Anyone own a widescreen TV

[ashtones]

I was wondering if when you play a dvd that is not in
16 by 9 does it still letterbox the picture. Like an anamorphic aspect ratio. Or does it diplay it full screen?

[uteotw]

Usually there are 5 display settings.

16:9 : will stretch the picture horizontally to fill the screen. So if you play a 4:3 video it will be flattened.

4:3 : you end up with big black bars left and right of the picture. rarely use it

Panorama : the picture is slightly flattened and slightly zoomed , and you end up with small black bars left and right.

Zoom 1 : usually used when for a widescreen DVD (or broadcast) formatted for 4:3 TV. This will remove the black bars at the top and bottom

Zoom 2 : same a zoom 1 but stronger

Go to any shop with a widescreen TV and ask for demo.

[Harryford]

yah My dad has a flatscreen and a ad-1500 apex and it is still like that

[ashtones]

So let me see if I have this correct. If I play a DVD like Pearl Harbor for example with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 a widescreen tv won't diplay it full screen because the set aspect ratio is 16:9. Sounds like yet another rip off.

[ember]

But that's because they don't make WS TVs to resize themselves to encompass films of differing aspect ratios! You could get a 2.35:1 WS TV in the future, but 4:3 and 16:9 films/tv shows will have big black vertical bars. 16:9 is a compromise. It allows all WS formats to be seen (with minimum horizontal bar size) and 4:3 (with vertical bars)

[ashtones]

Then let me ask a dumb question. Are theatre screen different sizes?

[ember]

They are fixed: the movies themselves are variable in aspect ratio: most are 2.35:1, some 1.85:1. Best buy a projector and screen if the borders on a WS TV are so psychologically damaging..

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ember on 2001-12-08 10:27:40 ]</font>

[ashtones]

No I'll just dump $2000 on something in which I will have to compromise.

[Industricon]

I'm with you ash... it does my head in when you have that much screen yet so much of it is filled with blackness....

[ember]

What are you talking about Industricon ?

ashtones- in answer to your second question: get a DVD player with zoom features (or WS TV with zoom features)and then you can fill the screen.