Aspect Ratio Problem on a Toshiba SD-6100 DVD Player (1 Viewer)

[soonertbone]

Hi, all. I recently purchased both a Toshiba 47HL167 LCD as well as a Toshiba SD6100 upconverting DVD player.

I'm having trouble displaying movies in their proper aspect ratio, even despite the tv's multiple "pic size" options. Wondering if any of you have advice.

As an example, I am right now trying to watch "Brazil." The movie was shot in 1.85:1, so it should fill up the screen, for the most part. Instead, the image is being squished as if it were supposed to be displayed in 2.35:1. That is, I have black bars on the top and bottom and the image is distorted (people are shorter/fatter than they should be).

The tv, as I mentioned, has several pic size options and I've tried them all many times, believe me. The DVD player has options in its setup menu like aspect ratio and view mode (those are set to 16:9, and original, respectively) but changing them has no effect on how the image is displayed. I should also note that the tv and dvd player are connected via HDMI.

One other thing. My trusty old Philips DVP642 SD DVD player plays the DVD in the correct aspect ratio. It's just in SD, which is sad on the 47''. This is why I'm posting in the DVD forum--I think it's the 6100's fault.

Anybody have any insight? Thanks in advance for whatever help you can give.

 

[Michael Reuben]

My best guess is that you have a version of Brazil that's not anamorphic, and that the HDMI connection forces the TV into a display mode that expects an anamorphic image. Try connecting the Toshiba player through something other than HDMI -- e.g., component. That may allow you to do more with the TV's size options.

M.