Horizontal and Vertical Bars

M

math wizard

Audioholic Intern
I have a Samsung 50 inch plasma panel. Sometimes there are vertical bars (normal when watching a 4:3 source on a 16:9 panel). Sometimes there are horizontal bars (normal when the movie is in an aspect ratio other than 16:9). But, I've instances where both horizontal and vertical bars are present. I've only experienced it when viewing comercials on an HD channel. When I switch to the corresponding SD channel, the same commercial displays with horizontal bars. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? Any responses are appreciated.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
I have a Samsung 50 inch plasma panel. Sometimes there are vertical bars (normal when watching a 4:3 source on a 16:9 panel). Sometimes there are horizontal bars (normal when the movie is in an aspect ratio other than 16:9). But, I've instances where both horizontal and vertical bars are present. I've only experienced it when viewing comercials on an HD channel. When I switch to the corresponding SD channel, the same commercial displays with horizontal bars. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? Any responses are appreciated.
I don't have such a TV yet, but I would say if the program material is displayed correctly, not to worry about commercials. They are recorded most likely differently.
 
M

MDS

Audioholic Spartan
I'd say the commercials are 4:3 aspect ratio but delivered in a 16:9 carrier. The black bars are part of the image itself and not the result of processing by the TV.

I've heard that some stations do that and not just for commercials.
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
I'd say the commercials are 4:3 aspect ratio but delivered in a 16:9 carrier. The black bars are part of the image itself and not the result of processing by the TV.
That's exactly what it is. I spend a lot of time on the subject in customers homes trying to explain aspect ratios and the fact that not every program fills the entire screen all the time. Some commercials are filmed and aired in a "psuedo widescreen" which adds the horizontal bars as part of the image. Don't worry about commercials.

However, some shows on standard definition channels also have the horizontal bars. One of the zoom modes on your TV should be just right to eliminate the horizontal bars without losing any of the image or distoring it.
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
I'd say the commercials are 4:3 aspect ratio but delivered in a 16:9 carrier. The black bars are part of the image itself and not the result of processing by the TV.

I've heard that some stations do that and not just for commercials.
I am also finding that some pj will do this with non-anamorphic ws movies, both vertical and wider horizontal picture..
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
This is letterboxing of 16:9 (or 2.35:1) content.

On HD channels it could happen for many reasons, including the possibility that a cable network broadcasts ALL of it's commercials in non-HD quality, while the show itself is 16:9 HDTV - you sometimes see the station flick between HD/SD at the start/end of a commercial sequence. Or, it could also be the commercial director shooting the entire commercial in 16:9, but not actually mastering the commercial in HD or for HD delivery. So, you end up with letterboxed content.

A good example is the show Smallville on a SD channel on a 16:9 display is fully letterboxed. 4:3 presentation of a 16:9 source, with black bars added above and below the 4:3 delivery.

On DVDs, the exact same is true when a film is not put on the disc in anamorphic format, but in letterbox widescreen format. Which, they often get wrong on the box since most discs are properly put together in anamorphic format.

I like people who may be a bit confused on the subject to take a look at this:
http://www.avintegrated.com/aspect_ratios.html
 
B

bspielbauer

Audiophyte
Hi Ho's response above is right on the target. As long as the regular program is in the correct aspect ratio, then the phenomenon you describe is coming from either a cable company, or a local station, or a network. In some cases, it is actually a commercial which was shot in widescreen which was then re-formatted by a station to be sent out on a non-widescreen channel... (for example, an older analog local channel). Then THAT version is re-routed back to a digital channel which is running widescreen content... This can result in bars all around...

In other cases, it can simply be a case of some engineer (or some babysitter) in a control booth who forgot to hit a button, and widescreen material gets re-formatted for one or two commercials, during a break.

I did want to add to the discussion in one way -- there is a term which I have seen to describe this type of image. On a few of the forums, at least, I have run across the term "windowboxing" to describe this sort of picture.

-Bruce
 
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