Widescreen HDTV

[gohnto]

I just purchased a samsung DLP widescreen HDTV and was thinking about getting a HDTV receiver for it. Is all HDTV in the 16:9 Format and if it is if I was to get HDTV would it have the black bars at the top and the bottom or on the sides?

Tom

 

[mike123abc]

Not all HD is wide screen. It depends on the content, if it is not wide screen you will end up with bars on the side. I find bars on the side much better than bars on the top and bottom. Some movies are wider than HDTV so you will have small black bars on the top and bottom.

 

[gohnto]

widescreen

Thank you for the info. The small black bars I can tolerate but the large ones like you see on TCM and some others I can not. Don't know about the vertical ones as I haven't seem them yet. I was noticing on the DVDs too if they are in widescreen I get the black bars and I cannot stretch them even though my TV has the zoom capability. I think it is because I am using progressive scan on the DVD player, at least that is what someone told me.

Tom

 

[Hall]

Yes, all HD *is* in fact widescreen. A basic description of "HD" is that it has a minimum resolution of 720p (progressive) AND is in 16:9 format.

As for movies that are "wider than HDTV", I don't know how accurate that is either. There are a few "widescreen" formats: 1.66:1, 1.78:1, 1.85:1, 2.35:1. That last one is very common and is often called "enhanced for widescreen TVs". This will actually have the largest black bars across the top and bottom. I guess this one is "wider" than a 16:9 screen.... 1.78:1 is *exactly* 16:9 (16 divided by 9 equals 1.777). A movie in this format will have NO black bars top or bottom. Toy Story I and II are in that format. The other two will have very slight, sometimes not noticable, black bars on the top and bottom.

 

[Hall]

Without knowing more about your setup, I don't know how to help you. You get black bars on widescreen movies ?? Yes, that's *normal*, especially if it's in 2.35:1 format like I mentioned above. The zoom function on your TV *might* zoom out to the point that the bars are gone, but I think you'll be cutting off too much of the picture in other areas.

In your DVD player's setup menu, make sure it's set to "Widescreen" or "16:9". On your TV's zoom setting, make sure it's on "wide" or similar. Not "Full" or "Theatre Wide" or something similar.

Whoever told you it's because you're using progressive scan, they're flat out wrong.

 

[mike123abc]

If the DVD player thinks you have a 4:3 screen and you actually have a 16:9 you can have black bars because the DVD player is putting them there. Be sure the DVD player knows your screen format. 16x9 was chosen for HDTV because most movies would be close to that size, and most people would not notice black bars because 1.85:1 is so close. Only on the really wide screen movies would you see black bars on the top and bottom.

If you watch 4:3 programming you will see the bars on the side (like an OTA digital station that is just upconverting to HD). Some old movies (pre television) are 4:3. The 4:3 television format was chosen because it matched film. Then film went widescreen...

 

[mkm4]

There are a few "widescreen" formats: 1.66:1, 1.78:1, 1.85:1, 2.35:1. That last one is very common and is often called "enhanced for widescreen TVs".

"Enhanced for widescreen TVs" means that a film has been anamorphicly encoded on the dvd. It is not specific to 2.35:1 aspect ratios.

For a lot more on anamorphic dvds, please read The Ultimate Guide to Widescreen Anamorphic DVD from The Digital Bits