Help with new TV

[kwboom]

Hi there, We just got a new 50" AKAI DLP TV and I would like to know if there is any way to improve the viewing of standard channels to utilize the full screen. We just have standard and digital cable (non HD) box and when we try to watch on the 16:9 setting everybody looks short and fat, and when we use the zoom function everybody looks good but you loose the top and bottom of the screen........

Will all this be fixed in 09' when the signals get changed to HD or is this something we just have to get use to.....

 

[ParadigmDawg]

There is no great way to watch SD on a good display. All you can do is calibrate your TV where it looks the best. SD looks ok on my 50'' plasma but is pretty bad on my 73'' DLP. Since HD is just 10 more bucks/month with Direct TV it is worth the upgrade. 2009 changes the signal to digital not HD.

 

[markw]

There's no "clean" way to have a 4:3 picture fill a 16:9 screen.

I prefer having the picture in it's original, undistorted 4:3 format with the ubiquitious black bars on the side as opposed to having the picture artificially "stretched" fo fill the screen, thereby making everyone look like before pictures of Jenny Craig clients.

But, ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

 

[Phil Taylor]

About the only way to make SD look better is to get an HD cable box with HDMI out and also get an upscaling receiver or standalone scaler. Both are pricey options and neither will eliminate either fat people, cut off tops and bottoms or side pillars -- but they will make the video look a "bit" better. Since you have a DLP set I'd go with side pillars as DLP is not susceptible to burn in.

Unfortunately SD NTSC was developed for small TVs and the bigger your screen, the more obvious the limitations of the format become....

 

[kwboom]

Thanx for the replies there.....

I guess we will just have to play with it till we see what we like the best....