Netflix app issues

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@neveralull wrote:

Stretched examples include Star Trek Voyager: Season 1 - Episode 1, and all subsequent episodes in season 1 which played fine earlier this year. Just started Season 2, same thing.

Charmed Season 1, episode 1, and all subsequent epsidoes of season 1, all of season 2, and all of season 3. I just watched Charmed season 1 and 2 last year, and started season 3 this year. No problems until a few weeks ago.

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checked star trek s1e1 and s1e2. used X1, Roku, and web stream.  and iPhone 11 Pro. this is a bit complicated. on all but the x1 the image if you notice is nearly 1:1 and center appears wider (a scan technique). the video being used is scanned to be expanded using AFD to approximately 14:9 but the AFD code must be set to 16:9 which cuts off the edge. only the X1 is displaying the 'cut'/scan version properly with a slight overscan on all 4 sides. The non-X1 are not honoring the AFD so the near 1:1 (square) image is displayed and slightly distorted in the center. My guess is the cuts are syndication versions to be played on SD channels even though the AFD seems to be set incorrectly to code 16:9 instead of 14:9 and that causes the missing part at the right and lwft side. (AFD is automatic format descriptor-see wikipedia)

Long story short version, it is a Netflix issue, intentional or not, probably need to ask in their forum to change to original version. IMDB states original is 4:3 and that makes sense. The purists among us want 4:3 option so we don't miss edge detail and see no distortion as you see in the 1:1 square image. The same file is in use for all the stream sources.  Wonder if anyone has access to a DVD version of the 2 episodes to verify not in 1:1 on the DVD too.

I'm not sure if you're really all that familiar with pre-HD formats, but 4:3 SD is not 1:1 aspect ratio... though it may look "square" to those who don't have 60 years of 4:3 TV viewing experience, as well as over 15 years of video production work during the transition between SD and HD formats.

I just went back and watched ST Voyager S1E1 and when viewed on my Nvidia Shield, through the Netflix app, it's perfect 4:3 format as it was produced.

On both of my Xfinity HD boxes, it's stretched to fill the 16:9 screen... on the same LG HD Projector, as well as my 4k living room TV.

Yeah, this is definitely 4:3 content, which was the standard until the mid-2000s.

Every other Netflix app (on phones, computers, other set top boxes...) shows the content with the right format, and multiple shows/movies are impacted, so it is very unlikely to be a content problem.

This is something that Xfinity should look into with Netflix to understand why the Netflix app doesn't behave as expected on their hardware.

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@ronbot1 wrote:

I'm not sure if you're really all that familiar with pre-HD formats, but 4:3 SD is not 1:1 aspect ratio... though it may look "square" to those who don't have 60 years of 4:3 TV viewing experience, as well as over 15 years of video production work during the transition between SD and HD formats.

 

I just went back and watched ST Voyager S1E1 and when viewed on my Nvidia Shield, through the Netflix app, it's perfect 4:3 format as it was produced.

 

On both of my Xfinity HD boxes, it's stretched to fill the 16:9 screen... on the same LG HD Projector, as well as my 4k living room TV.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Format_Description has some information on this.  As a retired licensed by FCC tech, it intrigued me about the magic an SD channel was using to appear to be 16:9 not 4:3. A call to the broadcast engineer pointed me to AFD and I've read on this periodically for a few years. the 1:1 is a dead giveaway that the 'seen' image is in AFD format that is not being honored. As i said the AFD descriptor on the first and second episode appears to have been coded when transcoded to 16:9 instead of 14:9. Netfilx seems to be forcing the 1:1 AFD prepared video into some other ratio causing cutoff of the bottom/top/right and left side. The Netfilx app on X1 appears to be trying to display as it is told by the AFD. if you can reach someone at Netflix they can do the research into the AFD coding error. 

Though, I am not 100% sure, if this is the reason why you are noticing the stretched content, just wanted to share these details:

Please note that SD resolution or 4:3 aspect ratio is not supported on Flex account STBs (Xi6).
You could cross check the available options here:  "Settings->DeviceSettings->VideoDisplay->VideoOutputResolution" and you will see that only 16:9 aspect ratio is supported at various HD resolutions..

So I am guessing, STB may be stretching the content to fit into the selected video resolution option.

All, I can confirm exactly what all the others are reporting, excluding @Rustyben. Mid to late March is when it switched for me on all of my Xfinity devices, both the main X1 DVR and the mini boxes on the other TVs. All Star Trek (TNG, DS9, Voyager) series that previously displayed properly in 4:3 format with black bars on my sides of my 16:9 TV are now stretched to fill the full 16:9 screen so all charecters are short and fat. Sorry to dumb it down. Dozens of other devices that can also access NetFlix do not have this issue, the issue is only with Xfinity X1. I have tried other old shows that should also play in 4:3 format and they are stretched as well.

When I contacted Xfinity support in March they blamed NetFlix.  

on a different thread, a Netflix support reply was that SD (4:3) is not supported on the Flex type set top boxes (xi6 and maybe xi5). 

Netflix saying they don't support SD on those devices is a really stupid answer, since the devices have not changed, and they certainly used to support SD just fine!

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@JayOLR wrote:
I’ll add some bizarre additional info. I had watched start trek the next generation through the X1 Netflix app. Is was in SD 4:3 pillarbox. Made it through the entire series with no issues. About a week later, I restarted the series at S1:E1, and suddenly it was in 16:9 stretch mode. I’m using the same equipment I’ve had for two years.

The only possible explanation I can think of is a software update of some kind, either with X1 platform itself or to the Nextflix app, and that has messed it all up.

It is annoying beyond belief to watch people with squashed heads - especially when they are aliens.

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basically Netflix has said their X1 app does not support SD videos and are displayed as they are displayed.

This is freaking infuriating. For the amount we pay, two of the biggest technology companies, in 2020, are either too inept or don't care enough about their customers to find a way to correctly display the format that 80% of televised history was created in, making it impossible to watch decades' worth of shows that we paid for access to without annoying, distracting (and flat-out stupid) visual distortion. 

Xfinity and Netflix both charge us subscriber fees. Use some of that money to hammer out a solution to this ridiculous problem. 

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@Meltoboof wrote:

Xfinity and Netflix both charge us subscriber fees. Use some of that money to hammer out a solution to this ridiculous problem. 

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You are only paying once for netflix ( or need to) either through comcast or Netflix not both or you should check your bills.