Dear Television,

We know sitcoms from the 90s weren't shot in 16:9. It's okay to have black bars on the sides of our HD TVs. We won't freak out. The camera already adds 10 pounds, there's no need to make these actors look fatter and shorter than they are.

I admit, it did take me 10 minutes to figure out how to change the setting on my TV to squeeze you back to 4:3. There's no need to taunt me by changing the aspect ratio back on the very next program. It's mean enough to make me switch settings in between channels, but between shows and commercials on the same channel?

My eyes hurt.

Mit herzlichen Grüßen,
Embo

It's done automatically for me with swisscom

SWISSCOM! Those dastardly fiends! I was trying to figure out if my TV was doing it automatically.

Cablecom does it too. Maybe the TV people are trying to trick us into thinking we were fatter in the 90s and that people are really getting thinner.

Right- I set mine (my TV that is) to 'display original format' or something and no worries. Swisscom here too.

Aaaaaa! There's such a setting? Any ideas what it would be in German?

It is called bedienungsanleitung and also get a dictionary most flatscreens has the option of setting its menu to English.

Grar. I've been all over the menus (in English, though that seems like cheating.) and have found no such option. One assumes this is because everything is already presented in the original format as far as the TV set is concerned and it's being sent wide zoom from the cable company or the broadcasters. When I get two different formats on the same channel, I'd say it's their fault.

My solution has been to stop watching television. Problem solved. Thanks for your help!