Display Wide Screen?

[TB Player]

I'm capturing some VHS tapes which I capture at 720x480. I've been taking small segments of the files and creating DVD test files to compare different restoration solutions, which I watch on my WS TV. I've noticed that my test files play back on my Sony BluRay player at 720x480 (natch!) but when I play the VHS tapes from the VCR, the display fills the wide screen. I assume it has something to do with the way my TV processes the signal from the VCR, but perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me could explain why it happens that the VCR display is wide screen but the DVD playback remains 720x480 when the source is the same. Thanks.

[Richard_G]

Your DVD player is reading the headers and playing back in 4:3 as it should. Your TV is stretching the output from the VCR to fill the screen. It may be as simple as pressing the 'Wide' button on your TV remote, some will default to full screen unless told otherwise.

[manono]

...why it happens that the VCR display is wide screen but the DVD playback remains 720x480 when the source is the same.

I doubt that's true. 720/480=1.5 and, assuming you reencoded them for DVD as 4:3, they're playing in some 1.33:1 ratio, something more like 640x480.

I have no idea why your tapes when played through the VCR fill the screen, but it's most likely what Richard_G said - something set up wrong somewhere. My tapes play as they should (1.33:1 with pillarbars added to the sides) when played on my widescreen TV set.

[2Bdecided]

I bet your BluRay player is connected to your TV using HDMI, which forces your TV to use the correct aspect ratio.
I bet your VHS machine is connected to your TV using composite, which allows you to set the incorrect aspect ratio (which you have done).

Even in Europe, where composite via SCART carries one or even two signals to tell the TV the correct aspect ratio, TVs still allow users to over ride this and set the incorrect aspect ratio if they really want to. You can sometimes do this with an HDMI input too - it depends on the TV, and the exact signal sent over HDMI. Some devices upscale SD video to HD, adding black bars either side, before sending the picture to the TV - in this case, there's no way any TV will ever display it stretched to fill the screen.

Cheers,
David.

[TB Player]

I bet your BluRay player is connected to your TV using HDMI, which forces your TV to use the correct aspect ratio.
I bet your VHS machine is connected to your TV using composite, which allows you to set the incorrect aspect ratio (which you have done).

Yes, that's exactly right.

Thanks to all for the explanations.

[jagabo]

when I play the VHS tapes from the VCR, the display fills the wide screen.

You're TV is set to stretch 4:3 to 16:9 on that analog input. Just change that setting. There's probably a button on the remote that controls this. If not, you'll have to go into the setup menus.