and thought w***f and decided to turn it of and go back to standby. Turned it back on again after about 30 seconds and this time it turned on properly with a picture and no green screen!!

It still switches itself randomly into weird formats, the worse was top gear on sunday which I had recorded in HD. So I am now wondering if its an incoming signal issue (hence it showing up on the recording) or not.

Any Ideas ?

Welcom to the green screen club switching channels or cycling thought vformat settings fixes it till it happens again

See http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1162520

I watched that and have been having the screen format problems on my Panasonic since the upgrade(!?)


I think it was in the news section of the programme, maybe where they showed a video clip, and it had a different format, then went back to normal afterwards.

I get the inexplicable jumping during programmes and when viewing the EPG, on random occasions. Other programmes view letterbox (with black bars left and right , or smaller and centred) depending on the output, format I presume.

I was not that concerned with the issues that are fixed by the upgrade(!?). The constantly fiddling with the screen formats etc is a right pain, talk about improving something to make it worse!!

Any news yet form Humax on this problem they have created for us?

Automan.

With my Panasonic these settings seem to work:

TV
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Overscan off

HDR
Screen Ratio 16:9
Display Format 4:3PB

V.Format 1080i