Zoom: 4:3 TV (1 Viewer)

[Brad Newton]

could someone please explain this term to me. Sorry to be a dummy but..........

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

What is the context used??

 

[Brad Newton]

It shows this as a feature of some dvd players

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Are you talking about the recent Panny players like the RP82 and CP72?

From what I understand, that "feature" does nothing(!). Probably something they originally planned to do, but did not implement late in the production process.

 

[Brad Newton]

Yes, those are the units that I saw this "feature" listed. So they did not implement that feature. What was it supposed to do?

 

[Richard Burzynski]

The zoom feature is INVALUABLE to 4:3 TV owners. It basically zooms a widescreen movie to reduce the size of the "black bars" on your TV screen. A good zoom feature does 2 things: (1) maintains picture sharpness, (2) provides several zoom levels, like 1 thru 4 (little zoom to most zoom).

Toshiba DVD players do this PERFECTLY. For those of you who hate bars, just buy a Toshiba DVD player and click those bars away.

Just realize that each zoom click is actually chopping of the right and left parts of a widescreen movie. I like Toshiba because you can zoom just a little, to make the bars smaller and chop very little. Or, you can zoom the bars away completely, but you chop off lots of right & left info. Your decision.

AND, if you decide you don't like the zoom feature, then don't use it - Toshiba DVD players are overall good performers.

FWIW, every friend and relative that has asked me for a player recommendation this past holiday season (5 in total and all 4:3 TV owners) now swear by this feature. And before the purist OAR crowd jumps down my throat, they are choosing to use the feature - they are free not to.

Rich B.