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Question:
I have sony progressive DVD player, HDTV and component cable. I was watching the Matrix (DVD for widescreen version) w/ DVD player set for 16:9 ration TV but the image did not fill the screen. It was at 16:9 ratio but reduced. I had to change my TV to Zoom #1 mode in order for the picture to fit the entire screen. Is this normal? I thought it would automatically fit. Wouldn't Zooming cause lower quality picture? Thanks.
tcable
11-14-2003, 03:53 PM
Some movies will not fill the screen- they are shown with their original aspect ractio (OAR), so you'll still have some black bars on top and bottom.
Some movies are recut for DVD so that they will fill the screen- Pixar movies among them.
Tim
cjhsa
11-14-2003, 03:59 PM
If my DVD player is set to output progressive scan, and the DVD is a widescreen edition, shouldn't that force my TV to not allow me to change the stretch modes?
Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I can't explain it. If it does allow me to change modes, which one should I use? "Normal" will display 4:3 even if the DVD is widescreen. "Full" is what I typically choose for DVD use.
namechamps
11-14-2003, 04:06 PM
Your TV is 16 by 9 correct?
If you have a 4 by 3 TV then you will always have black bars when displaying wide screen movies. However I will assume your TV is 16 by 9 Widescreen.
The problem is THERE IS NO 1 WIDESCREEN SIZE. There are many DVD formats.
16 by 9 = 1.78:1 ratio is the ratio of your TV
Most DVDs are either 1.33, 1.78, 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 ratio.
1.33 = normal TV (also known as pan&scan or full screen)
1.78 = widescreen 16.9
1.85 = EVEN WIDERscreen.
2.35 = EVEN WIDER WIDERscreen.
However there are many more rare ratios like 2.45, 1.67 etc. A director can film a movie in any format he wants since modern movie thetres can display anything from 1.33 to 2.50.
So with 2.35 ratio movie even on widescreen TV you will have black bars on a 16:9 TV (1.78) however they would be smaller than on a normal 4:3 TV (1.33) because 1.78 is a closer match than 1.33
Also on some older DVDs (prior to 2001) were not amorphic which means the black bars are part of the film. On those DVDs you will always get black bars regardless of type of TV or equipment.
So you may be wondering WHY did they chose 16:9 (1.78:1) as ratio for widscreen HDTV. Since it won't match all movies. 16:9 was decided as a good comparimse to closely match most DVD and still allow an enjoyable experience on super-wide DVD like 2.35:1. All true HD content will be video recorded at exactly 16:9 so it will perfectly match your widescreen TV.
Hope I didn't confuse anyone too bad.
Here is some more information
http://nickyguides.digital-digest.com/aspect.htm
http://www.dvdbulletin.co.uk/guides/aspectratios
http://www.cybertheater.com/DVD/DiscData/dvd_aspect_ratio.html
Please read the two FAQs "Widescreen Stretch Modes" and "Black Bars". Some DVDs are not the same aspect ratio as your TV and some are anamorphic while some are not.
Originally posted by namechamps Also on some older DVDs (prior to 2001) were not amorphic which means the black bars are part of the film. On those DVDs you will always get black bars regardless of type of TV or equipment. This is not correct. Each widescreen TV has a stretch mode that will "zoom" in on these non-anamorphic DVDs to fill the screen, provided they are 1.85:1 or 1.78:1. aspect ratio. Read the FAQ on widescreen stretch modes.
cjhsa
11-14-2003, 04:14 PM
Whatever, it's a great argument for a front projection home theatre. Who cares what the screen size is? :)
My Setup:
TV: Samsung DLP50 (16:9)
DVD Player: Sony
Monster THX Comp. Cable.
When watching the Matrix (DVD enhanced for widescreen), the picture shows in its entirety, but it only fills the screen approx. 80% (in TV "normal" view setting - black bars on the sides and T&B). If I switch to "wide" view, it will only stretch it horizontally,(black bars on T&B). When I switch it to "zoom" view, it will then fill the screen. Is this normal? I don't want to have to zoom anything because that will lose clarity. Thanks.
FAQ: I think I understand now. :rolleyes: BUT!! Its because the DVD is in 2.35:1 "Enhanced for Widescreen" version so according to the FAQ, I would only have to "horizontally stretch" it. But in my case, doing that only stretches the picture, leave fat characters. But if I zoom (stretch hor. and vert.) Viewing is normal and fills the 16:9 screen. So is the FAQ wrong? or is the DVD wrong?
What you see is normal. These DVDs are meant to be "stretched" on widescreen TVs. Anamorphic (enhanced for WS) DVDs must be stretched in the horizontal direction, otherwise everyone will look tall and thin.
"Wide" is the appropriate setting for the DVD in question. Zoom is to be used for non-enhanced DVDs) Again, please please read the FAQ on Widescreen Stretch modes. It's all explained there.
Originally posted by jvo8 So is the FAQ wrong? or is the DVD wrong? The FAQ is not wrong. Go into the settings for your DVD player and change it from 4:3 to 16:9. This is stated in bold in the FAQ.
Streching doesn't make it any better. I have to zoom to keep the picture at the right ratio. FAQ is not consistent with what the DVD is telling me. I'm confused. :)
The DVD player is set to 16:9 format.
That is very odd. Now I'm confused. The FAQ is not wrong.
Have you tried another DVD? Try a 1.85:1 DVD (enhanced for WS). It should fill the screen when stretched horizontally only.
Recheck the 16:9 setting on the DVD player? It appears to be acting like a non-anamorphic DVD (and The Matrix is 2.35:1 anamorphic) or a DVD player set to 4:3 (fullscreen) not 16:9 (widescreen).
Thanks 57U.
I'll check it out tonight and try it with different DVDs, and DVD player settings. :D
namechamps
11-14-2003, 08:40 PM
57U...
I guess I wasn't clear. I intended to mean natively (no zoom, stretch) NON anamophics look horrible on a 16:9 HDTV. Stretching reduces quality significantly. Non anamorphic widescreen or "letterbox" is a horrible idea luckily there are very few DVDs like this on shelves today. However if you rent an older widescreen DVD circa 1998-2001 there is a chance it is nonanamorphic or "letter box"
cjhsa....
Yes this is 1 area where front projection really shines. In movie theaters they actually physically change the size of the screen (it is motorized). The screen expanded or shrinks vertically and there are cover boards (often hidden by curtains) to right & left of screen that expanded or contract to match the exact aspect ratio of the movie. Pretty cool to watch it change between movies.
jvo8....
Weird man I didn't realize you had black on left & right. Sounds like your DVD player is not in 16:9 mode. On SONY you need to press SETUP then select option like SCREEN or TV. It should be set on 16:9 TV. That should properly decode DVD for 16:9 TV which means you should not have to stretch the image on TV at all.
Hooper
11-16-2003, 02:27 PM
I'll tell you what will REALLY burn you up is when you pop in a non anamorphic dvd (mainly older ones) and you find yourself watching a movie within a window! I bought Smokey and the Bandit on dvd and it gives me this ratio. Also, the older version of Scarface does the same thing.
Hooper, all widescreen TVs allow you to stretch a non-anamorphic DVD, using the mode that stretches the image horizontally and vertically (Fill, Zoom, TW2, etc). The only exceptions are DVI inputs and the rare TV that won't stretch 480P (in the latter case switch the DVD player to 480i and it will)
jvo8, did you get your situation rectified?
Hooper
11-16-2003, 04:39 PM
Originally posted by 57U
Hooper, all widescreen TVs allow you to stretch a non-anamorphic DVD, using the mode that stretches the image horizontally and vertically (Fill, Zoom, TW2, etc). The only exceptions are DVI inputs and the rare TV that won't stretch 480P (in the latter case switch the DVD player to 480i and it will)
jvo8, did you get your situation rectified?
Oh yeah I know. My Hitatchi has several zoom settings to choose from. The problem is that the picture quality goes to **** when done that way. I bought the new version of Scar Face with the anamorphic picture which is 1000% better. I still have to watch Smokey and the Bandit zoomed in and it dosen't look too good.
