That's TV 3

[Black Hole]

I find it rather annoying that That's TV 3 is broadcasting 4:3 material as 16:9!

 

[Luke]

Looked at Hancock's Half Hour and that was being broadcast as a stretch vision 16:9 programme. That's not an issue when using my TV as it's simple to horizontally compress so that it is no longer distorted.
What would have irritated me, if I had wanted to watch that programme, was that my preferred default for overscan is 'off', but it would have been needed for their broadcast of Hancock's Half Hour to avoid the flickering on the very top and very bottom, and its not quick with my TV to turn overscan on.

The next programme was Yes, Minister. The treatment of the first half compared to the second half was different.
The first half of Yes, Minister was broadcast similarly to Hancock's Half Hour that had just been broadcast . I.e. stretched to 16:9 with the logo overlaid on part of the programme's visuals.
The second half was also broadcast as 16:9 but this time as a 4:3 programme with black bars either side, and the DOG now not obscuring any of the picture, but instead appeared in the black area.
The DOG behaviour demonstrates that it was not auto processing, or switching, at my end that had caused the change, but the programme's two halves were broadcast differently to each other.

 

[EEPhil]

The "That's" family of channels has a history of doing this.

 

[Black Hole]

I have sent them feedback and received a positive response and request for further information, so at least the customer-facing end seem on the ball.

 

[Black Hole]

That's not an issue when using my TV as it's simple to horizontally compress so that it is no longer distorted.

I did the same, but it is an issue because of the manual intervention required before and after.

Broadcasting 4:3 within 16:9 isn't the answer, because some people (strangely enough) would prefer the screen to be filled despite the stretching.

 

[Black Hole]

The first half of Yes, Minister was broadcast similarly to Hancock's Half Hour that had just been broadcast . I.e. stretched to 16:9 with the logo overlaid on part of the programme's visuals.
The second half was also broadcast as 16:9 but this time as a 4:3 programme with black bars either side, and the DOG now not obscuring any of the picture, but instead appeared in the black area.

I wonder...

Is it too much of a coincidence to think that perhaps my contact resulted in them throwing a switch?

 

[EEPhil]

Broadcasting 4:3 within 16:9 isn't the answer, because some people (strangely enough) would prefer the screen to be filled despite the stretching.

I'd sooner have black bars at the sides than short fat actors driving cars with elliptical wheels!

perhaps my contact resulted in them throwing a switch?

 

[Black Hole]

That's 60s - The Best Music (on now) seems to be a right mix-up. The DOG and text notes reveal it's 16:9, but the presentation is variously 4:3 with sidebars, 4:3 stretched to 16:9, and proper 16:9 (perhaps from cinema film rather than TV footage).

 

[prpr]

Is it too much of a coincidence to think that perhaps my contact resulted in them throwing a switch?

Yes.
They're just grossly incompetent and clearly don't even bother looking at their own output.
Like all that stuff with one of the COM muxes a week or two back.

 

[Luke]

I did the same, but it is an issue because of the manual intervention required before and after.

It is not an issue on my TV because it so easy to switch on my TV that it hardly registers in my consciousness that I intervened.

 

[Black Hole]

Seems to me like they've cured it. Steptoe & Son is 4:3 within 16:9.

 

[EEPhil]

That's TV and That's TV2 currently have the wrong aspect ratio, so it ain't cured!