HELP - SONY TV keeps flicking between aspect ratios !!!!

[dagger]

I have my Sony 32" WS tv set up on Smart Setting (basically means tv will work out best aspect ratio to fill the screen) The trouble is the tv seems to flick between wide mode and zoom and smart modes sometimes - really annoying when watching a widescreen film !!!

I presume this is just a loose connection inside is it or what else could it be

I know its my tv as my friend has the same tv and his stays on exactly whatever format he puts it on !!!

 

[breezer]

how old is tv? is it still under g'tee?

 

[dagger]

about 2 years old and no I think it had standard 1 yr guarantee

do u think its serious then or simple repair job ???

 

[breezer]

simple, but NOT diy

 

[dagger]

so do u think any electrical repair bloke could do it - or is it a Sony engineer ???

 

[breezer]

how long is a piece of string? it depends on how good the "bloke " is, sony centre best option

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Our brand new toshiba does this when using freeview box, only 'cos the box tells it to. I'm assuming the broadcasts tell it what shape screen it should be(i.e. ads are widescreen, progs generally 4:3)
On terrestial we have ours set to "super live (?!?!?!)" and the piccy never changes. However we still get only cr*p t.v., albeit with a bigger n better picture and sound system.

 

[dagger]

thanks guys

 

[AdamW]

I assume this is from your DVD player or Sky box, if not then ignore the first paragraph!

You know how when you turn your VCR on, the TV automatically switches over to it? Well, this is because Pin 8 on the scart lead carries a "switching voltage" of 12V. With widescreen equipment (such as a DVD player or Sky box), this pin is set to 6V instead and the TV knows to go to 16:9 mode. So, my first check would be the scart lead. Try a different one. If that doesn't work, try using the box on a different widescreen TV. If this doesn't solve the problem, it is your TV.

One other thought, and probably the simplest: try putting the remote in a different room! If the remote is malfunctioning then this will solve the problem.

Oh, by the way, if by "Smart" you mean the widescreen mode setting that you get by cycling through zoom, wide, smart, 4:3 etc, DON'T USE IT! It isn't smart, all it does is cut a bit off the top and bottom, and stretch it to the sides a bit. A halfway house between fat people (watching 4:3 picture in Wide mode) and headless people (watching 4:3 picture in Zoom mode).