my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » The Afterlife   » 4:3 lines appear when HD TV goes to black. Why?

Author Topic: 4:3 lines appear when HD TV goes to black. Why? Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-30-2010 11:48 AM                        When watching any network show via cable (here in Brooklyn it is Cablevision), whenever they go to black between the actual 16:9 ratio show, two black(er) lines marking the old 4:3 ratio space appear, then disappear as the next 16:9 image comes on the screen. I'm just wondering why that would be since 4:3 components are no longer in the production chain (I am guessing). No 4:3 picture is ever part of the program start to finish, so why would any part of the transmission have any remnants of the old 4:3 component, and just when it is in black?  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 11-30-2010 04:45 PM                     I have Cablevision and it does not do that for me. My suspicion is that something is set to "auto" in either the cable box's aspect ratio setup or the TV's, so when ever the signal goes down to null, it resets back to 4x3. My guess is that it is your tv.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-30-2010 05:40 PM                     The problem could be pillar box burn-in with the HDTV set. The problem could also have something to do with SD quality material being broadcast by the cable company and/or cable networks. I often see differences with black levels on SD material compared to the black levels of the "pillars" flanking the SD video content. The difference is especially obvious when a letter boxed SD commercial airs.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 12-02-2010 10:38 PM                     I've noticed this a couple times on local stations here, but of course I don't watch a lot of TV (and of course don't have cable since I value my money). I'm amazed that they're still showing commercials that are letterboxed in a 4x3 frame, then showing that in 16x9 with black side bars- since commercials are the only things broadcasters care about now, you would think after the first one aired like that someone would be breathing down the tech guy's neck saying "Fix it- NOW."  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.