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Total noob question: watching DVDs on WS TV

R

rpc64

Platinum Member
I recently purchased this tv. I was just attempting to watch movies on it via my Xbox and I notice that I still have the black bars across the top and bottom of the screen. I thought a widescreen dvd should fill the screen of my widescreen tv. What am I doing wrong? Does the xbox/dvd player have to be hooked up via component cables?
 
I may very well be wrong, but i think some movies are actually wider than 16:9 ratio.
 
Check the aspect ration of the DVD its usually listed on the back. Many movies are 2.35:1 which is wider then wide screen. 16:9 is approx 1.75:1 which is what some DVD movies are and they will take up the full screen.

The bars are still MUCH smaller then they would be on a 4:3 TV.
 
The movie is probably not in 16:9..probably in 1:8:5 or whatever it is...anamorphic.....Assuming that the picture isn;t squished, this is normal.
 
Originally posted by: rpc64
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
RTFM
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Yes I tried that but it's not very specific. All it says is that I have a component input and that it is 480i.
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i never really meant to post that. i was just thinking it and posted it because i was distracted with something else.
 
Originally posted by: Dulanic
Originally posted by: n7
I may very well be wrong, but i think some movies are actually wider than 16:9 ratio.
Click to expand...

Many are.
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The good ones😉

Usually epics are like Lwrence of Arabia etc. Depending on the director, some liek to emphasize the peripheral and it makes a VERY big difference, for better or worse.
 
Ah I see. I was just trying to watch Kill Bill and the case says its "2.35:1 -- enhanced for 16x9 televisions". So it's supposed to look like that. The picture looks great, not stretched or anything. My tv settings can stretch it to fill the screen but then it looks like crap.
 
ALWAYS watch/buy films that are in Original Aspect Ratio.

This means having black bars on 2.35:1 etc films, do not stretch them to fit the screen. I'm sure you want to watch the film as the director intended. Try to avoid "full-screen" movies or ones that have been cropped to fit to a 4:3 or 16:9 screen if they were originally wider.
 
Originally posted by: Confused
ALWAYS watch/buy films that are in Original Aspect Ratio.

This means having black bars on 2.35:1 etc films, do not stretch them to fit the screen. I'm sure you want to watch the film as the director intended. Try to avoid "full-screen" movies or ones that have been cropped to fit to a 4:3 or 16:9 screen if they were originally wider.
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Words to live by.
 
Oh yeah I know that stuff. I'm all about the original aspect ratio. I don't want a stretched or cropped picture. I yell at my roommate all the time for wanting to watch/buy fullscreen dvds and he doesn't get it. I was just confused when I saw that it didn't fill the screen, as this is my first wide screen tv.
 
Most movies come three aspect ratios (AR). 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 4:3

4:3 is nearly square and what most TV is broadcast in. Older movies were done in 4:3, too. (Like the Wizard of Oz)

1.85:1 is what will fill most widescreen TVs unless you have no overscan, and then you will see small, half inch or less bars on the sides. About 30% of movies are filmed in this AR. Mostly comedies and kids films.

2.35:1 will leave black bars at the top and bottom of a widescreen TV. The majority of modern movies are filmed in this AR. Almost all epic films and SciFi films use this or the slightly wider 2.40:1 AR

Links explaining aspect ratios and such:

http://www.rexer.com/cine/oar.htm

http://www.divx.com/support/guides/guide.php?gid=12
 
Originally posted by: rpc64
Ah I see. I was just trying to watch Kill Bill and the case says its "2.35:1 -- enhanced for 16x9 televisions". So it's supposed to look like that. The picture looks great, not stretched or anything. My tv settings can stretch it to fill the screen but then it looks like crap.
Click to expand...


what it means by enhanced is that it is animorphic. basically more of the resolution goes to the picture instead of wasting it on encoding the black bars like with normal 4:3 stuff.
 
Wow thanks for all the great info. To answer Kilgore's question, yes I can afford a better dvd player, it's just more convenient for me to use my Xbox because I use it as a total media center. Maybe I should buy a better dvd player, I'll see how things go. Now it's off to my next adventure, hooking up my new home theater system 😉
 
Originally posted by: rpc64
I recently purchased this tv. I was just attempting to watch movies on it via my Xbox and I notice that I still have the black bars across the top and bottom of the screen. I thought a widescreen dvd should fill the screen of my widescreen tv. What am I doing wrong? Does the xbox/dvd player have to be hooked up via component cables?
Click to expand...

Can you post the specific model of your tv? Some (a lot) of sony tvs are actually "16:9 enhanced mode capable" meaning they are really 4:3 tvs that look like 16:9.
 
Originally posted by: rpc64
Wow thanks for all the great info. To answer Kilgore's question, yes I can afford a better dvd player, it's just more convenient for me to use my Xbox because I use it as a total media center. Maybe I should buy a better dvd player, I'll see how things go. Now it's off to my next adventure, hooking up my new home theater system 😉
Click to expand...
Do you have your Xbox modded to do Progressive Scan?
 
Originally posted by: Wingznut
Originally posted by: rpc64
Wow thanks for all the great info. To answer Kilgore's question, yes I can afford a better dvd player, it's just more convenient for me to use my Xbox because I use it as a total media center. Maybe I should buy a better dvd player, I'll see how things go. Now it's off to my next adventure, hooking up my new home theater system 😉
Click to expand...
Do you have your Xbox modded to do Progressive Scan?
Click to expand...


:Q Wasn't aware I could do that. More info would be GREATLY appreciated.
 
Originally posted by: Philippine Mango
Originally posted by: rpc64
I recently purchased this tv. I was just attempting to watch movies on it via my Xbox and I notice that I still have the black bars across the top and bottom of the screen. I thought a widescreen dvd should fill the screen of my widescreen tv. What am I doing wrong? Does the xbox/dvd player have to be hooked up via component cables?
Click to expand...

Can you post the specific model of your tv? Some (a lot) of sony tvs are actually "16:9 enhanced mode capable" meaning they are really 4:3 tvs that look like 16:9.
Click to expand...

My tv is the exact model I linked in the OP. It's a Magnavox. My parents have a 36" WEGA that has the 16:9 enhanced mode.
 
😱 Didn't see that link. Yea I guess it's really just the movies, check in the Xbox options to see if there is an option for widescreen. Also check out your tv's properties and see if there is one too (like zoomed, widescreen etc..) though those might not be very good... Try a dvd player and see what happens, be sure to say its progressive and 16:9 otherwise it's the movies. Are they really small black bars? Or are they as big as on a 4:3 tv.
 
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