Why does a wide screen TV not pick up the entire wide-screen broadcast without the ends cut off?

My parents have a wide screen TV that has no problem with either wide-screen or full-screen formats on DVD. Now, the cable companies are showing a lot of programs in wide-screen, but I can't figure out how to make them show up in wide-screen on the TV. Instead, they show up with the ends cut off, as if for the older style 3:4 TVs. My parents get digital cable, but it is a somewhat old (maybe 5 years?), flat-screen TV. Which of these things might be the culprit? Can it be reprogrammed?





And also - why are cable companies cutting off the ends of our shows, instead of putting them in letterboxes? I would rather have a small picture than be missing out on the subtitles and peripheral action! Is there a way to change this on my own 3:4 TV? "Cheap" or not ($1000 is cheap now? Geez) I can't really buy a new TV at the moment.

Why does a wide screen TV not pick up the entire wide-screen broadcast without the ends cut off?
Hey it does it on MY TV TOO....





So it can't be your TV or your box....





It's got to be the signal from the TV station....Call them and complain...tell them you want a 16:9 signal ALL THE TIME like Discovery HD Theater does All The Time.





Or you won't vote for them....





(It doesn't matter whether you can vote for them or not...it just puts the fear of bad ratings in them)
Reply:exchange it
Reply:Many stations will still transmit 4:3 programming in 16:9 by simply adding the two bars, so that they don't distort the picture. Some old TVs can't scale that picture (because they think it is already 16:9), but most new TVs can scale it to fit the screen.

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