With Dishnetwork, is there an option in the receiver to switch to 16:9?

Question

I have a 16:9 tv, I am getting dishnetwork, is there an option in the receiver to switch to 16:9 instead of 4:3 so my picture wont be distorted? I don't like running my tv in 4:3 because of the black bars on the size, kind of a waste of screen space too.

Answer 1

You should be able to set your TV to expand a 4:3 picture to fill a 16:9 screen. However, the HD boxes will allow you to select output aspect ratio. It will only not be distorted when the source material is broadcast in 16:9 like the HD channels. Otherwise, a 4:3 source on a 16:9 screen will always look stretched, or it will have black bars. It's just the nature of the beast!