Widescreen vs Panorama Aspect Ratio (1 Viewer)

[EmaxJS]

I received my Samsung HCL4715W yesterday from Best Buy (1708.90 + tax) all I can say is so far I'm beyond happy. It's gorgeous looking when you choose the right Picture settings for the source. I found that my calibration with a THX Optimizer on SW: TPM works well for that movie, but on Harry Potter it was super grainy after choosing the built in Standard picture it looked fantastic.

Anyway here's my question. The RPTV has a Wide and and a Panoramic Aspect, watching (both 16x9 enhanced) a 1.77:1 aspect DVD Wide seems the way to go, but I found that using Panoramic on a 2.20:1 DVD (TRON 20th Anniversary Edition) I actually get more picture, in particular I paused a scene of someone sitting at a desk and in Panorama I actually see a picture on his wall that is not visible in Wide aspect. However, the black bars (top and bottom) seem stay the same. The manual doesn't really explain what Panoramic is or what it is doing or really when to use it. All it says is "use this mode for the wide aspect of panormaic pictures. Can someone please tell me more difference about the two and when I should probably use one over the other...

Thanks!!

 

[David Susilo]

On both my Samsung 30" and 42" 16:9 TVs, 'panoramic' means gradual stretch for 4:3 picture (the more to the side, the more stretched the image will be)

 

[BruceSpielbauer]

I do not know your set, so I do not know your "format" modes. However, this may help you determine what are getting.

Many sets are offering one, or both, of the following modes:

1.) (This one is what the post above suggests): The picture is being "stretched," but it is a sort of a gradual stretch. In the center of the picture, there is no stretching going on at all, or perhaps a very minor degree of stretching. Then, going to either the left or the right of the center line, the degree of "stretching" increases the further you go, so it is MORE stretched at the 7/8 way point, then it was at the 3/4 way point. Since most directors place the "artistic focal point" toward the center of the screen in most shots, there is not much stretching, so you hopefully are not too distracted. But, when Harrison Ford suddenly walks "out of the frame," off the left edge of the screen, he appears to suddenly pick up 25 pounds, for just an instant there .

2.) Some sets offer a variation on the above. They crop off a bit of the picture, not enough to make it very noticable at all, in fact most never notice the slight "curring" at the very edges. Then, they ALSO strect the picture in exactly the way I described above. It is a sort of hybrid of the "Zoom" concept (which would necessarily crop edges), and the "stretch" concept.

The best way to detrmine what your set is doing is to freeze a frame, and look vary carefully at the outside edges, and the top and bottom edges. Pick on edge at a time, and make a mental note of what is there, and what is not. Then, start switching those available formats. You will probably figure them all out quickly this way.

Oh, and do not repeate the above experiment for a suspended length of time. Frozen images on big screens are never good, for a long time.

-Bruce

 

[EmaxJS]

Thanks for your responses as I mentioned in my original post I did do what you suggested. I put in Tron 20th Anniversary DVD which is a 16x9 enhanced DVD in 2.20:1 aspect ratio. There is a scene early in the film when the character Alan is setting in his cubicle trying to get access to the computer. I paused that frame. In the RPTV's WIDE aspect the film looks perfect, when I switch to PANORAMA aspect the film still looks perfect, but now all of a sudden I can see extra image on the left and right, in particular you can see part of a photograph pinned to his cubicle wall that is not visible at all in WIDE mode.

So though you both describe PANORAMA as probably stretching the image out along the edges to fill the screen, which is exactly what it does with 4x3 broadcast and non-widescreen DVDs with DVDs that have an aspect ratio greater than 1.77X1 it seems to do just the opposite and actualy squeeze the image together so that more of the edges can be seen.

A Samsung tech is suppose to be giving me a call to discuss my TV now locking into WIDE aspect since I upgraded to a Progressive Scan DVD player. I'll ask him exactly what the differences are and post a follow-up.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

It sounds to me like the sets "overscan" is mis-adjusted in the WIDE aspect mode, this would account for the differences you noted. Some sets have individual adjustments for each mode. Maybe the Samsung tech can let you know how to adjust it. The AVIA test DVD has a set of screns for adjusting and measuring overscan.

 

[EmaxJS]

Though I haven't run AVIA or Video Essentials yet I did run the THX Optimizer provided on Star Wars: TPM and there didn't seem to be any overscan issues like you describe. The test graph appears in it's entirety in both modes, but still it's something to ask the tech if he ever does call me as promised.