[deecjay]

Hi,

This is my last resort.

Recently i've invested in a Phillips widescreen TV and a Sony DVD player.

When i play a widescreen DVD i always get black bands at the top/bottom of the screen.

now i know that i can use the zoom function and fill the screen to 16:9, but i thought that a widescreen film would fill the screen normally.

Am i mad?? Somebody please help.

make sure that your dvd player is set to output a 16:9 signal and not 4:3 letterbox.

if your setting are okay then it could simply be the dvd, i have several dvd's which still display black bands.

[deecjay]

cheers sva , i tried that still the same result.

The DVD i'm trying is the two towers LOTR pt 2 but it does happen with other discs as well.

[mike65_085]

There's different aspect ratios of widescreen movies. Widescreen TV's can get rid of the black bands on widescreen movies that are 16:9 format, 1.77:1 and 1.85:1 (you can check the back of DVD cases for the aspect ratio). The Lord of the Rings movie you are trying to play has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, a widescreen TV can get rid of some of the large black bands at the top and bottom but there is still some their as the ratio of the widescreen TV isnt wide enough for the aspect ratio of the movie. You could always zoom and get rid of them but then the picture is stretched.

[tichtich]

Quote:

Originally posted by mike65_085
You could always zoom and get rid of them but then the picture is stretched.

I suppose it may depend on the TV, but I would hope that most TVs would have a zoom mode that doesn't stretch the picture. My Panasonic DX-28DT30 has 3 zoom modes. Zoom2 is designed for anamorphic pictures (which means most DVDs). Zoom1 and Zoom3 are designed for non-anamorphic pictures (e.g. a 4:3 TV picture) and, if used with an anamorphic DVD, will give a stretched image.

On the down side, the Panasonic's Zoom2 mode has a fixed zoom factor and zooms in more than necessary for a 2.35:1 film, so more of the picture gets trimmed off than necessary.

[mike65_085]

Your TV sounds a lot better than mine, although mine was basic even at the time of purchase 4 years ago. It only zooms vertically not both ways like your zoom mode 2 seems to do. When I get a new TV in a year or so I will make sure it's got a lot more functions.

[Milky Joe]

Quote:

Originally posted by mike65_085
Your TV sounds a lot better than mine, although mine was basic even at the time of purchase 4 years ago. It only zooms vertically not both ways like your zoom mode 2 seems to do. When I get a new TV in a year or so I will make sure it's got a lot more functions.

why? You really dont need the functions unless you enjoy buggering up an aspect ratio

All you need is 4:3/16:9/zoom or most tvs have "auto" which will do all that for you. It'll automatically show 4:3, unless it detects a 16:9 signal and will then show it correctly. And if its 4:3 letterbox then the TV will zoom it for you. simple!

[David (2)]

I have an "old" Sony widescreen tv, and Sony dvd player (connected with scart). My tv only has 4:3, SMART, 16:9, and ZOOM. Yet the tv switches to the right shape picture when playing a dvd without problems.

Some things to check then.
Is the DVD player directly connected to the tv? If it goes through a VHS, Freeview, Sky, or Cable machine, it might be loosing the "switching" signals.

Make sure the dvd player is set to "16:9 Widescreen". This is usually done without having a dvd disc in the machine, and selecting the DVD input manually on the tv, and adjusting its setup menu as required (see manual).

Most tv's have an "auto widescreen" option. Make sure it is set to ON.

With all that set up right, you should see the tv switch settings automatically as the dvd is played. However, as someone else said, not all DVD discs are made in the 16:9 format. Some older material is the old 4:3 (square), while others are more narrow than 16:9, so even on a correctly adjusted system, you would still see some "lesser" black bars top & bottom on the screen.

Dave