# Why do wide-screen viewers insist on using fat-face mode? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561 "2010-01-04T01:25:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/21 "2010-01-04T14:22:17Z")
I can’t stand the stretching. It’s like watching the middle of the screen through a bubble, or something. My plasma TV has a “FORMAT” button which cycles through JUST (justified), FULL, 4:3 and ZOOM. 90% of the time I watch everything in FULL, which shows the image the way it was intended, but sometimes the channel is broadcasting a 4:3 image so the TV just switches to that automatically. Every now and then I have to cycle through the images to find the one that looks the best, but I never watch in ZOOM. That just cuts off the top and sides- what’s the point? The black bars don’t bother me at all; at least the image itself isn’t distorted. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/22 "2010-01-04T14:46:15Z")
There is an increasing amount of 16:9 material out there. I get the free broadcasts and about a quarter of all the programming now comes in a widescreen format. Increasingly things like the local news have a 4:3 program, with information crawls on either side that fill it out to widescreen. Likewise most sports seem to keep all the logos, scores etc with in the 4:3 box but are now showing the field out to 16:9. So there are plenty of reasons to set your TV to display 16:9. On my digital receiver I have an option to set all my channels to 16:9, 4:3, or to automatically detect and display each channel at its stated scale. I have the option set to auto most of the time. Unfortunately not all channels use that feature properly. So I have to manually change it from time to time, or I get cropping or fat face. I expect as the standards settle down, over the next decade or so, this will be less and less of an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/23 "2010-01-04T14:55:19Z")
Because I get lines burnt into my plasma screen if I leave it on 4:3, whether the bars are black or grey. As soon as I get a TV that is immune to burn-in, I’ll be more than happy to unstretch. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/24 "2010-01-04T15:46:04Z")
I think watching a stretched 4:3 images is among the stupidest things humans do. You buy a nice new wide screen television so that you can experience the best picture that modern tech can offer and then you sit there and watch a _distorted image_. Unfathomable. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/25 "2010-01-04T16:12:29Z")
This is the one thing I don’t like about my new HDTV set. I have HD service from DirecTv, so on my receiver I get a mix of HD and SD channels, but there is no way of setting the TV to automatically switch between 16:9 and 4:3 modes when the channel changes. I even asked the manufacturer (Samsung for those interested). It’s not that the TV can’t tell the difference. Every time the channel changes it pops up in the corner of the screen to tell me the input resolution. It’s just that the TV won’t automatically switch modes. So, unless I want to fiddle with the remote and manually change the setting of the TV every time I switch channels, I have to be content with watching stretched out images. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/26 "2010-01-04T16:38:22Z")
I stretch images all the time on my plasma, because it prevents bars from temporarily burning in to the sides and fights uneven wear on the screen (after a while, plasmas can start looking brighter at the sides and duller in the middle if black bars are used too much). Now, if I’m really actively watching the TV, I’ll leave the ratio correct. But if I’m throwing on reruns of Frasier or Seinfeld for background noise while doing a little work on my laptop? Yeah, I’m gonna stretch that bugger. What I DO really hate is TV stations sending prestretched content. Nearly all widescreen TVs have a button to toggle that, but if the station does it on their end you’re taking that choice away from your viewers. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/27 "2010-01-04T16:49:20Z")
This doesn’t bother me nearly as much as pan and scan used to. I have an all-HD feed from Dish Network, although some shows are sometimes broadcast over that feed with the black bars showing. While I brought the HD TV for the purposes of impressive image quality, that isn’t the only reason I watch things. There are wonderful looking movies that I will watch in HD properly. But there are also old episodes of Seinfeld where it really does not matter. My TV defaults to the black bars so I just leave that there, but if I am watching elsewhere the stretching doesn’t bother me at all. There is a huge correlation between shows that are broadcast with the black bars and shows where amazing image quality simply isn’t that important (and also where the network has done a poor job broadcasting anyway). I certainly prefer everything to be in the proper aspect ratio, but don’t really care that much between black bars and stretching. Black bars and pan and scan on the other hand, is a very big deal. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/28 "2010-01-04T17:33:34Z")
It doesn’t bother me one bit. The only problem I have is that for some reason Sesame Street goes outside of the 16:9 field when I stretch it. Switching it 4:3 would require another remote and I’m sick of hunting down remotes that get lost. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/29 "2010-01-04T17:43:01Z")
I almost always watch a stretched image, mostly because it is not that often as most of what I watch is HD, and I hate bars. Some TV’s do a very good job of stretching by using several methods at once such as some stretching, cropping and keeping the center closer to the correct aspect ratio. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/30 "2010-01-04T17:51:30Z")
My mother and sister do this…the primary reason, I suspect, is that they don’t want to bother switching the ratio back and forth, and or that it’s not that noticeable to them (they both tend towards pretty casual viewing…and my mother often notes, with a bit of chagrin, that she doesn’t notice that a lot of movies even _have_ musical scores). The “official” reason, though, according to them? It’s so all the pretty, skinny actresses on TV look chubbier. :eek: And I’m pretty sure they were serious, albeit with a good impish streak behind it. Well…as good a reason as any, I guess. Whatever floats your boat. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/31 "2010-01-04T18:42:41Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I can’t stand the stretching. It’s like watching the middle of the screen through a bubble, or something. My plasma TV has a “FORMAT” button which cycles through JUST (justified), FULL, 4:3 and ZOOM. 90% of the time I watch everything in FULL, which shows the image the way it was intended, but sometimes the channel is broadcasting a 4:3 image so the TV just switches to that automatically. Every now and then I have to cycle through the images to find the one that looks the best, but I never watch in ZOOM. That just cuts off the top and sides- what’s the point? The black bars don’t bother me at all; at least the image itself isn’t distorted. You need “zoom” sometimes when you get the rare show that’s got bars on all sides. Happens a lot with stuff we get from the internet on our media computer, like old shows on Netflix Watch Instantly. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/32 "2010-01-04T18:56:38Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > This is the one thing I don’t like about my new HDTV set. I have HD service from DirecTv, so on my receiver I get a mix of HD and SD channels, but there is no way of setting the TV to automatically switch between 16:9 and 4:3 modes when the channel changes. I even asked the manufacturer (Samsung for those interested). > > It’s not that the TV can’t tell the difference. Every time the channel changes it pops up in the corner of the screen to tell me the input resolution. It’s just that the TV won’t automatically switch modes. > > So, unless I want to fiddle with the remote and manually change the setting of the TV every time I switch channels, I have to be content with watching stretched out images. Are you using Component cables or HDMI? My new Samsung switches formats seamlessly and I’m using HDMI cables. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/33 "2010-01-04T20:49:49Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Are you using Component cables or HDMI? My new Samsung switches formats seamlessly and I’m using HDMI cables. I’m using HDMI cables. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/34 "2010-01-04T22:41:09Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > I think watching a stretched 4:3 images is among the stupidest things humans do. You buy a nice new wide screen television so that you can experience the best picture that modern tech can offer and then you sit there and watch a _distorted image_. Unfathomable. Agreed. And I’ve stopped watching L&O because TNT & TBS will stretch their own image in a way that makes it uncounterable via TV settings. Just awful I know I could switch to the non-HD feed but I refuse to do even that much work for such a stupid fucking problem that no one should ever have to encounter. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/35 "2010-01-04T23:05:49Z")
For those who have to manually switch ratios, are you sure that the cablebox you are using does not have a setting to automatically do that? I have Time Warner and in the Settings page there is the option that says the screen is 16:9 and to have 4:3 images display as 4:3. Not in the TV settings, but in the cable receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/36 "2010-01-04T23:24:53Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > Because I get lines burnt into my plasma screen if I leave it on 4:3, whether the bars are black or grey. As soon as I get a TV that is immune to burn-in, I’ll be more than happy to unstretch. I have never owned a plasma screen TV, but this seems crazy to me. In a CRT, of course, you could never get \*black \*burn in, only a color, because black is created by, you know, lights \*not \*being on. And anyway, I have heard that modern CRT’s don’t really burn in anymore anyway. Or am I being whooshed here? ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/37 "2010-01-04T23:32:20Z")
Well, BBC America on Comcast in Pierce County comes up pre-squished. That is, they are showing an HD feed in widescreen, but with inserted Black bars top and bottom with BBCA logo and program info on the bottom one. BBCA used to be SD, but they recently switched the feed to HD. Comcrap however still puts it out in some bastard mode as described above. More frustrating: since we upgraded to the nifty new TV/Home theatre system with HDMI cables, the DVR talks to the TV and there doesn’t seem to be an override option. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/38 "2010-01-05T00:08:52Z")
> [@Mikemike2](#): > > I hate bars Can someone please explain this to me? Do you hate the matte that you see between a drawing and its frame? Do you understand that there have been a huge number of different screen ratios? Do you have an expectation that the physical shape of the TV screen should change to accommodate the changes in a film’s shape? And even imagine that’s possible, for a sci-fi moment: if the actual plastic frame of the TV screen were to change every time the program’s ratio changed–which is the only way I can imagine you can both get the original ratio and avoid black space–even if you could make that happen, there would still be space around the screen. It would just be open space. In other words, with the black bars, all you’re missing the view of the wall behind the screen. In OTHER words, do you understand that not liking the bars is 100% a psychological thing? ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/39 "2010-01-05T00:15:45Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > I have never owned a plasma screen TV, but this seems crazy to me. In a CRT, of course, you could never get \*black \*burn in, only a color, because black is created by, you know, lights \*not \*being on. And anyway, I have heard that modern CRT’s don’t really burn in anymore anyway. > > Or am I being whooshed here? It’s actually a function of the phosphors in the black areas getting less use. See here: [http://www.plasmasaver.com/burnin.html](http://www.plasmasaver.com/burnin.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561/40 "2010-01-05T00:23:16Z")
I gave up trying to switch modes and I live with the stretch. I recently noticed several facial profiles that all looked line Pinocchio or Frenchmen with long noses. But it often adds a couple of inches to the ladies’ bustlines when in profile. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-wide-screen-viewers-insist-on-using-fat-face-mode/523561.md?page=3)