Widescreen TV question

[MrScott81]

So I really want to get a Widescreen HDTV. I have a question though...if I do get one, and I'm watching digital cable (non HD), will the standard 4:3 broadcast be stretched to fit onto the 16:9 display, or will there be black bars on the sides?

 

[Pantoot]

Your tv will have different display modes. Check out the different fills and stretches that they offer before you buy one.

 

[Amused]

Most TVs give you a broad range of choices. You can stretch the image, zoom the image, or have black bars on the sides. different manufacturers have different special "fill" modes that stetch the image on the sides only or something like that to fill the screen.

 

[Ameesh]

most if not all 16:9 tvs have an option to stretch 4:3 content to fit oon the screen, over the years they have goteen better at using some different logritmic algorithms so that it doesnt look like its being stretched.

 

[Viper GTS]

If you're asking this question there's one other important thing you need to know about "widescreen" TV's:

Widescreen simply means anything that is wider than 4:3. TV's are 16:9 because it is the tallest of the "wide" ratios, but not all "widescreen" movies are 16:9.

You will see bars on many movies, even though they are widescreen.

Viper GTS

 

[MrScott81]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
If you're asking this question there's one other important thing you need to know about "widescreen" TV's:

Widescreen simply means anything that is wider than 4:3. TV's are 16:9 because it is the tallest of the "wide" ratios, but not all "widescreen" movies are 16:9.

You will see bars on many movies, even though they are widescreen.

Viper GTS

Yeah I actually know alot about aspect ratios and stuff like that, just not the TV's themselves 😉

For the 2.35:1 movies, I know there will be black bars.

I was mainly concerned that standard cable WOULDN'T be stretched to 16:9, but as long as most TV's have options to keep it at 4:3 I'd be happy with that. To me, the stretched image looks much worse than having black bars on the side.

 

[joshk87]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
If you're asking this question there's one other important thing you need to know about "widescreen" TV's:

Widescreen simply means anything that is wider than 4:3. TV's are 16:9 because it is the tallest of the "wide" ratios, but not all "widescreen" movies are 16:9.

You will see bars on many movies, even though they are widescreen.

Viper GTS

Unfortunately i learned this the hard way after i bought my widescreen tv. I hate tv salesman now. He either lied to me about that or didnt even know himself, which if thats the case he shouldnt be selling tv's. Oh well. When i set mine to stretch its not really noticable at all, so i just try and buy a fullscreen version of the dvd i want. those black bars really do annoy me.

 

[MrScott81]

i don't think he lied to you he just didn't know what he was talking about...there are many different aspect ratios for widescreen. If you have a movie that is 1.78:1 or something like that, it will fill your widescreen tv perfectly...anything higher than 1.78 will give you black bars.

 

[joshk87]

Originally posted by: MrScott81
i don't think he lied to you he just didn't know what he was talking about...there are many different aspect ratios for widescreen. If you have a movie that is 1.78:1 or something like that, it will fill your widescreen tv perfectly...anything higher than 1.78 will give you black bars.

Maybe he wasnt, but he could have been to just try and make a sale. Oh well, whats done is done. Thanks for the info though. When i look for widescreen dvds ill make sure to check for that aspect ratio. Thanks.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: joshk87

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
If you're asking this question there's one other important thing you need to know about "widescreen" TV's:

Widescreen simply means anything that is wider than 4:3. TV's are 16:9 because it is the tallest of the "wide" ratios, but not all "widescreen" movies are 16:9.

You will see bars on many movies, even though they are widescreen.

Viper GTS

Unfortunately i learned this the hard way after i bought my widescreen tv. I hate tv salesman now. He either lied to me about that or didnt even know himself, which if thats the case he shouldnt be selling tv's. Oh well. When i set mine to stretch its not really noticable at all, so i just try and buy a fullscreen version of the dvd i want. those black bars really do annoy me.

oh god, buying full screen dvds when you own a widscreen tv makes baby jesus kill himself.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: joshk87

Originally posted by: MrScott81
i don't think he lied to you he just didn't know what he was talking about...there are many different aspect ratios for widescreen. If you have a movie that is 1.78:1 or something like that, it will fill your widescreen tv perfectly...anything higher than 1.78 will give you black bars.

Maybe he wasnt, but he could have been to just try and make a sale. Oh well, whats done is done. Thanks for the info though. When i look for widescreen dvds ill make sure to check for that aspect ratio. Thanks.

The actual ratio you are talking about is 1.85:1

(16/9 = 1.77777..., but for whatever reason they use 1.85:1)

 

[MustISO]

Widescreen TV's are 1.78:1. 1.85:1 is one of the formats that movies can come in.

 

[daniel1113]

Almost every movie will come in a larger aspect ratio than your widescreen TV will be able to display; therefore, you will see a small black bar on the top and bottom (assuming you get widescreen DVDs). However, the bars will be much smaller on a widescreen HDTV than on a standard 4:3 television, and thus less noticable. IMO, you can't go wrong with an HDTV, especially since HD programming will be widely available within a few short years.

If it really bugs you (which I can't imagine), go get a standard TV, and watch good ole' classic movies like Citizen Kane that were produced in a 4:3 ratio.

And most, if not all, HDTVs have some sort of smart stretch option so that you can view 4:3 material on your entire widescreen TV. The results aren't perfect, but they are more than enough to watch TV.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: joshk87

Originally posted by: MrScott81
i don't think he lied to you he just didn't know what he was talking about...there are many different aspect ratios for widescreen. If you have a movie that is 1.78:1 or something like that, it will fill your widescreen tv perfectly...anything higher than 1.78 will give you black bars.

Maybe he wasnt, but he could have been to just try and make a sale. Oh well, whats done is done. Thanks for the info though. When i look for widescreen dvds ill make sure to check for that aspect ratio. Thanks.

The actual ratio you are talking about is 1.85:1

(16/9 = 1.77777..., but for whatever reason they use 1.85:1)

No, that is not the case.

16:9 is usually referred to as 1.78:1, 1.85:1 is not the same aspect ratio.

Viper GTS

 

[daniel1113]

Yep. Viper GTS is correct.

1.78:1 is widescreen HDTV (16x9)

1.85:1 is known as "Academy" aspect ratio, and is very common for moderm films

2.35:1 is anamorphic widescreen, or Panavision.

 

[Buickbeast]

Well, I believe he is talking about HDTV from a cable box not a dvd. I'm running a 32" widescreen HDTV with HD Charter cable.

The main thing you need to remember is HD is all natively shot in 16:9 so you never have to worry about black bars of HD programing. The only time I get black bars is on some movies upscaled by HBO, Shotime or ABC. If the DVD is another ratio like 1.85:1 it might have black bars.

 

[MustISO]

and I'm watching digital cable (non HD)

He was talking about non-HDTV. And like most people said, the TV will have a few stretch modes.

 

[Amused]

1.85:1 fills the screen of most 16:9 TVs simply because of the standard 5-10% overscan on most sets. So if you need a movie to fill the entire screen, a 1.85:1 movie will most likely do it for you.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: Ameesh

Originally posted by: joshk87

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
If you're asking this question there's one other important thing you need to know about "widescreen" TV's:

Widescreen simply means anything that is wider than 4:3. TV's are 16:9 because it is the tallest of the "wide" ratios, but not all "widescreen" movies are 16:9.

You will see bars on many movies, even though they are widescreen.

Viper GTS

Unfortunately i learned this the hard way after i bought my widescreen tv. I hate tv salesman now. He either lied to me about that or didnt even know himself, which if thats the case he shouldnt be selling tv's. Oh well. When i set mine to stretch its not really noticable at all, so i just try and buy a fullscreen version of the dvd i want. those black bars really do annoy me.

oh god, buying full screen dvds when you own a widscreen tv makes baby jesus kill himself.

I was thinking the exact same thing...I think it also kills baby buddha. One of the greatest things about DVDs is the fact that you get to see the movie in all its glory...not pan and scan chopped....