HDTV and Aspect Ratio

[tortfsr24]

Dear List:

Just got a 16x9 HDTV and have been testing various dvd's on it. I have a progressive scan dvd player and have set it up for 16x9 video in the menu.

1.85:1 movies fill the entire screen (no black bars), however, some dvd's which even say "enhanced for widescreen" still have the black bars. I think they are in the 2.35:1 format.

Is this normal even on a 16x9 screen? I know I can use the "stretch, zoom, expanded" format changes on my hdtv to fill the entire screen, but this sacrifices picture quality.

I hopefully assume that playing a dvd for three hours at a time with the black bars in place will not harm the set (burn-in).

It is just annoying to me that you go out and get a 16x9 tv and then the dvd producers further manipulate the format such that you still have the black bars which was the reason you prematurely bought the HDTV in the first place......to get rid of the damn bars. Then they tell you the black bars will harm the picture if you use the TV for that purpose more than 15% of the time.

I guess I'm ticked because all of my "shoot-em up" action movies are 2.35:1 and my anamorphic 1.85:1 collection consists of titles such as "A Beautiful Mind". Great movie, but not necessarily the choice of dvd's to wow your audience with picture and sound!

Thanks for the input.

Brent

P.S.: Has anybody out there tackled the "red-push" problem on the Mitsubishi's? Any input or suggestions on making my transition into HD easier would be greatly appreciated.

[Ron-P]

16:9 TV's have a fixed Aspect Ratio of 1.78:1.

Your movies that are 1.85:1 fill the screen because your TV has an overscan setting which projects the image beyond the TVs edges.

Movies with an Aspect Ratio of 2.35:1 will show small black bars. Nothing you can do. Well, you could make mattes to cover those black bars. Makes a world of difference.

you go out and get a 16x9 tv and then the dvd producers further manipulate the format such that you still have the black bars

Ummmm, DVD producers do not manipulate anything, it's the director that decides on what Aspect Ratio he wants and shoots it.

which was the reason you prematurely bought the HDTV in the first place......to get rid of the damn bars.

Not true for me. I bought it because I can get the best picture quality from DVD with an HDTV.

P.S.: Has anybody out there tackled the "red-push" problem on the Mitsubishi's? Any input or suggestions on making my transition into HD easier would be greatly appreciated.

Yes I have, I bought a red-push attenuator. You can buy them from a guy over at the hometheaterspot.com. Look around the Mits threads or Mits tweaks area for the seller. If you are handy with a soldering gun, you can buy all the parts at Radio Shack and make it yourself.

Also, get yourself the AVIA Home Theater set-up disk. Polk sells'em here. It is a must.


Peace Out~:D

[shack]

Ron is correct about this not being an issue of the DVD producers. They are simply reproducing what was already there in OAR (watching anything but the OAR does not do the movie justice). The 16:9 is really the best compromise that the current market will bear. If TV screens were designed so that 2.35:1 fit perfectly the others would have to be squeezed to fit, etc, etc....

Her is a really good article on the various aspect ratios and how they compare.ASPECT RATIOS

Here is another good article that may answer some of your questions about the problem with black bars on your RPT.Widescreen Q & A

[mantis]

Today,
they eff you with the ratio's and black bars.Everyone is sick of them.But.........
This is the correct ratio of the given movie.
Someday in the future this will all be past.I hope sooner then later.
I hate the vidoe formats......but owning a 16x9 hdtv at least allows you to view them correctly....that is a good thing.

[tortfsr24]

I appreciate the responses. I hope you caught my sarcasm when reading it. Of course I bought my HDTV for more reasons than getting rid of the "black bars." I am amazed with it and can't wait to go high definition.

Any body have any good recommendations for good action dvds currently available in the 1.85:1 ratio?

[Ron-P]

What is the big deal with black bars? I never had a problem with them. Even back when I owned WS VHS tapes and viewed them on my 27" TV. I was happy I was just seeing the entire movie.


Peace Out~:D

[etrigan]

I agree -

Watch the movie, not the tv :D

CHEERS ! jefff

[mantis]

good reply....i'm so into it

[mark k. anderson]

I've noticed that Hi-Def HBO off of DirecTV frames all of their flicks in 1.78:1, even if their original aspect ratio is 2.35:1. The resulting image crop is less annoying than, say, pan-and-scan, but still kind of irritating.

My preference is to see the film as the director intended. The black bars are a welcome site.

mka

[scotta2z]

Brent:

Not to meander, but how do you like your 800i's? I've got some RT7's and am considering swithing to the Rt800is'.

Thanks.

[tortfsr24]

I love them. You definately can't go wrong with the prices they are going for these days.

Regardless of the price, they are awesome and do everything well. They handle all types of music very well and handle volume well. You will notice a fuller sound from these as compared to the RT7 (I used to have a pair of these, good speaker as well; use them for your rears, they will integrate nicely.)

Brent