Amazon Fire TV Recast

Since most of my OTA viewing is on the sub channels that mostly broadcast in 4:3 aspect ratio. I am very disappointed that the Fire TV line does not allow for the native aspect ratio to come through. This is not an insignificant issue to a lover of the old TV shows. It causes the video to stretch to fit the screen and distort the image. This is the only product line like this I have ever heard of that does not let you get the native aspect ratio. I have many shows that I am going to have to continue to record and watch on the tuners of my PC instead of the new FireTV Recast and Fire sticks I just purchased. The main purpose of the purchases was to save the PC from over work to just record TV. I never even thought to check on this issue before purchase since only an uneducated designer would even think to hamper a system in this matter. It makes me rethink all of the other Amazon Echo products I have on hand. Some of them still in the return window. I am going to give it two weeks in the hopes that somewhere I can find a solution, if not I will have to return it all. Update-12/17/2020-01- Changed from two stars to one. Well I should have returned it but since it has spent this much time connected to my home I would just prefer to toss it in the trash after taking it apart to destroy any thing that holds memory. I had learned to live with the aspect ratio issue (for those that don't know: Aspect ratio is basically the shape of the screen 4:3 is the old original almost square style 16:9 is the newer HD rectangle style. Sub-channels are the ones that go along with the regular one. Like main channel is 5.1 then you have 5.2, 5.3, 5.4) As an aside my tuners in the computer will record all four of those and consider it one tuner, then it would do the same for up to three other channels. I had tested them and was able to record 17 programs at once with just the four tuners. But I just didn't like leaving the PC run 24/7. Anyway the Recast is performing well as far as signal and reliability of recordings. However the software has even more issues than I originally realized. I recently noticed that if you already have a show set to record all episodes on a particular station New and/or Reruns or even just have it set to record all new shows on any channel you cannot individually record a rerun unless you are watching it at the time. Say you are watching an episode of Chicago PD from two seasons ago on any channel and you remember you had seen part of this and wanted to record it and you know it is a two part episode, you can use the options to record this one but you cannot record the next one unless you cancel the recording of the whole series or sit and wait for the next episode to come on and record it, then go off and do what ever it was you wanted to do. This is just another ridiculous software issue. Really who in the world do they have working on this stuff? There are other little issues not worth mentioning but this really shows of a lack of understanding of how real people watch television and how they use recording devices. Update-12-18-2020: Wish I could go to ZERO stars. Latest software update to Fire Stick Software changes the controls for Live TV which was a big mistake. With all the changes it is a whole new learning curve to control Live TV. They changed the FireTV software without regard to the Live TV watchers. The live TV viewing experience has been mad just a little more difficult by them taking away the ability to quickly switch between the last two stations you were watching. Instead of being able to toggle between live broadcasts by just a single downward and then to the right or left with the select button on the remote, you now have to scroll thru all the channels or bring up the guide and scroll to the station you want. Which could take awhile when you have 60 channels to scroll through. Just how clueless do they want to appear to be? I can now for certain say to cord cutters everywhere that still want DVR control over live tv to look elsewhere for their whole line of equipment. Not sure where yet but it may be a hybrid system of another product line from another major stream playing company with DVR hardware from maybe channel master or tablo or tivo I am just not sure yet. I may be better off just getting the smallest cheapest PC I can find and using that with the tuners I have. Something that doesn't matter if it needs to be replaced. Update 12/18/2020-02- There is so much wrong now that I have to keep coming back to add more as I get the time. Before the update you were able to know how far you are into a show with just a touch of the outer sect ring. Now the only way to know is to fast forward or rewind and check out the numbers in the little fast forward window but if you don't need to fast forward then you have to wait for the next commercial. Also the main page headings used to have a separate section for the DVR. Now the Live Programs have their own Menu spot and the recordings are under the Library. Problem is the old setup let you move easily to the next program if you had to delete more than one. Now when you delete one show you need to wait for the whole page to refresh and move around on the Library page to force it to reset to show your list of recordings again. Since the Library also contains anything you may have purchased from amazon and the Watchlist from other shows you may have been streaming. Also you can tell they did not really put much thought into the whole thing since the menus for everything they changed has a plain Black and White color scheme and the old untouched menu areas still have the yellow highlighted spots so it is easier to tell what's going on in the older areas. I have to stop for now but believe me there is more.