What are anamorphic DVD's? (1 Viewer)

[Theodore]

Are most DVD's anamorphic? I have a hdtv ready tv do I need to change any setting on my dvd player? Thanks very much for any info.

 

[Patrick Sun]

If the DVD is labelled as have a 16x9 video transfer, or is anamorphically enhanced, then it has an anamorphic DVD video transfer. This just means that it has extra lines of resolution to provide up to 33% more video information for your 16x9-capable TV to display.

You will need to change your DVD player's setting to 16x9 mode to output all of the video resolution (otherwise, the DVD will use "downconversion" processing to format the video information for a normal non-16x9 TV, which can result in a video display that is either too soft or too edgy. You'll get the best video quality by hooking up the DVD player's component output (AKA progressive video output) to the TV.

On your TV, you may have to select the input that accepts 16x9 video sources (the progressive video inputs - made up of 3 RCA connectors - need to get the correct output to the correct input among the 3 connectors)

 

[Gordon Moore]

This guide always makes things clearer with regards to the anamorphic process:
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...c/welcome.html

 

[Theodore]

Should I see black bars on the tv when playing a DVD that is widescreen? I changed the screen size on my dvd player to 16:9. Also, what's the difference between widescreen, anamorphic and 16:9? Thanks!

 

[Jonathan Wong]

The black bars appear on not depending on what the original aspect ratio of your source (e.g. 2.35:1 will have black bars).

16:9 = widescreen

anamorphic is a DVD transfer process that fully utilize the storage capacity to create the best picture quality.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Quote:

Theodore, I recommend you spend some time reading through the materials in the link in the post just before yours. Your question can't be answered adequately in a sentence or two; understanding these concepts requires some studying.
M.

 

[Allan Jayne]

You don't HAVE to do anything, but if you are able to put both the TV and the DVD player into 16:9 mode, the picture from an anamorphic DVD will be sharper, although the physical size of the picture and of any black bars will be the same as before.
Then when playing non-anamorphic DVD's, leave the player in 16:9 mode and just switch the TV back to 4:3.
I am guessing that about 50% of DVD's with wide screen programs manufactured these days are anamorphic (16:9 enhanced).
Widescreen: Refers to any movie or program with aspect ratio greater than 4;3.
Anamorphic: For DVD, currently synonymous with 16:9 enhanced, which in turn means the 480 (for NTSC) scan line video frame, including any black bar material within, looks right when stretched to a 16:9 shape while the player is in 16:9 mode.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/vidwide.htm