SuperSport goes widescreen; gives SD viewers the full picture

From Tuesday, 4 February 2014, SuperSport will switch its standard definition (SD) channels over to a widescreen format, also known as a 16:9 aspect ratio. SuperSport SD viewers will now have a richer, fuller viewing experience and won’t miss a single second of the action! The switch over also brings these SD channels in line with international broadcasting trends and with other channels on the DStv platform.

Sport is all about the action. Its beauty is in those slow-motion images that capture the agony and the ecstasy as athletes push themselves to the fringes of human endurance. It’s about teamwork, compassion, competition and the heat of battle.

So there’s nothing more frustrating than being pulled out of an adrenaline-filled immersion in your favourite game because part of your picture’s been cut off. That was the problem with the old 4:3 aspect ratio when combined with modern flat screen TVs.

If you have an older TV, fear not – there’s a workaround. Just use the SHIFT key on your DStv remote to select ARC and change it to 16:9 letterbox. This will display the full 16:9 image on your 4:3 screen with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Brandon Foot, Acting CEO of SuperSport, confirmed that this development brought SuperSport into line with international trends. “It offers a far richer viewing experience, particularly for sport which is often fluid and panoramic. We’re looking forward to its implementation and expect that viewers will enjoy the new format.”

For more information about aspect ratios and resetting these on your decoder, please log on to DStv.com/self-service.