4:3 Projector Aspect Ratio set to 16:9 ? (1 Viewer)

[Roy Brooks]

I have been looking through the front projector theater galleries and sizing up my room for a screen. The projectors I have been looking at are 4:3 1024*768 projectors.I would like to go with a width of 8'but the 6' height would mean the screen would almost touch the stage and ceiling leaving little room for the center channel. A 16:9 screen at 8' by 4.5' would fit in better. My question is, in the setting of say a Benq pb2220 there is a setting for 16:9, does this mean that when set to this a tv show or movie set at aspect ratio 4:3 will have the gray set bars or be stretched or would it display it at the original 4:3 image size 8' by 6'? There is no home theater store nearby to ask the sales people or demo so I thought I ask here.

 

[Steve Lucas]

I can't say for sure, but my Yamaha DXP-1 (and I think most others) will keep the height of the picture constant so that it fills your screen from top to bottom with 4:3 material. You will have bars on the sides of your screen.

 

[Ian-Fl]

With a 4:3 projector you set your DVD player to a 4:3 aspect ratio. Every film that you watch will appear the same as on a regular TV or in other words the black bars will appear like on your TV. You can stretch the picture on the screen with the projector settings but the actors will appear too tall.
With a 16x9 projector, which sounds like the better choice for you, a 4x3 film will have black bars on the side.

 

[Allan Jayne]

I don't know about the Benq projector but ordinarily if the projector is natively 4:3 then it is constant width and the 16:9 mode gives a smaller picture with top and bottom unused bars.

Write to the projector manufacturers asking specifically what the pixel horizontal and vertical utilization is for 16:9 mode.

If you wanted constant height you would have to either (1) get a Panamorph or similar anamorphic lens, leave the projector in 4:3 mode, and attach the lens for 16:9 viewing, or (2) get an external NTSC to 1024x768 scaler that allows you to shrink the 4:3 picture to be windowboxed on the projector innards (borders on all 4 sides) but adjust the projector throw sothe picture fills the height of the screen. 16:9 pictures would have top and bottom unused space on the projector innards but fill your screen.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Torgny Nilsson]

I have a BenQ 8220 4x3 projector and a 100" 4x3 screen. I have my DVD player set to 16x9. I then switch the projector setting between 16x9 and 4x3 depending on what I am watching. It gives me the largest 4x3 image (it fills the screen entirely) and the largest 16x9 image (which fills it horizontally but not vertically) without distorting the picture with any stretch modes, etc. I think it is the best of both worlds and the 16x9 image is not much smaller than it would be on a dedicated 16x9 projector and screen.

 

[Steve Lucas]

Mine is native 4:3 running on a 16:9 screen. When I put the projector in 16:9 default mode, it scales to fill the screen vertically when viewing 4:3 material leaving the bars on the sides.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I merged these two threads of your into one.

 

[DaveGTP]

As far as I understand, the DVD player should be set to 16:9. My Panny CP72 alerts when the disk is 4:3 and runs in that mode anyway. I suppose it would work either way. And there shouldn't be any gray bars on a projector - black bars!!

 

[Ralph B]

both the dvd player and FP should ne set the same. 4x3 - 4x3 or 16:9 - 16:9

there is a difference in pic quality leaving your player in 4x3 but putting your fp in 16:9 mode althought the 16:9 dvd looks correct on screen the image is less than it could be.

 

[DouglasBr]

This leads me to ask what I haven't seen in my lurkings here: do FPs do the anamorphic squeeze with anamorphic DVDs? I mean, do you get a resolution boost with these discs like you do with RP and direct view HDTVs? Or do you only get that benefit if the FP is a 16x9 model? Or what?

Obviously, I'm way confused (sorry if this is hijacking).

 

[Allan Jayne]

Some 4:3 FP's do an anamorphic squeeze, some don't. If the projector is 480p only, the result will be the same resolution (some CRT's) or a resolution cut (all LCD's, DLP's), not a boost. For higher resolution projectors such as 4:3 1024 x 768 the anamorphic squeeze (if available) could vary in quality from one brand to another.

If the DVD player is set to 16:9 the resolution is full and normal all the time. If the DVD player is set to 4:3, "anamorphic" disks get a resolution cut.

 

[Ryan G Smith]

The answer to your question is rediculously simple, why everyone like to be so confusing I don't know. If a projector has a 16:9 mode it's doing the anamorphic squeeze. What other possible reason could their be for this mode. 16:9 mode only works properly with anamorphic material, if you are watching a non anamorphic DVD you will probably have to set the projector to 4:3 or it will display squished. However, 800x600 projectors crop a little of the resolution in 16:9, usually diplaying 800x450 instead of 876x480, but it's hardly noticable. Similar to a Tv's overscan.