Summary pretty much says it all. Hack your TV-B-Gone so that instead of powering off the TV, it sends the "aspect" command to turn it from 16x9 to 4x3, for those INSANE IDIOTS who actually seem to think that people are supposed to look short and fat.

What gets me is that having quizzed the people who do this, it seems that it is not from carelessness that they leave TV's in stretched mode (a mode that should never have been invented in the first place) but a deliberate choice - they actually argue with you that it's meant to look like that because "it's Hi Def!!!".

[for the benefit of our European readers, where HD TV's have enough common sense to automatically switch modes when the picture type changes, what we're talking about here is that the majority of USA HD TVs do *not* automatically switch mode, and people leave them permanently in 16x9 mode - but showing a low-def channel that should be in 4x3, with the result that *everything* is stretched wide and short. All the time. Everywhere you go. Incessantly. *** AND THEY PREFER IT!!! ***]

Shoot me now, I can't take any more of it.

G
-- gtoal, Feb 21 2008

TV-B-Gone Kit http://store.makezi...ductCode=MKTVBGOKIT
ultra-high-power, open source kit version of the popular TV-B-Gone [baconbrain, Feb 21 2008]

As far as I'm aware, there isn't a "high definition" TV in the 'States - just widescreen. Or did I miss it?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 21 2008


1080p isn't hi-def enough for you, maxwell? :-)

Yes, we're out of the dark ages at last. And in fact analog is going away fairly soon now.

but if you prefer to reread the post substituting 'wide screen' for HD, by all means do so. It'll make just as much sense. or as little. Possibly depending on the reader more than the writer.
-- gtoal, Feb 21 2008


Good lord! I'm impressed - you guys are catching up fast. By all means, leave your post as is.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 21 2008


From what I understand, the TV-B-Gone is open for hacking. (For those of you who aren't familiar, the TV-B-Gone is a small remote control designed to turn off most makes of televisions. (I want one.)) Supposedly the kit (link) has an optional programming header, so you could program it to make any TV do X . . . if you know the codes.

Otherwise, buy a cheap replacement remote and use it to both figure out and to run the codes. But without those codes, or a little something, I'm calling this a rant and a wish, even though it's do-able. But I'm also admitting that I'm so out of touch that I've never seen this "problem" occur, or even known it is possible. [ ]
-- baconbrain, Feb 21 2008


Morer is betterer. Remember in addition that the format already widens the image and has been making people 10 lbs wider for decades. This just brings the standard up to date with the obesity that is prevalent here.
-- WcW, Feb 22 2008



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