I'm running Media Center on a Vista computer, and some programs are in 4:3 format while others are 16:9 — even on the same channel. It annoys me that I have to manually switch format all the time, using the "zoom" function in MCE, while any modern TV can recognize black bars and adjust the image accordingly.
This should be so simple, yet MCE can't do it!
Is there a tool or an add-on that can automatically select the proper zoom?
Update:
My display is 16:9. Currently on 16:9 unzoomed, there's a black frame on all sides — WTF?
–> What I want to achieve is:
- 4:3 images should not be zoomed by default (black bars left and right remain)
but may be zoomed whenever I want. - 16:9 images are zoomed to fit my 16:9 display.
Details:
There's no monitor and no TV attached. Instead, there's an Acer H5350 DLP projector connected directly to the installed Nvidia card's HDMI output at a resolution of 1280×720 at 60 Hz. The graphics card is using updated Vista drivers. There's no driver used for the projector itself; it simply accepts the HDMI signal.
Update 2010 and "solution":
I've now installed Windows 7 on the exact same machine, and I've discovered the problem: with Win7 I can also receive digital TV, and MCE correctly zooms when the show on a digital channel is 16:9! So the root cause is that the computer always receives a 4:3 signal when tuned to an analog channel — even when the current show appears to be 16:9 then it is in fact still a 4:3 image with black bars over and under the show.
Summary: MCE can detect 16:9 on digital channels only, and will zoom these correctly. MCE cannot detect 16:9 on analog channels. I still need a solution for that.
Best Answer
If you have a 16.9 display - any 16:9 content should fill your screen, and any 4:3 content should have black bars on by default. If you press the i button on your MCE remote (I think a right mouse click will also do the same), it will bring up an option to adjust the aspect ratio. You just need to select the one that says 'default aspect ratio' - I believe it's option 1 but I can't remember off the top of my head.
You should also make sure that MCE is setup correctly to display in 16:9 - you can do this by running the setup wizard again by going into tasks and settings. You can select various options to do with your tv, such as tv type, and aspect ratio.