Overscan cropping

You're saying only the clip in question is subject to overscan?

Or is everything that your tv is feeding to your TV playing that way?

Could be that the AppleTV isn't doing it but the television and I hadn't noticed it before (again, because nothing has been cut off as all professionally produced content doesn't put anything in the "overscan" area)

I won't get my tv until next week, but I'd say it's certainly your TV so long as you're connected via component cables (TVs always overscan analog sources).

If you're connected via HDMI and getting overscan, that's not as easily predictable. Most TV do not overscan digital sources, but I can't say with the same level of certainty as with component...

Most TV do not overscan digital sources, but I can't say with the same level of certainty as with component...

Actually, most TV do overscan digital motion video sources but do not overscan digital computer graphic inputs. E.g. my set has options for DTV and PC from both, HDMI and DVI inputs. DTV subsetting has gentle overscan and PC does not - every pixel is on the screen. PC subsetting aslo disables audio from HDMI and seems to have less saturated reds. I believe it uses sRGB colourspace as opposed to HDTV one.

I have also seen the overscan cropping and have been very annoyed by it. I have a 32" Sony Bravia LCD connected by HDMI to the TV, and certain video podcasts are decidedly clipped vertically. This is very distracting for The Onion News Network, where I miss almost half of the newsticker along the bottom. I also miss nearly all of the Macintosh menu on MacBreak when they do software demo vidcaptures, so I can't really tell what's going on half the time during those demos.

I have hunted through every video option of the Bravia and of the TV and haven't been able to correct this. The TV is set to 720p and the TV is set for normal unzoomed widescreen. I bought the Bravia and the TV on the same day, and I actually PICKED the Sony TV because of their video electronics partnership with Apple. If I connect my MacBookPro to the VGA input of the TV and watch these videos in FrontRow, I can see every pixel of them.

So I have a workaround by watching these videos over VGA, I guess, but that's hardly the couch potato podcatching dream I was sold. This is what I bought the TV to do, and I'm disappointed. If anyone has a fix, I'd love to hear it.



mbp Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Remember, all of these podcasts were made by folks expecting you to watch it only on the internet, or your iPod. Many probably do not take into account "screen safe" areas, as that's a "TV thing".

Hopefully as more of us begin watching podcasts on our AppleTV's, those producing them will take more care. It's a brave new podcast world out there! Thanks AppleTV!

Remember, all of these podcasts were made by folks
expecting you to watch it only on the internet, or
your iPod. Many probably do not take into account
"screen safe" areas, as that's a "TV thing".

They were expecting me to watch it on a computer.
That's what I thought I was doing. I want AppleTV to
show me EVERY PIXEL of my videos during playback.
If there are nonblack pixels of content in the top or
bottom 5% of the shot, the director framed them there
and I want to see them, damnit! Again, if I connect
my laptop into the VGA port of the TV, I see everything.

Hopefully as more of us begin watching podcasts on
our AppleTV's, those producing them will take more
care. It's a brave new podcast world out there!
Thanks AppleTV!

Hmm.. "Thank you sir, may I have another?"
Well, isn't that a twisted take on my problem?
This is an AppleTV flaw, and your response is that
the podcast producers have been careless in neglecting
to work around it. That's backward. The way I see it,
the AppleTV is broken in exactly one of these two possible
ways:

1) the TV is zooming the content AppleTV sends it.
AppleTV should offer me a downscaling option to
compensate for these TV quirks.
2) the AppleTV is actually sending the TV a cropped
picture, which the TV faithfully reproduces pixel-for-pixel.
Then AppleTV is cropping content and causing distortion.

I don't know which is the case. Does anyone else?


mbp Mac OS X (10.4.9)

That's backward. The way I see it, the AppleTV is broken in exactly one of these two possible ways:
1) the TV is zooming the content AppleTV sends it. AppleTV should offer me a downscaling option to compensate for these TV quirks.
2) the AppleTV is actually sending the TV a cropped picture, which the TV faithfully reproduces pixel-for-pixel. Then AppleTV is cropping content and causing distortion.
I don't know which is the case. Does anyone else?

Plays fine on mine. Can force the cropping you describe only if I use the "zoom" HDTV option. Otherwise files play normally (uncropped) and at original aspect ratio.

On a computer screen, you WILL see every pixel. That's the nature of it, since most times the video isn't full screen anyways, but rather playing at it's native size, (720x486, or whatever) which is smaller than the computer screen resolution (1680x1050 or whatever).

On a TV, you WILL have overscan. Playing a computer file on a TV, does NOT make the TV a computer screen. Sorry.

Folks creating content for TV will need to accomodate this fact.

Yes, if you plug your laptop into your HDTV, it adjusts for that since you are providing a computer screen signal. The AppleTV, however, is for playing video on a TV, not a computer screen.

On a computer screen, you WILL see every pixel.
That's the nature of it, since most times the video
isn't full screen anyways, but rather playing at
it's native size, (720x486, or whatever) which is
smaller than the computer screen resolution
(1680x1050 or whatever).

Resolution isn't the problem. I'd understand rescaling.
Really. My problem is clipping, which I don't see
the justification for. By the way, these videos are 320x240
podcasts, made for iPod, really.

On a TV, you WILL have overscan. Playing a computer
file on a TV, does NOT make the TV a computer screen.
Sorry.

I don't understand the technical difference between
an AppleTV->HDMI->Bravia and the Computer->DVI->Monitor
connections. I've got an end-to-end digital signal in either case,
right? The TV doesn't have to do any guesswork about the
geometry of the signal.

Folks creating content for TV will need to accomodate
this fact.

Yes, if you plug your laptop into your HDTV, it
adjusts for that since you are providing a computer
screen signal. The AppleTV, however, is for playing
video on a TV, not a computer screen.

So your position would be that if I want to see every
pixel of my content, I should throw the AppleTV in
the garbage and hook up my laptop?

Got it.

mbp Mac OS X (10.4.9) Sony Bravia TV, HDMI cable, AppleTV

That's backward. The
way I see it, the AppleTV is broken in exactly one of
these two possible ways:
1) the TV is zooming the content AppleTV sends it.
AppleTV should offer me a downscaling option to
compensate for these TV quirks.
2) the AppleTV is actually sending the TV a cropped
picture, which the TV faithfully reproduces
pixel-for-pixel. Then AppleTV is cropping content and
causing distortion.
I don't know which is the case. Does anyone
else?

Plays fine on mine. Can
force the cropping you describe only if I use the
"zoom" HDTV option. Otherwise files play normally
(uncropped) and at original aspect ratio.

I don't have any 'zoom' option enabled. I've been
looking and looking. You're playing the Onion News Network
and MacBreak, right? What sort of TV do you have? HDMI
connectors?

You're playing the Onion News Network
and MacBreak, right?

Yes -- ONN "In the Know: Life Before the Segway" and MackBreak episodes 71 and 64. (All picked at random.)

What sort of TV do you have?

42" Panasonic Plasma (600U).

HDMI
connectors?

No, I'm running a number of HD/progressive devices (Sat/DVD Players/Recorders) through an Audio Authority auto component/optical audio switcher.

As you say, you don't understand the technical difference. There is one, however.

As for overscan needing "justification": It's the way TV's have always worked. Encourage content providers to not be lazy - practice "screen safe" video if they want their product to be viewed properly on a Television. It's what every professional does.