Toshiba 65HDX82 picture size (1 Viewer)

[TedM]

My manual says that the picture size "Natural" should give a full screen, undistorted picture when viewing 16:9 formated pictures. My TV has always had the grey bars on both sides of the picture in "Natural", no matter what I am viewing (DVD set to 16:9 wide output - wide screen movie, satellite receiver set to 16:9 output - not HDTV). "Full" does work, but...

All of the other picture size choices,including "full", according to the manual stretch the picture to fill the screen.

Three different TV repair centers have told me this is the way it should work, "manual be damned", and that only "full" will fill the screen. In other words, this TV will never show an undistorted picture.

Of course there is no way I can find to talk to Toshiba direct about this. My extended service policy runs out this year and any help would be appreciated..

Confused

 

[PerryD]

"Natural" sounds like it is meant for a 4x3 material, "Full" is for 16:9 anamorphic, and "Theaterwide" is for 16:9 non-anamorphic.

 

[John S]

SD will not fill your screen without some sort of alteration of the aspect ratio.

A DVD, set properly should as long as it is an anamorphic widescreen presentaion, as far as the left to right goes.

Many anamorphic disc are wider than widescreen and will properly have black bars top and bottom even with a 16:9 display.


I am confused too, about what is and what is not working. I tend to just look at circles, if a circle is a circle, then I would deem it an acceptable ratio for viewing.

 

[TedM]

Again, according to Toshiba's manual, "Natural" should show grey bars on each side when viewing 4:3 input, and full screen when viewing 16:9 input. They even show a picture of it with full screen with the following caption:
"Wide-screen (16:9) picture in Natural size".

Also, the section in the manual is titled:
"Natural picture size (recommended for wide-screen 16:9 format pictures".

 

[John S]

Ok, so what is really not working? I mean, if a switch to full makes widescreen anamorphic DVD's look correct, then obviously that is the correct choice.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Toshiba's manuals have always been poor. "Natural" is what they used to call "standard". It always displays a 4:3 image with grey bars at the side.

"Full" is (and always has been) the proper setting on a Toshiba display for viewing DVDs that are formatted for 16:9 playback.


From one point of view, that is indeed what the "full" setting does. But with 16:9-enhanced DVDs, that's what supposed to happen on playback. (It would probably be more accurate to say that the "natural" setting squashes the 16:9-enhanced image into a 4:3 space. But that's just nit-picking; the results are the same.)

M.

 

[TedM]

OK, that is what I wanted to know. Kind of a useless setting isn't it? Now I can relax and enjoy the "full" setting.

What started my looking into the different picture settings was viewing one of the "super" wide screen movies that leaves black bars above and below the picture, afraid that it would burn in my screen, but I guess that is not a problem with an occaisional 2 hour movie.

Thanks all

 

[PerryD]

"Natural" isn't useless, when watching movies like Citizen Kane or Wizard of Oz, or any movie in a standard 4x3 ratio, that is the setting you should use, anything else will disrupt the image in a negative way.

 

[TedM]

I never thought of that.

Again, thanks to all. This forum is great. Even when manufacturers won't help (with a $3000 product), and local service people don't really understand what I am asking, you guys come through.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

TedM, here is the rundown on the Toshiba viewing modes from another post I had. The confusion with the "Natural" mode is that when viewing HD sources, the "Natural" mode does display a 16:9 picture without grey bars on the side. When viewing 480i/p sources, it displays a 4:3 picture with grey bars.