Change Screen Size with 721

[Tim Taylor]

I just reveived my 721 and was trying to find how you can change your screen size from 4x3 to 16x9. I'm sure I saw that option with my old receiver. Can anyone help?

[Big D]

The 721 receiver is SD only, it can not (on it's own) display a full 16x9 screen size. Since all programing being received by the 721 is actually a 4x3 program, in order to see a 16x9 display, you will need to have your TV set do the expansion, all 16x9 TVs can do this and usually have several options as to the amount of the expansion.

[Cyclone]

FYI: My model 4900 has a 4:3 vs 16:9 selection in the setup menu. I once posted asking if this feature did anything. I tried it and saw no difference on my 4:3 TV. The reply was that on the model 4900 it does absolutely nothing.

I'll be getting a 16:9 tv soon. But it appears that unless you have a HD receiver, it won't help you at all.

[greylar]

My old receiver had that option. I tried it on my HD tv and it didn't do anything. At the time I wasn't letting Dish do any automatic updates to my receiver. There was an option to turn updates off. I noticed later that when I did an update, the 16x9 option went away.

I think that it was something they were going to implement but never got around to doing it.

I realize they can't change the progarm image but what I would like to see is an option that would display the guide in letterbox format. I watch my tv in theater mode alot and the top an bottom of the guide is cut off.

Greylar

[MrAkai]

I think the 16x9 option on dish SD recievers was put there in anticipation of 16x9 NTSC, because 16x9 PAL was gaining momentum in europe.

Aside from a few shoes on Bravo (which only ran once that way, and were "correct" the second time through) i've never seen anything broadcast in 16x9 NTSC, so that's probably why the option went away.

[Steve Mehs]

The 4X3 and 16X9 options are avaiable on all Dish receivers, but on SD boxes really have no purpose, except if theres anamorphic programming, which other then the show on Bravo there is none.

[DarrellP]

On the Bravo shows that are anamorphic, will selecting 16x9 put the "squeeze" on the image?

[Scott Greczkowski]

Selecting 16x9 on older receivers does not do anything, I do not know of any channel or Dish Network broadcasting the 16x9 flag needed to make the feature work.