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Plasma TV Aspect Ratio
dgharwood
09-10-2003
When viewing a widescreen DVD on my Panasonic Plasma TV, via a Pioneer AV System, the aspect ratio setting on the TV is set to 16:9, but bars appear at the top and bottom. The DVD is anamorphic, which I thought meant would ensure that the output covers the whole of the screen.

There are other aspect rations on the Plasma TV, but all of them distort the picture.

Would the setting be on the Pioneer AV player?
monkey75
09-10-2003
if the film is 2.35:1 then you will get unused space at the top of a 16:9 ratio set of any kind

dont worry about it, its a good thing, means your seeing the film as it was shown in the cinema!
TheCableGuy
09-10-2003
Quote:
“Originally posted by monkey75
if the film is 2.35:1 then you will get unused space at the top of a 16:9 ratio set of any kind

dont worry about it, its a good thing, means your seeing the film as it was shown in the cinema!
”

As monkey has pointed out, there is usually two formats used for widescreen films. One of which is the format of a widescreen TV, the other is even wider, meaning to show it correctly on a 16:9 TV it has to have black bars.
dgharwood
09-10-2003
Thanks for your help
David (2)
10-10-2003
There is 16:9 Widescreen and the more narrow Letterbox format. Even a widescreen tv will have some degree of black bars top and bottom in Letterbox mode. All widescreen tvs are like this - not just Plasma.
dgharwood
10-10-2003
I must be stupid - please don't agree - but there is widescreen 16.9 and widescreen for widescreen tvs. How do you know this when you buy the DVD?

For example, there are two versions for the Matrix Reloaded.
One is Widescreen, the other does not state Widescreen. The Widescreen version is anamorphic.
Jim Rae
11-10-2003
No you are not stupid - it's just that the 16:9 TV is a compromise widescreen format which has been adopted worldwide by the TV manufacturers and broadcasters as being the most practical and affordable way of displaying widescreen in a domestic environment.

However the film makers still make films with even wider shapes which look good in the cinema.

So if you take one of them - like the Matrix set - and show them on a WS TV, you will get one of two things -

(1) Black bars top and bottom - which is correct - as you are seeing the full width of the film which is actually wider than 16:9 so is therefore less "tall".

(2) Or your screen will be completely filled - not correct - which means something at each side is being chopped off.

Dim the lights down and you shouldn't be bothered by the black bars anyway...
Jim Rae
11-10-2003
Sorry - didn't answer your last question - you buy the widescreen version of the DVD - as there is a risk that if it's not marked WS, it could be 4:3.

Look at the small print on the back of the box.
dgharwood
12-10-2003
Thanks JIm - I actually think I have got it now.
Jim Rae
12-10-2003
Just to sum up - "How the West was Won" was shown in WS on Channel Four yesterday.

It was originally shot in "Cinerama" - which Radio Ruderham will I hope confirm - was shot with three cameras simultaneously, then projected on to a huge wide screen with three projectors - I suspect a projectionist's nightmare!

It was mighty impressive, but you could always see the joins between the three separate pictures!

Anyway you could see the joins on TV yesterday and I reckon we only got aroung two thirds of the pictures at any one time.

And that was in 16:9 format.

There are some very good widescreen information sites if you search on something like Google or Ask Jeeves...
dgharwood
13-10-2003
It makes you wonder why TVs weren't made that little bit wider for true widescreen.

Out of the two Matrix versions available, one called The Matrix and one called The Matrix Widescreen, I purchased The Matrix and watched it yesterday.

The bars were on the screen. I wonder what The Matrix Widescreen would show?
Jim Rae
13-10-2003
TVs have been set to a world standard for 16:9 - movies still have variable standards ranging from Academy to Imax - no TVs could cope with that kid of range - nor should they need to as that would stifle new cinema developments.

As I said - check the small panel on the back for the aspect ratio - whether or not it says "widescreen" on the front.

Sometimes it's only there as a marketing ploy...
gazrobs
13-10-2003
I too recently watched a rented Matrix Reloaded on my Plasma & annoyingly it had big black bars top n bottom (probably about a third of the screen size was lost. I can't recall if it was 2:35 or 1:85 etc but it's the worst probably I've seen but most annoying I think is it appeared to cut off the top of their heads. Otherwise the aspect ratio settings had to be in 16:9 for them to look correct. I've not noticed it before chopping off their heads on other rented anamorphic disks so much but I've never seen such big bars. I did mess with all the other modes on the plasma but it needed to be in 16:9.

I'm curious to know why all this happens as I'm sure if you went to the Cinema you get full screen or no black bars.. If one is buying/renting in this country why can't we get a 16:9 version. Other DVD's I've watched eg Jurassic Park 3 give superb picture/sound in 16:9 format.

I don't recall when you go & rent you get any option to specify 'widescreen' & you end up with an anamorphic jobbie which for me isn't as good (whether it's as intended by the director or not)

I have seen on websites sometimes it states the ratio so you know what you get but really I only want 16:9. As it happens I sat on the fence for a long time on a widescreen set as I always thought they looked too small (not high enough North/South) & very often a squashed picture when you wandered around Comet etc cos of the wrong aspect ratio being transmitted. Eventually I bought the biggest available plasma (50") at great cost & luckily on Sky + a lot of things are transmitted in 16:9 but unfortunately for me I have no WSS switching due to no scart input on my amp (not sure anyhow if Sky+ output WSS switching anyhow from their chip to scart) so I always have to keep changing from 16:9 to 4:3 etc when I channel hop which is a pain.

Phew a few points. Anyone out there can give me the 'techy' answer to all the aspect ratios & why we have to lose a third of our screen size etc & any workarounds to my other problem or a good weblink or 2.

L8er

Gary
Jim Rae
13-10-2003
Sorry you seem to be missing the point here...

If you go to the cinema, there are black masking panels which move around, so the picture - no matter what size - appears to fit the frame, whether it's a 4:3 information film or a full blown WS spectacular.

You obviously can't have them on a TV (unless you stick bits of cardboard around the screen!) so any framing is done by the TV tube.

We call them black bars - but strictly speaking they are not physical bars - but simply unused picture areas.

You really shouldn't be losing a third of your picture on a 16:9 set - I certainly don't - on a full width WS DVD movie, I lose maybe about an inch top and bottom on a 42" screen.

Anyway if you turn the lights down, you should not see them as they should be completely black if your TV is set up properly.

Again check the small print on the box - in the panel that says "2.35:1" or whatever, there's now a digram on newer DVDs showing what shape will actually appear on the screen.
gazrobs
13-10-2003
Yup, I realise black bars are unused picture areas. From an aspect ratio perspective I still can't visualize it on a cinema screen (not sure if they are approx 16:9 anyhow) as on my plasma is fills the whole screen but big black (unused areas) top and bottom which adding both black/areas together looks a good third of my total height. I've never seen them that big before & what's more my main 'beef' was that it appeared to chop the top of the heads (with Matrix Reloaded)

As it was a prebooked 'rental' there was nothing on the yellow box so unless I physically went into the shop prior to renting & looked at the empty box to check (which I didn't hence no aspect ratio) I just got it picked up for me.

I just hypothesised about the cinema cos even if the TV had the masking panels (no black bars) it still looks incredibly wide & not very tall & chops the heads & you don't tend to see the width/height thing at the pictures. Other DVD's I've watched (anamorphic) haven't had such large unused areas but still had some depending on whether it was 1:85 etc

Sorry to be thick but just trying to understand it all & how come some DVD's (even from the US) come out in 16:9 ratio which virtually everyone has these days on modern screen or are these converted (is that possible) from the original. I personally don't like the loss of height in the picture & prefer only 16:9. If all TV's in the world (barring 4:3) are 16:9 why do they bring out such movies on DVD's even if it's as the director intended (just curious) don't flame me
Jim Rae
13-10-2003
Now you have just mentioned the magic words - "...chops the heads...".

No properly set up TV and DVD chops heads off - honest!

Ar you sure your settings on the plasma are OK?

It sounds as if your picture has collapsed for some reason - can't really offer any advice without more information.

What kind of signal is being used - component, RGB, S Video or composite?
gazrobs
13-10-2003
Hi Jim,

Actually I mentioned those magic words in the first post lol but maybe it wuz too nested for ya in all the other gibberish

I have a component output from DVD to amp and likewise to the plasma. It's working perfectly on any 16:9 DVD's I have & has worked with the old black bars before with rentals etc just not as big and without headchopping it also works perfectly from widescreen Sky+ (SVHS connected cos of no component output from Sky box) though I wish it was automatic as aformentioned to save me keep changing the aspect ratio when I channel hop in Sky.

Maybe it was just a one off with that particular movie/DVD. Has anyone else watched Matrix Reloaded (personally I didn't think it was that great anyhow) & can verify how much black bars/ratio & headchopping? Maybe I wuz just lucky

Even so I prefer 16:9 & stuff any wider as in the original cut.
dgharwood
13-10-2003
I didnt get any head chopping. Just two black bars, about 2 inches each.
Jim Rae
13-10-2003
HI gazrobs - nice to be on first name terms!

My son no doubt has Matrix Revisited somewhere, so I'll have a look at the display on my TV - which is set up correctly - and see how it looks.

Sorry if I misunderstood the "chopping heads" thing...

Despite all the posts on these pages, I thoroughly enjoy many genuine WS programmes and can't get annoyed with some of the things people complain about.

I don't want to go back to 4:3 ever!
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