sub titles and widescreen tv? (1 Viewer)

[Brad_H]

Just wondering, with a 16:9 television where do the subtitles appear on a 1.85:1 movie? In the frame itself or down in the black bar. I'm guessing frame but wanted to make sure...

Thanks.

B

 

[Michael TLV]

GReetings

The black bars on 1.85 films are normally not visible on 16:9 sets due to overscan.

Subtitles are on the frame ... and usually generated by the DVD player ... and not hard printed on the film itself.

regards

 

[Jeff Gatie]

MichaelTLV is correct as usual. I will add that on certain non-anamorphic 2:35 films with burned in subs (original, non-DTS Last of the Mohicans is one I can think of) the subs are sometimes partially in the black bars. Fortunately, most HDTV's allow you to scroll the crop and zoom mode used to view non-anamorphics. Using this, you can scroll the film to the top so the subs in the bottom bar are visible.

 

[Neil Joseph]

There are some 2.35:1 titles that had subtitle placement problems like Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country that actually caused some of the subtitles to not be visible (copped off) on widescreen displays.

 

[Brad_H]

Thanks for the responses. I've never given this any thought as I don't have a widescreen tv. Someone asked and I told them I knew where to find the answer.

B

 

[Kyle Tippett]

a non burned in subtitle would be any disc that has subtitle options, correct? becasue i am buying a new tv and am looking that the 34" xbr or 36" xbr, and the only reason i looked past 16:9 is becasue of the subtitle issue...

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Kyle, the only subtitles that would cause problems on a 16:9 are subs that are burned into the black bars on a non-anamorphic title, a very small minority (I own over 400 DVD's and have only seen it once). It is also correctable on all 16:9 sets I know of by scrolling the non-anamorphic zoom mode. If this is the only issue causing you to bypass a 16:9 set, you might want to check into them again.

You are correct when you say burned in subs are not the subs selectable by the DVD player. These are subtitles that appeared on the original print, such as in Last of the Mohicans when the French are speaking to Hawkeye.

 

[Kyle Tippett]

i know that hardly any of my region 1 or all will have this problem, but Jeff, do you own many non region 1's... that is where myt problem stems from, i have been buying mainly imports (when not going for sound/vision quality or criterion)

thanks

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Any subtitles burned into a non-anamorphic title can be scrolled up to view in all 16:9 tv's I am aware of. All anamorphic titles will not have a problem with burned in subtitles because all portions of the image on the DVD are displayed. It does not matter if it is an import or a domestic title, there are only 480 lines of display are on a DVD and a 16:9 TV displays all 480 in anamorphic and can display the full bottom (or top) of the black bars on a non-anamorphic title by scrolling in "zoom" mode. No subtitles, burned in or not, will be hidden by a 16:9 TV as long as you can scroll the "zoom" mode, and that is only for non-anamorphic. This is why I said the problem with burned in subtitles should not preclude you from looking at a 16:9 TV.