? Widescreen DVD on a Widescreen HDTV (1 Viewer)

[EricTB]

Ok, I recently bought a 32" LCD flat panel widescreen HDTV. What I am wanting to know is if you watch a DVD movie that is presented in widescreen format on a widescreen HDTV should I still be able to see the black bars?

 

[SethH]

HDTVs are 16x9 which equates to 1.78:1. Movies are generally shot in one of two formats: 1.85:1 or 2.35:1. Neither of these perfectly fit a 16x9 screen. So yes, it is normal to see the bars.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Seth is correct. I'd like to elaborate on his answer though:

Q: if you watch a DVD movie that is presented in widescreen format on a widescreen HDTV should I still be able to see the black bars?

A: Not if you keep your eyes on the movie instead of on the bars.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

If you have your DVD player set up properly (set to 16:9 Widescreen from the DVD player's SETUP menu), you generally won't see "black bars" on 16:9 enhanced transfers of 1.85:1 aspect ratio movies.

Examples of 1.85:1 aspect ratio movies:
* Jurassic Park series
* Back to the Future series
* Shrek series

If the 16:9 enhanced transfer is in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio then you will see "black bars" on your new Widescreen set, but they will be much smaller than the black bars exhibited for these same movies on a legacy 4:3 aspect ratio monitor.

Examples of 2.35:1 transfers:

* Star Wars series
* Indiana Jones series
* X-MEN series

Just be aware of the fact that you need to alter your DVD player's DISPLAY settings in the player's SETUP menu to "16:9 Widescreen" in order to get the most out of 16:9 enhanced , anamorphic, DVD transfers.

*** Edit ***
Since this is your first HDTV, you also need to know that you will get a much better picture if you run a component cable (rather than s-video) from your DVD player to your monitor; and, if your DVD player provides it, set the player up to provide a progressive scan signal to the monitor via the component cable. Also, you should be aware of the fact that upscaling players using HDMI connections, like the Tosh HD-A2 (which also plays HD-DVD discs) can breath new life into your standard DVDs when viewed on a HDTV monitor.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

It depends on the AR of the film. If the film is 16:9, there won't be bars. But a huge number of films (probably most) are wider than 16:9 so you will still have bars. This is normal and desireable for OAR.

 

[EricTB]

Awwww ok. Your answers have been very helpful. Btw I use my Xbox 360 to view my DVD movies. Infact the reason why I brought up this question was because last night I was watching Fantastic Four (the one with Jessica Alba and Chris Evans) and wondered if the black bars are suppose to show. I have my Xbox 360 connected to the HDTV with the available component cables. But thanks for the very helpful answers I appreciate it.

 

[Gabriel.H]

Another little detail that I would like to add is that although a movie with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio still shows black bars on a widescreen display, the bars are only half as thick as they would be on a standard 4:3 tv set. So at least there's a bright side to all this.