Need some answers for HT newb (1 Viewer)

[Dave_Edmo]

Okay, I am new at this and have a couple of questions regarding my inital try of setting up my system.

I have a Toshiba 65hx81 and just purchased a Toshiba sd5700 DVD player(improving on my Toshiba sd3205).

I have been reading that progressive scan is better than the internal processing on my set. I hope that this is true, because I have yet to receive the new DVD player.

What I have noticed is the clarity of the DVD through the HD conncetions(the red,green,blue).

I have also noticed that some of my 16x9 DVDs seem to still show black bars on my set. My current DVD player(sd3205) is set up for 16x9 and I am using the widescreen setting on my set. Some DVDs are filling the whole screen, while others are leaving the black bars. They are only a couple of inches on top and bottom, but is this normal?

I was under the impression that all widescreen formatted DVDs would fill the entire picture on a 16x9 set.

I also purchased the Avia calibration DVD and will be trying to perfect the picture as best as possible. There are no local specialists for this. Has anyone seen the difference with the Avia?

Many thanks on and help and I am looking forward to getting this system up and running.

 

[Marc Rochkind]

The source material for a DVD, usually a film, may be in any aspect ratio at all, and rarely is it 1.78:1 (16:9). The most common formats today are 1.85:1 and 2.35:1, but anything is possible.

You will see thin black bars top and bottom if the source is anything wider than 1.85:1. Still, the situation is much better than if the screen were 4:3. For 1.85:1 material, a sliver is cut off the sides to fit it onto a 16:9 TV--so slight as to not be noticeable.

The link below will point you to some Internet sites that have excellent pictures of all the possiblities.

I've used Avia to calibrate my set (also a Toshiba widescreen), and indeed there is an improvement.

 

[Bill_Weinreich]

The black bars will be normal. All films are not recorded in 16:9. There are quite a few aspect ratios out there(1.33:1, 2.35:1, 1.85:1 etc) 16:9 is 1.78:1. The different ratios will produces different size bars on the screen.

Bill

 

[Dave_Edmo]

Thanks for the answers.

I am sure I will have many questions for this ever increasing project.

 

[JasonKrol]

also know, that even some 1.85:1 movies (which technically shouldnt have bars on a 16x9 set) may have bars, because they are not anamorphic. That is, the image on the DVD has parts printed on it. In this case, you will need to use the TVs zoom feature to get rid of the bars. But, like stated above, a lot of movies will have bars, like 2.35:1 movies etc.
Most movies nowadays are anamorphic 2.35:1, so there is no need for zooming, but bars still exist. If you have an older movie maybe that says 1.85:1 "Letterboxed" and doesnt say anywhere something like "Enhanced for Widescreen TVs" etc., then you will need to use the zoom feature.
Check out these 2 articles on my site:
Anamorphic DVDs explained
- & -
Aspect Ratios explained
Hope this helps!

 

[Dave_Edmo]

Thanks!

I did not know the anamorphic DVDs differed from the ones marked letterbox. Why did they make it so confusing?

There probably are alot of people thinking that,by owning a 16x9 tv, they will see the whole screen filled with a 16x9 DVD.

 

[Dave_Edmo]

I forgot to ask about my sound system.

I have a Sony STR-DE345 receiver and the SA-VE230 Micro satellite system(purchased as a package).

Coupled with my Toshiba 65HX81 and my Toshiba SD-5700 DVD, will this sound system be good enough?

I know that there are better sound systems but I just want to know if this will be okay for now(before I spend some more and the wife kills me).

 

[Marc Rochkind]

Well, they would be right, Dave. If the original material is 1.85:1 and it is a widescreen DVD, then it will fill the screen of a 16:9 TV, all the time.

Howeveer, the viewer has to tell the TV whether:

1. The DVD is anamorphic, or

2. Whether it is letterboxed.

And then it fills the screen. It's unfortunate that the viewer has to make the choice. Actually, the unfortunate part is that they aren't all anamorphic.

 

[Dave_Edmo]

So there are several variations that I may run into.

So looking at my DVDs that are amorphic, I should have my DVD in 16x9 and my tv setting on widescreen or full?

Non-amorphic DVDs should be set up with my DVD player in 16x9 and my set in widescreen, which result in black bars.

I think I understand that part.

It is just confusing with the 65HX81 having 3 cinema modes and a full setting not to mention the 4:3 ratio.

So I think I understand the difference in ratios but need help in making sure I have my display set up right with my set.

Sorry to sound so redundant, but my little brain is not used to this. Thanks.

 

[Marc Rochkind]

Maybe this helps:

1. When the TV is 16:9 physically, always set the DVD player to 16:9 (widescreen) and leave it there, for all DVDs, no matter what their aspect ratio is. (This DVD-player setting only applies to anamorphic DVDs anyway.)

2. For 4:3 DVDs, put the TV in standard (4:3) mode.

3. For anamorphic DVDs, put the TV in full mode.

4. For widescreen, non-anamorphic DVDs (letterboxed), put the TV in "TheaterWide" mode, or whatever they call it, and zoom it to eliminate (1.85:1) or reduce (wider than 1.85:1) the black bars. Use setting #2, as that doesn't distort the picture. They have diagrams in the instruction book.

5. If you like, you can use the various zoom modes on 4:3 material.