Widescreen or not widescreen?

[Ashak]

Hi,

I've been playing with video capture recently, but I have a question.....

Some tv broadcasts that are supposed to be widescreen seem to have no black bars. Therefore I presume that being widescreen and being letterboxed is two completly different things?

If this is the case, is there a simple way to tell whether video the has no black bars is widescreen or not?

Thanks

Ashak

[e-z-e]

Therefore I presume that being widescreen and being letterboxed is two completly different things?

Letterbox simply refers to the intended aspect ratio of the media.

If this is the case, is there a simple way to tell whether video the has no black bars is widescreen or not?

Make sure you don't have a widescreen TV. If you did, you will not see black bars on the screen. Black bars only appear on TVs that are not widescreen TVs.

[Ashak]

Ok, but what about stuff that is broadcast in widescreen, and when viewed on a normal tv and there are no black bars? Or is this not possible?

Ashak

[AntnyMD]

Take for example the last season of The West Wing on NBC. It was broadcast in "widescreen" .. i.e., it was broadcast in analog in its original aspect ratio in letterboxed format ... you saw black bars at the top and bottom of the image. If your television overscans to the degree you didn't see black bars, your television picture needs a bit of adjustment.

The program was simulcast on the digital version of your local NBC affiliate (provided you live in one of the larger television markets in the United States), and was broadcast in "widescreen" .. i.e., it was broadcast in digital in its original aspect ratio, and the image filled a 16:9 screen (or was shown with black bars at the top and bottom of the image if you used a digital to analog convertor and viewed on a 4:3 television).

Widescreen and letterbox are sometimes incorrectly used synonymously, and sometimes its used correctly and synonymously. The confusion really won't clear up for another ten years or so when everyone's broken down and bought 16:9 digital televisions. Of course then they'll complain about all the DVDs they've bought that said "widescreen" when it really meant "letterboxed" and the movie plays in a tiny window in the center of your television screen!