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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Aspect Ratio for Ultrawide Monitors

Hi, I have a 35inch Ultrawide Curved monitor at 21:9 aspect ratio. I have just got the Sky Cinema 3 month pass, and was wondering whether Now TV support 21:9 2560x1080. All the movies I am watching at the moment have black bars top, bottom, and sides, and won't fit the screen. I have other movie streaming services and they are all compatible with 21:9. I just wondering why Now TV isn't or if there is a setting I can change?

 

Thank's

 

Chris.

17 REPLIES 17
Anonymous User
Not applicable

If you hard encoded black bars/mattes above and below the image to make it look like it's 21:9 wouldn't that leave you with an image that is more square? You would have to encode black bars to the left and right side if you wanted a 16:9 ratio image to look like a 21:9 ratio image?

 

I understand that you made these comments nearly 2 years ago, but I can easily find content on Netflix at the moment that fills my 21:9 screen. The fact that I am forced to watch Avengers: Infinity War (2018) using a NOWTV player without it being in my native resolution is ridiculous. The upside to this situation is that I am using the 7 days free NOWTV subscription and I can end it right now without having wasted any money.

 

RoyB
Legend

@Anonymous User wrote:

If you hard encoded black bars/mattes above and below the image to make it look like it's 21:9 wouldn't that leave you with an image that is more square? You would have to encode black bars to the left and right side if you wanted a 16:9 ratio image to look like a 21:9 ratio image?

 

I understand that you made these comments nearly 2 years ago, but I can easily find content on Netflix at the moment that fills my 21:9 screen. The fact that I am forced to watch Avengers: Infinity War (2018) using a NOWTV player without it being in my native resolution is ridiculous. The upside to this situation is that I am using the 7 days free NOWTV subscription and I can end it right now without having wasted any money.

 


No, you encode a 16:6.86 picture with 16:1.07 black bars top and bottom to get a 16:9 representation of a 21:9 picture, with nothing to either side.

 

The trick than is whether the encoded metadata says its 21:9 or not. If it says 21:9, then it will be expanded to 21:9 on an 21:9 screen, expanding the black bars to be off the top and bottom of the screen, and it will be left as is on a 16:9 screen.

 

But if the metadata says it’s 16:9, then a 21:9 screen will show it as a 16:9 picture with 2.5:9 black bars either side, and the 16:9 bit will be the 16:6.86 picture with the 16:1.07 black bars above and below.

 

if this is what you see, then NowTV is supplying wrong picture metadata on 21:9 films.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Another year has passed and still no widescreen support. Terrible.

 

I'm a new user and settled down to watch the last Star Wars on my 34" widescreen on my pc thinking it would be awesome, like watching similar content from Netflix, but I was sadly disappointed. 

 

Downloading a separate player to watch NowTV? Hang on, what year is it again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

RoyB
Legend

It’s a year in which it’s possible, for those with the Windows version current this year, Windows 10, to download a single, integrated, Now TV app from the Microsoft Store, and use that.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Another year has passed and the Now TV app from the MS app store that RoyB helpfully suggested  doesn't work, (just gives you a splash screen to download the player) and you still have to use the flawed standalone Now TV player program. Still no support for widescreen displays.

 

Those that do:

- Netflix

- Amazon TV

- Disney+

 

It's the only thing that irks me with Now TV but it's a big deal. 

gavs82008
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User 

Towards the end of last year NOW removed the app from windows and Mac app stores. 
Unfortunately your only option is to use the NOW player.

 

To have a “moan” or complain about the player you are best to drop customer support an email. The address is the below picture.

FD6DACA9-B87B-407F-B97D-92616BFD6080.jpeg

FYI that I do not work for NOW, just a NOW customer trying to help
Anonymous User
Not applicable

It's now 3 years later. It's 2019.

Ultrawide has now been supported as standard for 2 years by all other streaming services. 3 years by Amazon. (Also on Youtube and Netflix, if you count using a simple chrome plugin.) But they all natively support it now.

NowTV was behind then, I honestly can't believe it now. Watching on PC is still an awful experience that requires a player that you have to download. No other service requires this. I have been subscribed to NowTV for years, yet once again, I have still been forced to pirate a film that I have already paid for a streaming service to watch. (Unless I want to watch it at a small portion of my screen size.)

Seriously, You guys are owned by Sky. You had more funding and resources than all the other streaming services combined. No wonder you guys dropped off the radar.

RoyB
Legend

Zoom is your friend...

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.