Anyone else confused, I mean you buy a huge 16:9 screen and there are still black bars either side of the movie.

Sure I have many settings to toy with, 16:9 4:3 Wide Zoom Zoom & Just Scan (whatever that is), but aren't all cinema screens the same size. I haven't been lately but I never noticed black bars when I did.

Depends what you're watching.

If you're watching 16:9 TV, it will fit without bars, same with films that have an aspect ratio of 1:85:1 (it's almost 16:9, barely noticeable difference).

If you watch films with 2:35:1 ratio, you'll get some bars. Cinema screens are usually the correct size to match the film they're playing, so that's why there's no bars on them.

Yes, but they're not 16:9, they're wider! Even with a 16:9 TV, you are losing some of the picture from the left and right sides. Unless, as you've noticed, the particular film you're watching is shown uncropped and you will therefore get black bars top an bottom. Letterboxed, just like you'd get on a 4:3 TV with a 16:9 broadcast.

[EDIT] Just noticed you said that the black bars are "either side". I assumed you meant "top and bottom". If you mean that there are black bars left and right then you haven't got something set up properly. Your TV should be set to 16:9/Wide (or automatic) and the box that you're using to play the movie should also be set to 16:9, and using the TV SCART to connect to the TV not the VCR SCART.

Umm. No movies are filmed in 4:3, so no movie will display with borders either side on a 16:9 TV. There are afew unenlightened porno channels on satellite that are still broadcasting in 4:3, but the majority of watchable UK broadcast television moved to 16:9 years ago.
There are infact many different ratios used for different films.

Next time you go to the cinema, Look closely at the start, the actual size of the cinema screen will alter before the movie starts to the correct ratio of the film being shown. The change will usually happen between showing product adverts and film adverts, then again while they are displaying the film classification certificate for the film itself.

-Chris

Maybe your equipment (DVD or Sky) is set to output 4/3 and not 16/9?

Unless you're meaning the black bars top/bottom that are present on some films, when viewed in full width 'wide' screen 16/9 mode.

Sort of connected....having measured some television screens lately I found they weren't 16:9. Don't know if the image is distorted to fit the screens.

Some of the smaller screens are 16:10 (PC monitor panels). How they show 16:9 depends on the particular TV, some stretch the image others show small bars.

I meant top and bottom rather that either side.

I'm watching through a Panasonic DVD recorder (HDMI) so I have Sky, the recorder and the TV all with their own ratio settings.

I would of thought they would of standardised everything, the home cinema market is massive, it doesn't take a genius to say we should make our movies to fit 16:9 panels.

Movies are designed firstly for the cinema and 2.35:1 is popular there. Movies made specially for TV or DVD may well be 16:9.

There's a range of aspect ratios from 4:3 to 2.35:1 - that's life you just have to live with it.

Personally I would rather have a 2.35:1 TV because the height/distance is the most important thing and all ratios would then be the same height. However 16:9 is seen as a good compromise and in any case is all that's available at the moment.

The 16/9 ratio was probably chosen by TV manufacturers/broadcasters as the ideal format to cope with all the 'old' 4/3 programming and the wide format used.

Seeing as there are several widescreen ratios it would be impossible to get a TV suitable for all so 16/9 is a good compromise, I guess it's halfway between 4/3 and full wide (someone will no doubt correct me on the exact specifics!)

All you can really say is that you're seeing the movie exactly as it would appear in the cinema with all the trimmings whereas if they made it fit a 16/9, they will lose some of the edges.

Google 'widescreen ratios' and you'll find much about this.

for example http://www.hightechproductions.com/widescreen.htm or http://www.widescreen.org/aspect_ratios.shtml