Perhaps a dump question!

[Rex]

But why when you're watching a widescreen movie, you still see black bars top and bottom on a widescreen display? Isnt that the point of widescreen displays?

 

[BMXTRIX]

No, but definitely a question that is asked monthly.

Lasts months response which someone liked:

This is perfectly normal for many DVDs...

Here's the deal:

Your television is 16:9 - it is not widescreen, it is simply 16:9 or 1.85:1

Movies, quite often, are a much wider format than 1.85:1 - They are often 2.35:1 which is considerably wider than 1.85:1.

So, you end up with a letterboxing effect when you view those DVDs on your 1.85:1 television. This is not always the case as some movies are put on DVD in a 1.85:1 ratio, but most preserve the original wider format that the original producers intended and you get 100% of the image the filmakers intended you to see.

HDTV is almost 1.85:1 (actually it is 1.78:1) so your 16:9 native television does a little processing and presents HDTV material perfectly on your set. This is really what your television was designed for. It was designed for HDTV which provides the best possible image you can enjoy, not DVDs which are substantially lower in quality than HDTV.

Letterboxing is minimilized by your widescreen setup though, so it is much better to watch them on your 16:9 display than it would be on a 4:3 display (1.33:1).

The BACK of DVDs will often say what the actual aspect ratio of the film is that is encoded on it - let me grab one for example: CASTAWAY is listed as anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 which means, as said above, it is wider than my 16:9 television but shows everything that I would have seen in the theater. Now: Cat In The Hat is listed as 1.85:1 on the back... this means it will fit my TV (or yours) perfectly!

It is DVD dependant and has nothing to do with your display.

 

[Rex]

Thanks for the response. I know Ive read it where, but I just needed reinforcment of the hell is going on with it.

 

[delta]

I remember this problem applied to cinemas when widescreen movies took off in 1953. Cinerama launched widescreen movies in 1952 but it was too big and expensive to install and not suitable for regular movie making. CinemaScope was introduced in 1953 with 'The Robe'. It had a 2.35:1 screen which most major theaters were able to install on their existing stage. The screen could be adjusted by side masking to enable any width of film to be shown. The problem came soon afterwards when smaller cinemas, (and some large ones), wanted to cash in on the success of widescreen movies. Many of these buildings had only a small stage, or none at all, and with limited width. So they went for the option of having a large Academy Ratio (approx. 4:3) screen installed, ('Giant Silver Screen'), which was fine for showing 4:3 movies. For widescreen films, the screen was masked top and bottom to create a variable 'letterbox' effect. The downside being the area of picture displayed was less than the older 4:3 format and the impact of widescreen was lost. This is similar to the situation we have with 16:9 tv, it is a compromise which really works quite well. Imagine having a 21:9 tv! Steven Spielberg was one of a group pushing for the wider tv format but practicalities ruled it out.

There is a full fascinating history of widescreen at http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/index.htm

Hope this helps!

 

[Mega2000]

i like the bruce dickenson avitar

does maiden have any DVD-A or SACDs? that alone might be worth getting a universal

 

[Rex]

i like the bruce dickenson avitar

does maiden have any DVD-A or SACDs? that alone might be worth getting a universal

Thanks, been a fan since 1983. They have a DVD-A available for their last album and shouldnt be a problem to play on DVD-A/SACD players. Ebay has some and maybe other places as well.

 

[JJNab]

There is no such thing as a dump question.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Really, because I was told there was one about a block behind my house and I couldn't find it for the longest time. Then it turned out that the reason everyone was putting their garbage on my front lawn was because I had built my house on one.

Boy, did I feel dump.

 

[Leprkon]

Really, because I was told there was one about a block behind my house and I couldn't find it for the longest time. Then it turned out that the reason everyone was putting their garbage on my front lawn was because I had built my house on one.

Boy, did I feel dump.

well, just don't let all that get you down in the dumbs...