Fish Eye Effect

[Geco]

Just curious....

The wife and I were watching the Canucks-Wild PPV game in the pub on Saturday and the game was being shown on a widescreen Hitachi. We both commented that the picture was distorted as though we were watching the game through a fish eye lens. Fast pans could actually make a person queezie. Is this normal when stretching SD sports? As long as the image was stationery, the picture was great. Perhaps the pub botched the setup? Sports comprises the majority of our viewing time and I'm curious if some stretch modes/brands are better for viewing stretched live action?

[57]

The set was probably receiving an NTSC signal (SD) and they were using the non-linear stretch mode which stretches the outside of the screen more than the center. This is therefore "normal".

See the HT FAQ on "Widescreen Stretch modes."

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...forum.php?f=57

[Geco]

Originally Posted by 57

The set was probably receiving an NTSC signal (SD) and they were using the non-linear stretch mode which stretches the outside of the screen more than the center. This is therefore "normal".

Agreed and understood.

See the HT FAQ on "Widescreen Stretch modes."

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/for...forum.php?f=57

Did that but couldn't find a direct reference to stretching live action such as SD sports broadcasts. Do knowledgeable HDTV owners use linear stretch, non-linear stretch or do you watch sports with black bars?

[57]

The answer to your last question is - "it depends on the individual and the TV".

[TheHulk]

Geco

i think your watchin in 4:3 expanded, whenever i watch sports i use 16:9 normal as the aspect ratio. There's no fish bowl with that setting

both aspect ratio's stretch the picture and make things look a little fat but you get used to that. i stretch all my 4:3 stuff to get rid of the black bars when watching SD, it's better for the tv i think.

My tv is a year old 51gwx20b but i think they still call the aspect settings the same thing. give it a try.

[JohnnyG]

whenever i watch sports i use 16:9 normal as the aspect ratio

Same here (FULL mode on a Toshiba).

[Billusa]

And 'expand' on a Mitsubishi, which (unfortunately) are not available in Canada.

Hockey is the worst game in the world to watch with only the edges strecthed, for exactly the reasons described in the first post. Ditto for soccer and figure skating... anything with rapid panning back and forth.

[berner]

It was a little wierd watching TV in Justification mode at first but I got used to it. Kinda funny seeing Vanna White with a great big fat butt when she's standing at the side of the screen. Probably what she'd look like without all that lipo she gets. :lol:

[Geco]

Thank you all. I was planning to buy a Toshiba HDTV last summer but the timing didn't work out as planned. Given that so much of our viewing includes hockey, soccer, and football, I'm beginning to lean toward FP as we have a suitable room in the basement.

[JohnnyG]

FP is really a poor choice for use as a day-to-day TV in my opinion. Excellent for special events and movies, of course.

[StreetPreacher]

Also, the only time you'd need to stretch the signal is with 4:3 SD programming. And I think you'd be pretty disppointed seeing that picture displayed in FP proportions.

-Sp

[Geco]

I hesitated to play the FP card as it would muddy the waters. How about this...Given that we have a 27" WEGA for day to day viewing and the new "big screen" is going into a dedicated theater room with good light control, which display is better for viewing live sporting events: Toshiba 46H83 or the Infocus X1 (assumes that both do a good job on DVD's and HDTV) Sorry for all the requests for opinions but Kamloops is a lousy place to shop for electronics (no dedicated viewing rooms).