Confused about anamorphic and squeeze on new Akai... (1 Viewer)

[JoshEE]

Hi everyone, i'm pretty new here and had some questions about a tv I just bought. I tried searching and found similar questions, but just figured i' go ahead and ask to be sure. First off i'm 18 and this is my first attempt at a home theatre. I recently purchased a 27" flat screen Akai from Sams based on the recommendations of some people on the board. After some chaos (tv went out after 2 hours) I finally have everything in order, but now am confused about the anamorphic squeeze function. Now from what I understand the squeeze only works with anamorphic dvds, you set your dvd player to 16:9 and switch to squeeze mode. My question is, how do you know if the dvd is anamorphic or not? Is there a list somewhere? I've tried putting the tv in squeeze mode, but it distorts the picture horizontally. I've got some popular dvds like braveheart, saving private ryan, we were soliders, LOTR, etc... Are any of these anamorphic?
Also, where can I purchase a disk to calibrate the tv? I've heard this tv has horrible presets but a wonderful picture after being adjusted. I've already turned down the contrast and brightness a bit and it looks much better.
Any advice or help you can give the new guy would be great, thanks!
-Josh

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Virtually every single widescreen DVD put out in the last 3 years is anamorphic. All the titles you list are anamorphic

Typical terms on box are "Anamorphic widescreen, 16:9 enhanced, enhanced for widescreen televisions" and various variations of those

 

[Bill Slack]

Make sure the DVD player is actually set to 16:9 too, and not just 4:3 letterbox.

 

[JoshEE]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've got another question I just thought of, if my dvd player isn't progessive will I even be able to tell a difference? And would component in cables be worth the cost over s-video on a 27" screen? Once again thanks a lot for your help!
-Josh

 

[SteveK]

Josh- As I understand it, the ONLY way you can take advantage of progressive scan is to have HDTV. Normal analog sets will not accept or be able to use the progressive scan signal; you must use the interlaced signal.

Remember that your DVD player must be used in the 16x9 mode (always), and your TV must also be set for 16x9, but only when using anamorphic DVDs. Also remember that many "extras" are not anamorphic, even when the feature itself is.

Good luck with your new set!

Steve K.