Sky HD box picture set up

[poorbuthappy]

As weird as we are, we used to watch our tv in the letterbox format.
Just had sky hd installed and can not get our tv or sky hd box into the letterbox mode.

I think its because the hdmi cable means that it takes its instruction from sky and shows the programme in the "correct" format and can not be overridden.
Can someone confirm (or debunk) my theory please?

cheers!

Sorry, have not got Sky, nor Sky HD, but have to ask, if you are paying extra for Sky HD, then why on earth would you expect not to watch the picture filling 1920 x 1080 pixels as that is exactly what the HD facility is meant to do.

I suspect you are 'out of luck' because the designers for the HD box would surely never have believed there was any demand for your chosen viewing option.

Yes well, if all channels broadcast in hd then that would be ok wouldn't it? But they don't do they?

Gosh thanks so much for your help with this. If only MN had a sarcastic like button for me to press...

I assume the other channels are "upscaled" to fill the TV display, even if they are not fed in as 1920x1080.

I'm only going on what I've read and what the technical specs suggest for using these items of kit. I still have only a big tube 28" nearly flat TV and no satellite, so have a laugh that I don't have the option of HD or even a fraction of the channels on Sky, if it helps you feel any better, as consolation for my initial post that annoyed you so much.

One only way you may be able to force letterbox view, at a guess, would be to get a TV into 4:3 format and feed it with a SCART cable (assuming the HD box has SCART output).

PS I'd never have included the word weird, but am curious as to what reason you have for wanting to use letterbox format... subtitles?

Just a wee bit puzzled but I guess I will never know now.