If you have a widescreen tv that is 16:9 or 4:3, and you play a DVD from your DVD player that is also made for widescreen (2.35:1, i think).....does your TV show those black parts on the top and bottom of the tv? I think everyone knows what I'm talking about but its kinda hard to put into words
Guest
Unregistered guest
Posted on
It should leave some lines on the top and bottom. The 16:9 should be slimmer than the 4:3
I always thought 16:9 and 4:3 were the same. How are they different and which one is better?
So will those black bars or lines be on the top and bottom of the screen on a DVD with both 16:9 and 4:3?
Anonymous
Posted on
16:9 and 4:3 are not the same, otherwise why do we have 2 different ratios. The ratio refers to the width compares to the height of the TV screen. 16:9 is considered to be widescreen monitor. There are DVD's with 4:3, 16:9 and 23.5:1 formats. So if you play a higher ratio format DVD on a lower ratio TV screen (such as 16:9 DVD on 4:3 TV or 23.5:1 DVD on 16:9 TV), you will get a so called "letter box" effect, i.e., the black bands above and below the picture. When you do it the other way around (except I don't think there are any 23.5:1 TV around), you will get the bands on either side of your TV screen.
Will there be 23.5:1 TVs coming out in the future?
It seems that most DVDs today are in the higher ratio format for the true movie effect. And about 1/3 of them are in the next level down, the 16:9, and very very few are 4:3 (besides TV shows on DVD). So it seems that there is no way around the "letter box" effect. Is this true?
When you have a 16:9 TV, does the picture look stretched when watching tv?
Anonymous
Posted on
I highly doubt there will be any 23.5:1 TV anytime soon. While it is a very popular movie format, it is not considered to be a standard for TV or video. Yes, there are more and more widescreen DVDs coming out due to the increase widescreen TV sales. Some movies put out both standard format (4:3) as well as widescreen format. They are usually labeled on the front cover or on the bottom of the back cover. I have a Titanic DVD that is supposed to be widescreen. However, when I watched it on a 16:9 TV, I found out that it was made for 4:3 screen so I ended up having both black bands on the top/bottom and the sides also. I had to zoom in to get rid of the problem but it decreased the resolution of the picture. Talking about zoom, your another question is on stretched picture. Many 16:9 HDTV will let you choose the display aspect ratio. While displaying a 4:3 picture on a 16:9 TV, you can use the stretch mode to stretch the sides of the picture to fill up the screen. Or you can use the zoom mode to fill up the sides but you will lose some part on top and bottom.
Anonymous
Posted on
Sorry, I was thinking 2.35:1 but kept typing 23.5:1. I hope I didn't confuse anyone.
johnm
Unregistered guest
Posted on
4:3 is the old tv standard (almost square). 16:9 is what the new HD units ratio is (wider). Next time your shopping for dvds look at the widescreen ratio on the back of the box. 16:9, 2.31:1, and quite a few others. There doesn't seem to be a standard for widescreen format. If it's a true 16:9 it will fill up the screen. If not you will still get bars on the top and bottom. Although as not as prominent as those on a 4:3 screen they'll still be there.
Talon
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I am betting that they will bring out a 2.35:1 TV.....
Actually, the 16x9, or 1.78:1 widescreen TV's are a very good balance for what is out there. It is true that you get slim black bars when you watch a movie in the Cinimascope format, which is 2.35:1 or close to it. Some movies, and HDTV programming is in 1.78:1 or 1.85:1, which will fill the entire screen on your 16x9 TV. If you want to check to see how widescreen friendly your DVD's will be, take a look at the technical specs on the back, or look them up on the web. You can use amazon.com or dvdempire.com. Those two web sites will give you all the technical specs on your DVD's, including aspect ratio, and audio formats. Anamporphic DVD's work the best for most 16x9 tv's and dvd players. Here is a rundown of the common aspect ratios and what they will look like:
1.33:1 or 4:3 (fullframe) - reverse letterbox 1.78:1 or 16x9 - fullscreen (HDTV broadcast) 1.85:1 - fullscreen (some DVD's) 2.35:1 - letterbox (black bars are slim) Cinemascope format
maiwit
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I just bought a 16:9 TV and changed the settings in my DVD player to match. I played some 16:9 formatted DVDs and ther are still letter-boxing bars . I thought these DVDs would fill the screen without any distortion or bars. Could someone please let me know how these 16:9 DVDs should play on my new TV? Thanks.
Anonymous
Posted on
Many movies were shot at a higher aspect ratio than 16:9, e.g., 2.35:1. Hence you will still see the Letter Box effect on you 16:9 TV.
studranger
Unregistered guest
Posted on
i saw =the transporter movie in hdtv on cablevision-filled screen--bought the dvd--bars top and bottom--go figure
