16:9 TV and widescreen DVD's (1 Viewer)

[Ryan T]

My dad just got a 16:9 plasma TV. The problem is when we watch wide screen dvd's there is still black bars on the top and bottom. I thought 16:9 was the same aspect ratio that DVD's are. So i'm wondering if their is something i have set wrong on the DVD player or TV. Also for some reason when we zoom in to get ride of the black bars to prevent burn in the picture is streched so everyone looks really thin which is no good. My dad really doesn't want the screen to get burned in with to permanent black bars and we can't watch DVD's with the people streached. If anyone has any sugestions i would really appreciate it.


Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Jeremy Scott]

not all movies are in 16:9

some movies are in different aspect ratios.

i believe it depends on how the producers wanted to produce it.

 

[Bryan X]

If you are seeing black bars on movies that are 1.85:1, make sure you have 'told' your DVD player that your TV is 16:9.

You should only be seeing black bars on movies with an aspect ratio less than about 1.66:1 and greater than around 1.85:1 (because of overscan). If you are seeing black bars on movies with a ratio of 1.66:1 to 1.85:1, something isn't set up right.

The black bars (unused space) is normal on movies such as those shot at 2.35:1 (such as Star Wars and LOTR). Unless ALL you do is watch movies like these you don't have to worry about those 'black bars' causing problems with your display. Don't zoom in to get rid of the black bars. If you do that you should have just stayed with a 4:3 TV and bought Pan&Scan (fullscreen) DVDs.

Just make sure your TV is calibrated correctly and most importantly that your contrast is set to around 40% or below it's maximum value.

 

[Michael Reuben]

This question is so common that it's covered in a separate chapter of the HTF Primer and FAQ:

If I buy a 16x9 wide screen TV, will I get rid of the black bars forever?

M.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Watch with the black bars, that's the way it's supposed to be.

 

[Ryan T]

Well we just rented SWAT on DVD and it's 2.40:1 or something. So it had the black bars. We went ahead and watched it with the bars and now when there is a black screen up we can see the area were the bars were. IS it going to cause a serious burn in problem in the future to watch with the black bars. It seems aout of all the DVD's i have only 2 are for 16:9 tv's. About the contrast ratio I would set it lower but i cna't have the TV calibrated (useing THX optimode) unless the contrast is higher than 40%. I might just move it down to 40 % and forget the calibration.



Ryan

 

[Michael Reuben]

As discussed in many threads, and also in the new FAQ chapter on calibration discs, the THX optimode tests are not the most reliable.

M.

 

[DaveGTP]

Pick up Avia or Digital Video Essentials and calibrate properly!! Burn-in on plasmas is generally a non-issue on a properly calibrated set (provided you aren't running too much 4:3 stuff on it).

On a set with any of the settings still set to default torch-mode settings, your chances are much greater.

Invest in one of the calibration DVDs. It's worth the few $$.

 

[RoyGBiv]

On a plasma a common problem is "ghosting" which is not "burn in." Ghosting is when you continue to see an after-image for a period of time after changing the image. This is caused by transient changes in the pixels from having a static image for a prolonged period, but it is not permanent. In your case, you can see where the black lines were from the DVD not filling the screen. That will fade over minutes/hours. It is not burn in. You would need to have a static image for hours or days to get true burn in on a new plasma even in "torch mode," as newer plasmas are said to be more resistant than earlier generations.

SMK