BIG FAT HEADS! Is there a cure?

[Jeff]

This is something that is really beginning to irritate me.  I don't know if its the change over to digital T.V., or what the cause is, but many of our T.V. channels look like they are way to big for the screen now.  The words run off the side if there are captions to the point you can't read them. Heads and figures are big and distorted out of shape.  My guess is that I don't have a high definition television and these are H.D. broadcast signals.  My Television isnt that old by my standards, maybe 6 or 7 years and I'm pretty sure its digital, but not positive.  I've looked all over on my set to see if there is some sort of adjustment options but to no avail.

Buying a new set for us is something thats really not going to be an option for quite some time.  Is this something someone knows about and can let me know if there is a cure, or if I'm just going to have to get used to Mike Rowe doing his dirty jobs just off screen. :-\

[DanG]

Antenna? Cable? Satellite?

[Jeff]

We have cable T.V., but the worst of the channels are our local broadcast channels provided by the cable, but not limited to them, case in point, last nights dirty jobs on Discovery. Sometimes we get fat heads, sometimes its normal.

[DanG]

Since it ain't all channels, it probably ain't your tv.  Call the cable company and ask about it.

[Jeff]

My sister has the same problem and she did call. Same cable company, Charter. No help other then she was told she must have an old T.V. with no explanation why.

[pineywoods]

Jeff you guessed right. that's what happens when you try to display a HD video on a standard tv.  A High Definition screen is about 40% wider. Digital has nothing to do with it. If your tv is more than 5 years old, it probably does not have digital channel capability. The digital channels are on a different frequency band and may not necessarily be HD.

[Todd]

Peoples heads are getting bigger Jeff, you just don't notice it as much day-to day because of context.  Put a frame up to everyone you talk to and you'll notice the same phenomenon. ;D

(BTW...I can never read the scroll at the bottom of my TV either, and like you, I consider a 5 year old set "new")

[Jeff]

Does the digital signal provide capabilities for multiple formats?  Regular and High definition, or is everything eventually going to the wide format?

[OneWithWood]

Best cure - turn the DanG thing off  :D

Waste spend more quality time with the forumites  8)

[Jeff]

I spend very little time watching the T.V., only certain shows. I did watch 3 hours straight the other night though, the shows you guys talked about while I was hunting ran end to end. The extreme logging shows.  My problem is I can't sit still for but about 20 minutes at a time.

[pineywoods]

Does the digital signal provide capabilities for multiple formats?  Regular and High definition, or is everything eventually going to the wide format?

The changeover to digital is mandated by law for over the air transmissions, effective in feb. Cable and satellite are not affected. The switch to the wide HD format will be gradual and may take quite a while. As a practical matter, most local stations will make both changes at the same time. Don't let anyone sell you one of those converter boxes..The are for OVER THE AIR transmissions ONLY.

[Warbird]

I had to buy one of the converter boxes because broadcast television is all we get here.  To make matters worse, 2 of the stations digital signals are so weak, we won't get them after they turn off the analog signals.  :( 

Jeff, as others have already said, you are getting that because the station you are watching at the time is likely transmitting an HD (or 'letterbox') format, making it look out of whack on your TV.  We have an older widescreen TV and still have a bit of the problem with words running off the side of the screen sometimes, though.  I try changing the format on the TV but it doesn't help, so I believe some of the problem resides with the broadcasters.

[Raider Bill]

At the Tenn house before all we could get was 2.5 snowy channels with a large radio shack antenna. I got one of the converter boxes and now we get 22 channels. Some are the same coming from chattanogga and knoxville such as the big networks.
Pix quaility is great with a old analog TV. There is a setting to adjust the picture on the converter box.

Box was $54.00 with coupon it cost $14.00. Money well spent.

BTW, I watched the extreme logging shows sunday here in Florida. WOW! Between that AX men and the modern marvels show on logging I have a newer and greater respect for what you guys do.

[Lanier_Lurker]

Actually Jeff that "fat" problem is usually caused by 4:3 aspect "standard definition" channel image getting stretched horizontally by the TV for display on a 16:9 aspect screen.  This eliminates the blank vertical bars and the probable burn-in line that can occur, but it totally messes up how people on screen look.  It is especially annoying if you are watching something like the Victoria's Secret Lingerie Show.   :

But, that may not be your problem.  I reviewed the thread and based on what you have said so far we don't know what the aspect ratio is on your TV screen.

Look for any buttons on the TV remote that say "zoom" or "aspect".

[pigman]

Does the digital signal provide capabilities for multiple formats?  Regular and High definition, or is everything eventually going to the wide format?

My HD set has the following:
  Automatic
  Super Zoom
   4 : 3
   Movie expand  14 : 9
   Movie expand 16 : 9
   wide screen
   unscaled

Some of these only work if the signal is in HD.
I have satellite, but I only have HD when using the over the air signal.

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff the channels I get from Maine have HD and letterbox format for each station. The HD screen has a box around it, letter box goes out to the edges of the screen. My TV is not high def, however my digital converter box makes the image fit my screen. It's all about aspect ratio as has been mentioned above. My TV is analog only and it's only 2 years old. If I asked the local retailer staff about such things, I know more than they do. I got a PS3 just for playing movies because those cheap Chinese players didn't last 6 months. I asked just for kicks if it could play all PS formats from PS1 to PS3, I was told no. I had an old, 10 year old, PS1 game I slipped in just for fun and it played just fine. If I can't read it on the box than what are they hiding? :D Up here they have been selling as many of those old analog TV's as possible for $200-$300 before they go digital in a couple years in Canada. Just 6 or 8 years ago they were $800-$1200 TV's : Now if I go to Wal-Mart in Maine it will say if it's digital/analog or both on the price tab , no mystery. All they say here is weather it's HD or not. Now, I don't know if HD means it's automatically digital or not. But, in Sears Canada store they all say HD. Well if they are all digital and no analog, how do I watch TV out in the country? : I won't even be able to get CBC out here when it goes digital, they most likely won't replace the analog tower and reception is so poor now that digital will never work even if they erect a digital one on the same site. Well, I'm assuming the signal strength is the same. If they boost it, that might change things.

[ohsoloco]

The only thing I really missed when I didn't have cable for 6 months was the weather channel, and the local channel that displays the time.  Cable bill is going up again in January.  I'd like to do away with the DanG thing...

[Jeff]

When we're up to the cabin we get 6 channels, two of them are Canadian.  I get along fine with those other then I really do miss my history, discovery and Nat Geo channels.

[SwampDonkey]

I watch the weather off the CBS affiliate in Maine, and about every thing else off the TV comes from PBS and I don't watch TV very much except Monday-Wednesday evenings and Saturday evening if a good movie is airing on PBS. Otherwise there is a DVD playing or nothing except a CD on my audio box. Early in the morning its CBC radio. Satellite in Canada is dismal.  :-\

[Woodwalker]

Best cure - turn the DanG thing off  :D

Waste spend more quality time with the forumites  8)

Got my vote.
Very little on the thing I care to watch.

[Raider Bill]

Well if they are all digital and no analog, how do I watch TV out in the country? : I won't even be able to get CBC out here when it goes digital, they most likely won't replace the analog tower and reception is so poor now that digital will never work even if they erect a digital one on the same site. Well, I'm assuming the signal strength is the same. If they boost it, that might change things.

I can't say how it works in Canada but the digital box got me more channels that I had before I plugged it in. All are chrystal clear.
Nothing changed, antenna is the same and my TV is at least 15 years old and analog.

I now get retv which is retro TV, adam 12, dragnet all the oldies plus create tv sort of like a DIY.

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, but you have to get a good signal to pick up digital. There is no more snowy TV or horizontal waves or the digital signal won't be strong enough. You'll get pixelization and choppy sound or simply a black screen saying no signal.

[Raider Bill]

All I had was snow with a little TV mixed in. Auto tune wouldn't find any I had to manually put the 3 I even had a chance with in myself.
Digital box found me 22! All clear as a bell. The locals were amazed and us fancy florida boys tv ;D

I don't have any bad channels now either they come in or not.

I don't know seems to work better

[SwampDonkey]

I don't have any bad channels now either they come in or not.

That's what I'm getting at. Also, many of your channels carry several subchannels, where analog can't.

[Raider Bill]

I'm lost, or does your area not offer any digital signals?

Yes to the sub channels, for instance 3.1 3.2 3.3 etc. Not all subs come in all the time. I get the networks from both knoxville and chattonaga so the programming is the same but differnt commercials. I also get channels not available on analog.