Small letter boxed picture

Question

Many broadcasters are now going to 16:9 for all of their 4:3 and/or SD broadcasts. The result for me is a small picture that is letter boxed on both sides as well as top and bottom. The picture appears to be in 16:9 format. I have a 16:9 TV. These pictures should fill the entire screen. This is ridiculous. I'm loosing 30 to 40% of the picture and paying for full screen. I have experimented with STB settings, TV settings, and tried both HDMI and Component connections. Nothing good came of it. If a picture is being broadcast in 16:9 format and watched on a 16:9 format TV, that picture should fill the entire screen. Why have a big screen TV to watch a postage stamp sized picture. Comcast blames the broadcasters and says that it has no control over this BS, just like they say about the insane amount of commercials on the channels that I am paying for. I very much blame Comcast. They are the one who takes my money every month. They are the one who brings these channels into my home, using their equipment. Comcast negotiates contracts with program providers. This gives them the power to protect their paying customers and to set provider requirements. Comcast, wake up, your future is not written in stone.

Answer 1

poppop89 wrote:
Many broadcasters are now going to 16:9 for all of their 4:3 and/or SD broadcasts. The result for me is a small picture that is letter boxed on both sides as well as top and bottom. The picture appears to be in 16:9 format. I have a 16:9 TV. These pictures should fill the entire screen. This is ridiculous. I'm loosing 30 to 40% of the picture and paying for full screen. I have experimented with STB settings, TV settings, and tried both HDMI and Component connections. Nothing good came of it. If a picture is being broadcast in 16:9 format and watched on a 16:9 format TV, that picture should fill the entire screen. Why have a big screen TV to watch a postage stamp sized picture. Comcast blames the broadcasters and says that it has no control over this BS, just like they say about the insane amount of commercials on the channels that I am paying for. I very much blame Comcast. They are the one who takes my money every month. They are the one who brings these channels into my home, using their equipment. Comcast negotiates contracts with program providers. This gives them the power to protect their paying customers and to set provider requirements. Comcast, wake up, your future is not written in stone.
Apologies. It sounds as though perhaps the user settings on your cable box somehow got changed. 
For the Pace RNG 110 box, the below may assist, starting on page 11.
http://media2.comcast.net/anon.comcastonline2/support/help/faqs/settopboxes/pacerng110.pdf
For your Motorola cable boxes, the below should assist. Thanks for your patience. 
Step 1: Access the User Settings Menu
To access the User Settings Menu, power On your TV and power Off the DVR box.
Press the Menu button on either your remote or the DVR box front panel to call up the on-screen menu. You may use either the DVR front panel or remote to navigate the menu.
Press the up-down arrow buttons to select the setting you wish to change. Press the right-left arrow buttons to select an option for that setting. To exit the setting and move to another setting, use the up-down arrow buttons.
Step 2: Set Your Preference for Watching Wide-Screen TV
The first user setting, referred to as “TV Type,” tells the DVR box what type of TV you have and how you prefer to watch wide-screen programming.
For standard-screen TVs, choose either of the following two options:
>> 4:3 Pan Scan (wide-screen programming is cropped to fill your screen).
>> 4:3 Letterbox (wide-screen programming will appear in its entirety with black bands on the top and bottom of the TV screen).
For wide-screen TVs, choose 16:9.
Step 3: Set Picture Resolution from DVR Box to TV
The next setting is referred to as Y Pb Pr OUTPUT and indicates the picture resolution output from the DVR box to your TV. The choices are 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i.
For most standard TVs, the appropriate setting is 480i. Choose 480p for enhanced definition TVs. For HDTVs, choose either 720p or 1080i. Refer to your TV owner’s manual and choose the setting that indicates the highest picture resolution your television will support.
Step 4: Set 4:3 Override
This setting provides the ability to specify how 4:3 standard definition programs are displayed on your TV. The choices are OFF, 480i, 480p, or stretch.
For most standard TVs, this should be set to OFF (the DVR will default to the resolution selected in the previous setting).
For HDTVs, the appropriate setting is either 480i, 480p, or stretch. If you have a wide-screen TV and select the stretch setting, 4:3 programs will automatically be stretched to a  wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratio and display video in the format you specified in Step 3. Consult your HDTV owner’s manual to determine the appropriate setting.
Step 5: Save Your Settings
Press the Power button on your DVR or your remote to exit the menu and save your settings.
*If the on-screen menu does not appear on your TV screen, your TV may not support the default setting. Use the DVR front panel LED to view and change your settings. Use the up and down arrows to navigate categories and the left and right arrows to navigate within categories.