Letterbox DVD help

GarlicBreath

Senior member
Jan 11, 2002
334
0
76
Hi. I purchased a surround sound sytem with a DVD player for my father as a gift. I just set it up this weekend at his house. I have some questions about DVD players and the "letterbox" format. I have never owned a DVD player myself, so this is new to me (don't laugh, I'm "middle-aged").

When we play a DVD, it appears in letterbox format, with the black bands at the top and bottom. I can make the image fill the entire screen only by using the "zoom" feature on the DVD player. Somehow I came to believe that DVDs would allow you to watch movies either in letterbox or the full-screen mode. Is this not true? We'd both prefer not to watch in letterbox mode.

The DVD player has setup options for screen size. I set it for "4:3 normal". The other chices were "4:3 letterbox" and "16:9" widescreen". This had no effect on the image; its still letterbox. The instruction manual stated that, depending on how the DVDs are recorded, your viewing options may be limited. Are there any DVDs that are not recorded in letterbox? Or any that have both modes?

Can you shed any light on this? Thank you kindly.
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
17,090
2
0
From reading that I take it your fathers tv is a 4:3 right?

Well MOST DVD's are in Widescreen format 16:9. So you will see them in letter box on your 4:3 tv with the bars on the top and bottom.

If you zoom in you see the central part of the DVD and its just enlarged to fit but then you lose the left and right parts.

Sorry looks like you won't be able to see the DVD's full screen unless you loose some of the left and right parts of the film.

You are correct. You can only choose which options that the DVD was made with. Most now a days are nearly always 16:9 and some are more then that even so you still get bars on a Widescreen tv.

Some dvds have both 4:3 and 16:9 on them. Most in my experience aren't. They are 16:9.
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
If DVD's only have one format on them (ie widescreen), then you're stuck with what is there. Some DVD players have the ability to chop off the sides & produce a 4:3 picture for your TV.

My question for you would be a huge WHY?

The beauty of DVD is that the original aspect ratio is retained. Have you ever noticed that movie screens aren't shaped like your TV? Forcing the image to full screen on your TV loses about 1/3 of the original frame.

If you really must have full frame viewing, only rent/buy DVD's that either include both the original aspect ratio as well as 4:3, or stick with DVD's that only have the 4:3.

I'll try to find you a link showing you exactly what I'm talking about. Hopefully you'll see the light like the rest of us have.

Here's a good example with pictures

Viper GTS
 

FSUpaintball

Banned
Jun 12, 2001
768
0
0
Yeah, but sometimes letterbox SUCKS!!! I appreciate being able to see everything that the director intended, but it just looks too small! I usually watch stuff on a 32" TV, and I really don't like having to make the picture smaller overall to accommodate the letterbox perspective. I'd rather have a "chopped" picture that fills the entire screen.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,265
126


<< Yeah, but sometimes letterbox SUCKS!!! I appreciate being able to see everything that the director intended, but it just looks too small! I usually watch stuff on a 32" TV, and I really don't like having to make the picture smaller overall to accommodate the letterbox perspective. I'd rather have a "chopped" picture that fills the entire screen. >>




Not if it is HDTV and progressive scan BUAHAAAA! Ooops forgot myself:p