Cox Contour - Disappointed

Resolution is set to 1080i wide.  Output format is Sidebar 4:3 Pic.  I'm using a component video cable for the connection (red, blue, green).

OK, I changed the output format to "Preserve 4:3 Pic".  The only thing that does is allow the 4:3 picture to be STRETCHED (distorted, wide people).  It still does not allow "ZOOM" to enlarge the 4:3 picture both HORIZONTALLY and VERTICALLY,  Any other ideas?

Vidio output options are:

- Resolution - 1080i wide.  

- Output format - Preserve 4:3 Pic.

TV mode is set to "Standard".

It depends on the channel; some have the black bars just on the left and right, others have the black bars on all four sides (top, bottom, left, right) like a picture frame.  With the old Rovi cable box, I was able zoom the four-sided black framed pictures to full screen.  If I zoomed the pictures with bars just on left and right, they would cut off a bit of the top and bottom, but still fill the left/right side bars (without widening/distorting the picture).

The issue is with all non-HD channels.  I believe the issue is that the CONTOUR cable box does not have the capability that the old ROVI-compatible boxes had.  Poor planning/marketing on Cox's part to distribute these Contour boxes without the advanced features of the previous cable boxes.  This is a step backwards as far as I'm concerned and would prefer to switch back to the old Rovi-compatible box if possible.

Channels 360 - 389 are good examples of the problem.  All show a black border around the picture (left, right, top, bottom).  When you press ZOOM, it widens (distorts) the picture to eliminate the black border on the left and right, but the black border on top and bottom remain,  With the Rovi system, ZOOM would expand the picture both vertically and horizontally, eliminating the black border entirely and not distorting the picture.

The problem with the Rovi was that all of a sudden the On-Demand features were not working,  Any movie or TV show that was selected for viewing would come up as "not available at this time, call cox support". Per Cox support, I changed out the box at my local Cox store for another Rovi box, but that box had the same problem.  Then cox support said a tech needs to come out.  That tech changed out the Rovi box for the Contour box because he said Cox was moving away from the Rovi systems.  In my opinion, the Rovi system is far superior in function and features to the Contour system for TV viewing (Contour may be better for mobile viewing, but I could care less).

I tried it (again).  All that does is stretch the picture horizontally (distorts the picture, making people wide/fat), but still leaves the black border on the top and bottom.  For the channels mentioned (360-389), I'm looking for a solution that stretches the picture both horizontally and vertically, to fill the screen.  The old Rovi box provided this feature.  It appears Contour does not.

Is getting the old Rovi box back (and working) an option???

It is not the TV modes (I tried different options there as well).  The issue is with the Contour system.  ZOOM with ROVI expanded the picture both VERTICALLY and HORIZONTALLY.  ZOOM with the CONTOUR system only expands the picture HORIZONTALLY, causing the picture to be distorted (widened).

If you search this TV Forum for "Contour Zoom"  you will see others have this issue as well.  This is a good example of releasing a new product (Contour) this is not fully compatible and having all the features of the previous product.  Poor product management on Cox's part.

There are other features that existed with Rovi (e.g. ability to delete/hide On-Demand viewing history) that are not enabled with Contour.  Again POOR product planning/release on Cox's part.