Host screen format changes on it's own

I’m working with someone who runs Yoga classes on Zoom. She has a paid account. She sometimes uses virtual backgrounds against a big, wide greenscreen. The meeting settings are set to NOT allow anyone to share their screen.

To keep the left and right edges of the green screen from showing, she runs the meeting with “maintain original screen” checked under video settings. This starts the meeting with a narrower field of view. There are two black bands on either side. It looks like a 4x3 display which is just what is needed.

The problem is when someone joins with a 1920x1080 screen, and clicks to go full screen, the host screen switches wide too, exposing beyond the edges of the greenscreen. I think this is a bug, as the computer must still think someone is trying to share their screen, making the host’s machine go wide too. How do I prevent this? (If the attendee leaves their screen smaller (not full screen), nothing changes for the host’s screen ratio).

As background, I have changed the attendee’s screen to 4:3 mode, and the host’s ratio remains fine (narrow) regardless if the attendee goes full screen.

Thanks for any help!

Hey @rick.freeman100,

Thanks for reporting this. Can you please share it with our product support team here: support.zoom.us. :slight_smile:

-Tommy

I tried. I just get a boilerplate response that if I don’t have a big, expensive corporate Zoom subscription, they won’t help. Which is ironic, because I’M the one helping THEM by alerting them to the bug.

Hey @rick.freeman100,

Gotcha, thanks! We appreciate you reporting this, and I have notified our engineering team. (ZOOM-222846)

-Tommy

Hey @rick.freeman100,

Our engineering team has confirmed the following: “Original ratio“ means keeping the video captured ratio for meeting. For normal meeting, if you do not check “Enable HD“, the captured video ratio is 4:3. But if bandwidth is good enough, the camera size will be updated to HD mode (16:9) automatically after someone joins the meeting which is HD enabled. This is the current design.

If you really care about the ratio change back and forth. Please select Enable HD option to stay with HD (16:9).

Thanks,
Tommy

Hi Tommy,

I think you may have misunderstood the problem. The issue is not that it switches from 16:9 back to 4:3. It’s the other way around. Once it goes HD, it is almost impossible to get it to go 4:3 anyway, so switching “back and forth” isn’t the issue. It switches FROM 4:3 to 16:9 and stays there. And that exposes the edges of the green screen, ruining the effect of the virtual background. Many green screens are not that wide, so the automatic switching is disruptive to a lot of work people go through to arrange their sets.

What’s the use of having an “original ratio” button if it’s going to be overridden anyway by some random attendee? MAKES NO SENSE. Just not have the button, then. But better, make the button actually functional. Or have a setting that says “prevent participants format (bandwidth) from affecting host format”.

Thanks,
Rick

Hey @rick.freeman100,

I will clarify this with our engineering team.

Thanks,
Tommy

Thanks Tommy. I look forward to a revision. Look, I know why Zoom did this…it automatically adjusts the host screen in case an attendee is showing something that needs 16:9. But not every Zoom is predicated on sharing, where equal control by all is a desirable thing. Many hosts don’t want things at the edges showing unexpectedly. What if a guy is zooming with his wife, the wife goes full screen, and suddenly there’s the evil hubby’s girlfriend standing by! I know, horrable example, but it could happen.

:smiley:
Rick

Hey @rick.freeman100,

We have added this as a feature request. I will keep you updated on a timeline once we fit it into our backlog. :slight_smile:

Thanks,
Tommy

Thanks so much! I have noticed that other people in the meetings are on wide screen without affecting our host format. My beef was based on a 2nd computer, in the building, on the same wifi. That computer joined by email invitation like any other. Could that make a difference?
Rick

Hey @rick.freeman100,

We will look into it. :slight_smile:

Thanks,
Tommy

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