[mkdtv21]

I don't have an old 4:3 HDTV but I'm just curious how for people with old HDTV's that weren't wide screen how the the guide would appear. If you set the guide's output to 1080i would the guide display in letterbox? If you set the ratio to 4:3 but 1080i would the guide display out of shape or would the graphics not display in hd or is it possible to view the guide in full HD everything but in 4:3.

 

[veryoldschool]

You seem to be mixing a few things here.
You set the TV ratio to 4:3 or 16:9.
These either give you letterbox or pillarbox.
The HD guide currently outputs in 480 resolution [too], so these questions shouldn't be.

 

[HoTat2]

Since the HD-GUI is natively 16:9, it will always look somewhat squished vertically on a 4:3 set regardless of the resolution settings of the receiver or the native display resolution of the set as with any other 16:9 image on a 4:3 display.

I use an old 4:3 SD LCD in the kitchen fed from a component connection to an HR21-200 locked at 480p output res., and 4:3 AR in the receiver settings. And the HD-GUI is indeed squished vertically to a degree.

 

[Beerstalker]

Most of the old 4:3 HDTVs (most of them were actually HD monitors, they didn't have ATSC tuners) will automatically switch to a letterbox format whenever they get an HD signal. My Hitachi would use grey letterbox bars top and bottom.

 

[veryoldschool]

Most of the old 4:3 HDTVs (most of them were actually HD monitors, they didn't have ATSC tuners) will automatically switch to a letterbox format whenever they get an HD signal. My Hitachi would use grey letterbox bars top and bottom.

"HD Ready" TVs can be a bit strange as to how the ratio and format settings in the receivers work.
I ran across one recently that was a 4:3 and when using composite inputs worked like any 4:3 TV, but when changing over to its component inputs "everything" was backwards, where the receiver needed to be set for a 16:9 ration and the format only was correct with "original" as the setting. All other combinations caused the image to have some type of distortion.
"This TV" needed to process all of this and not have the receiver do any.

"Of Course" YMMV