This is a good question. We have just completed our Master Control HD Upgrade and we are now in the process of acquiring all new HD programs. What happened to the old programs? The new system uses a better format that lets us have more control over the HD programs than the old system and format...so we had to get rid of all the old programs that we have been saving since last December and start acquiring new programs...so what are you seeing on the tube?
As of Nov. 2, most of our programs come to us in a HD format (16:9). When we have to show any of the new programs on cable Channel 10 or 90 or 443, we want to show you the entire picture, so we change the picture and shrink it down until it all fits side-to-side. This is what we call "letter boxing", black bars on the top and bottom of the picture
When a program comes to us in a SD format (4:3), we need to change it to a HD format as much as possible without distorting the picture, so what you see on the HD channel is the whole picture but now with black bars on each side...this is called "pillar-boxed". What we then have to do to show this on cable Channels 10, 90 and 443, is to change the converted program back to a SD format.
This is where we locally have the choice to decide how you see the program...we can either take just the middle of the picture to show you...this is called "center-cutting" or we can again display the entire HD signal and "letter-box" it...but this includes the entire video with the balck bars on the side. When this happens (black bars on the top, bottom. left and right sides of the picture, we call it the "postage stamp" effect.
Why not just use the "center-cut" option...well, when there is information that exceeds the 4:3 center-cut boundaries, it will not show this portion and important video could be cut from your viewing...and using the letter box option leaves you watching a much smaller picture in the middle of your TV.
So what's correct? Both! We are working to implement a solution that can adjust the style of display to maximize the screen dimentions you have. To do this, many things must come together including us acquiring more HD programs or one day when SD programs and analog TVs will be a thing of the past and we will only need to address this problem occasionally.
So until that time, there will be moments when the picture may not fill you screen, or parts of the picture may get cut-off. You will see this type of thing hapenning on every channel you watch and as the TV broadcast industry struggles to implement new protocols, we will be susceptible to all the problems I mentioned above.
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