One thing that I don't like is when the TV program doesn't "fit" the screen. Modern stuff is wider that some older stuff. If I want to watch a re-run of Gunsmoke, or the Honeymooners (as examples), those were originally shot on film that was designed for televisions of the era. With narrower screens. If the adjustment on your TV or cable box isn't set right, the older stuff can come out distorted. Like Perry Mason's face gets wider than ever.
For 37 years, we've had cable TV. Previously, that came in through a proprietary receiver box that was hooked up to the TV, which was simply a monitor. I think we've gone through three TV's over the years. Including the last one, which was a flat screen that didn't last all that long, maybe 6 or 8 years. So late last year, I had to buy a new one. A 55 inch flat screen. When I was buying it, I had no idea this was a "smart" TV. Our son had to rig it up for me, I couldn't get through the set-up process. I would've never guessed it had to be connected to the internet. So the whole rigging now consists of the TV screen, the PC, and the cable TV box. The connection to the PC is via WIFI. In addition, our son linked it up (via the internet) to a service that he pays an annual fee for which in turns gets anything, free. He's showed me how to use it, but it takes a lot of toggling around and cable TV is enough to keep me busy. I did watch one movie through this feature that never comes up on the internet.
Anyway, we got the new "smart" TV set up. But I've been bothered by the aspect ratio on the screen of some things. I beat my head against the wall trying to Google the issue. The make and model TV I've got, the videos and pictures that "how to" you with instructions, those pictures don't look like the settings features that my actual TV has. The online owner's manual describes a settings panel that I do not have. I messed around with this thing until I got a headache. Finally, our son was over tonight and I got him to waste a half hour of time to figure it out. Even for a tech savvy guy like him, it wasn't easy. It seems that there are two places where the aspect ratio can be tweaked, one in the TV and on in the cable TV control. Both are buried kinda deep. The one on the TV didn't change the screen, but the one controlled by the cable box fixed the issue. In past set-ups, it was real easy to change the aspect ratio using the cable TV box remote, I think it had it's own button. As it turned out, the cable box was preset to the wide screen setting. Now I think it's set on automatic, so it changes with the program as necessary.
There was some other setting that was a default at the TV factory. There is this thing called motion interpolation; it supposedly "smooths out" the picture. Also called, "soap opera effect." Our son told me that most new TV's come with this setting as a default; you have to reset it to a "normal" view. Evidently, this feature is widely disliked, so I don't know why on earth the manufacturers keep it as a default setting. He reset it on the new TV, and this with the aspect ratio change has resulted in nice, crisp, true depicture. At last. Why does it have to be so difficult?
For 37 years, we've had cable TV. Previously, that came in through a proprietary receiver box that was hooked up to the TV, which was simply a monitor. I think we've gone through three TV's over the years. Including the last one, which was a flat screen that didn't last all that long, maybe 6 or 8 years. So late last year, I had to buy a new one. A 55 inch flat screen. When I was buying it, I had no idea this was a "smart" TV. Our son had to rig it up for me, I couldn't get through the set-up process. I would've never guessed it had to be connected to the internet. So the whole rigging now consists of the TV screen, the PC, and the cable TV box. The connection to the PC is via WIFI. In addition, our son linked it up (via the internet) to a service that he pays an annual fee for which in turns gets anything, free. He's showed me how to use it, but it takes a lot of toggling around and cable TV is enough to keep me busy. I did watch one movie through this feature that never comes up on the internet.
Anyway, we got the new "smart" TV set up. But I've been bothered by the aspect ratio on the screen of some things. I beat my head against the wall trying to Google the issue. The make and model TV I've got, the videos and pictures that "how to" you with instructions, those pictures don't look like the settings features that my actual TV has. The online owner's manual describes a settings panel that I do not have. I messed around with this thing until I got a headache. Finally, our son was over tonight and I got him to waste a half hour of time to figure it out. Even for a tech savvy guy like him, it wasn't easy. It seems that there are two places where the aspect ratio can be tweaked, one in the TV and on in the cable TV control. Both are buried kinda deep. The one on the TV didn't change the screen, but the one controlled by the cable box fixed the issue. In past set-ups, it was real easy to change the aspect ratio using the cable TV box remote, I think it had it's own button. As it turned out, the cable box was preset to the wide screen setting. Now I think it's set on automatic, so it changes with the program as necessary.
There was some other setting that was a default at the TV factory. There is this thing called motion interpolation; it supposedly "smooths out" the picture. Also called, "soap opera effect." Our son told me that most new TV's come with this setting as a default; you have to reset it to a "normal" view. Evidently, this feature is widely disliked, so I don't know why on earth the manufacturers keep it as a default setting. He reset it on the new TV, and this with the aspect ratio change has resulted in nice, crisp, true depicture. At last. Why does it have to be so difficult?
