Using an FX1 with a 4:3 HDTV (stretched image)
 

I'm having an issue and I don't know if it's the TV or the camera.

When I hook my FX1 up to a 4:3 HDTV via component (1080i) I get a stretched image. Changing the tv type in the camera between 16:9 and 4:3 does nothing on the TV. The viewfinder on the camera blinks with each change, but no change on the TV.

If I change component out to 480i, then switching TV Type in the camera to 4:3 gives me the correct letterboxed image on the TV. Of course, I lose the 1080i going this way.

So, does TV type not do anything when outputting 1080i via component?

I think you have to put the HDTV on Letterboxed 16.9. Since HD is 16.9 only, i don't think you can send that out letterboxed or 4.3.

Vincent is right, High Definition video (1080i) is ALWAYS 16:9. As you discovered, the camera's letterbox setting only affects downconverted standard definition video.

My Panasonic plasma screen has a variety of display modes (FULL, 4:3, ZOOM, JUST) however these are only available when watching standard definition video. High def will always fill the whole 16:9 screen. It sounds like you have a 4:3 TV which has a high definition mode where the image is letterboxed. Not familiar with these myself, so I'm not sure what's happening.

But there isn't any way to make high definition 4:3 video, aside from placing a black bar on the left and right in your editing software.

I was wondering about the same thing... a 4x3 HDTV??? By definition, HD is 16x9 only. What monitor are you trying to use? Are you sure it's HD?

I have the same problem watching a Z1U via a regular TV monitor but that's on SD, not HD. There is no work around this, 16x9 is the same 480 lines, the "correct" aspect ratio we see in our NLE is just for viewing purposes.

I've never used this option, but if you go to the downconvert menu on your Z1 and choose LETTERBOX I believe it will display properly on a 4:3 standard definition TV.

I've seen 4:3 TV's that are "HD Compatible" and assumed they have enough resolution to show an HD image letterboxed in the 4:3 frame.

I have one of these 4:3 HDTV, or so it claims. (Magnavox). My recollection is that I have to select a menu option for 16:9 on the TV, and it views the 16:9 output properly.

Yes, believe it or not they used to make 4:3 HDTVs (and still do!). My dad has a Sony 4:3 HDTV. The particular one that I'm trying to use is a Magnavox one. It says HD right on it, and when I feed it the signal from the camera it says that it's getting a 1080i signal.

But it's 4:3 stretched. On the TV it has the option to squeeze the image to 16:9 on every input but the HD one. It simply isn't available on that input.

I thought I had been able to do it on my Magnovox 4:3 HDTV, but maybe I just used the composite input..