pslewis

I have a Panasonic DVD Player/Recorder with a 'normal' 4:3 Aspect Ratio Sony Trinitron 29" TV.

When we play DVDs I can't get them to play in 'normal' mode! (well, I can, but its still a narrow picture!)

I adjust the TV setting from Widescreen to Normal - but its STILL a narrow band across the middle (deeper than widescreen set-up but certainly not what I would want!)

Can't figure out a way around it ........ or is it the Film Industry telling me to buy a Widescreen?!

Pete

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

widescreen is the only way forward join the reveloution pops

Jye

Lets meet, I'm sure we can discuss the intracicies of this problem at length, eh petey

So, ma little little girl keep dancin

Hanslow

RTFM!

Freak

Its your cataracts

Jye

Boom, boom, boom

andrewdelvard

Annoys the hell out of me & the missus too. Don,t like the widescreen perspective. One of the issues I have with it is how it distorts people and makes them look 'wide'.
I have to say though go into Comet, Currys etc etc and it seems for the next telly, you'll have no other choice.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Pete, if the films you are watching are in letterbox format they'll still have a gap at the top and bottom of the screen on a widescreen tv let alone a 4:3. Some guff here

Andrew, the only reason the picture looks distorted on some people's widescreen tv's is because they are watching it in the wrong aspect!

andrewdelvard

Is that all it is? It just seems so common. Why spend all that money on a shiny new tv and then watch it in the wrong perspective?
As you say

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Exactly! It frightens me how many people do it

ajm

Pete,

Have you not considered that if the picture is filmed in wide screen format and you force it to fit 4:3 either the aspect ratio will change and everything will look all squashed and funny or you will lose a chunk of the picture either side?

It's not nuclear rocket science!

TheBigMan

Some DVD's come in differing aspects.

Basically, they look **** on a 4:3 TV. There is nothing you can do.

ChrisB

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...reenorama.html

JackClark

Same here, sends my eyes all squiffy, then some people get annoyed when I have to tell them the error of thier ways "I didn't spend all that money on a widescreen TV so I could leave the extra inches blank" Thankfully most broadcasts are now in widescreen.

GC8

Annoyingly though; where the programme wasnt recorded in widescreen its broadcast in 4:3, so you have to keep toggling between the two settings: youd think that broadcasters would transmit it with side-bars wouldnt you?


Simon

EvilKyote

There is a difference, there is normal widescreen which on a normal TV with the correct aspect ratio you will get black borders at the top and bottom but will fit perfectly on a widescreen TV,

But now aday alot of films are being release in the full 'Cinema widescreen' format (not sure if thats the official name) but they are the aspect ration of a full on cinema wide screen, so even on a widescreen TV you will still get the black bars, simply because the sceen is not wide enough.

Really if you want a good picture get yourself a 40+ inch widescreen TV, you can get some nice compact ones now a days. Although on the full cinema aspect DVD's you'll still get the black bars, on a large screen it shouldn't seem as noticable.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Spend some money on a decent TV which is capeable of sorting out all picture formats without distorting the picture or giving you black bars.

Ours plays any screen format you throw at it...even cinema widescreen (2.35:1??) - without distorting the picture. Only truncating a little off the sides, which in most cases doesn't matter too much....Just like in the 80's when the industry said you must have FST (flat square tube) TVs over the natural rectangle ones (4:3) . Pictures were still transmitted in 4:3 but the sides were chopped off on the FST.

pslewis

I don't mind losing a bit of the picture from each end (as not much happens in those areas anyway) - I just want the screen FULL!

Its just annoying that I don't have the option to do that if I so wish!

Maybe I need to re-read the manuals?

Pete

Vipa

Pete

Have a look at the picture menu on the DVD player, there should be a setting there called "pan and scan"

Leave the TV in 4:3

This will chop the sides off the picture but will fill your tv screen

Paul

pslewis

Thanks Paul ...... I 'think' I may have done that? Doesn't the DVD disc itself set what happens?

Cheers

Pete

Vipa

Should do but remember the DVD player doesn't know anything about your TV so it can only go by what the software on the disc is telling it....

DVD software and hardware manufacturers produce discs assuming the majority of users will want widescreen (bear in mind 90% of new full size TVs are now WS) and therefore the default aspect ratio will be 16:whatever it is:9 I think or letterbox!

If the software itself is recorded in 4:3 then yes, you should get it automatically at 4:3

if this isn't happening check your DVD settings and make sure the setting "keep aspect ratio" is checked but obviously if you put a 16:9 or Letterbox disc in it will keep it at that ratio. If you have a 4:3 TV and want all discs played in that ratio then set it at "pan & scan." I don't think that will cause any undue issues if you put a 4:3 disc in!

Paul

dtriggs

The DVD player only knows what type of tv you have by what you put into the settings. If it is left as 16:9 (Widescreen) then it will fit the whole picture in with nothing chopped off. But accordingly it must have black lines top and bottom.

My Panasonic Dvd player/recorder needed to be set on 16:9 for the TV in order to expand the picture. This doesnt always fully work as you can have a variety of aspects - 2.35:1, 1.88:1. 1.78:1 - but it will be the best you can do. Obviously you lose the dies somewhat though. You take your choice.....my choice was to buy a widescreen tv !!