Blue ray aspect ratio

[Slinkie]

Hi Folks,

I have recently built a media center for my lounge so I can watch hi def discs on my HD TV.

I have only watched one so far, walle , and it looked awesome. However, one thing that bothered me when I watched it was that there were huge black areas above and below the picture, probably about half the screen wasn't being used.

I didn't think much of it and presume it was how the movie was made. I was in HMV yesterday just browsing the discs and they were playing walle on the screen in the blu ray section of the store. One thing I noticed was that the black lines above and below the picture were a lot smaller than mine, maybe only a quarter of the total screen size was taken up by them, maybe even a bit less.

Is there a reason for this, I presume I have the same version as the one playing in the store. Is it how my tv/ media centre is set up.

I am using power dvd (I can't get blu ray to work in Vista media center) but can't see any settings to change the aspect ratio.

Thanks

Matt

 

[OCdude]

I don't use PowerDVD myself, but surely there are stretch/zoom modes in there somewhere?

 

[bliss]

It's probably an option on the TV itself. But why would you want to stretch or zoom a blu-ray movie and kill the aspect ratio it was shot in?

 

[El_Watcher]

It may have been stretched by the TV, the player, or it may not have even been a BR disc, maybe an HD media file on a PC which has had the ratio changed.

Whatever it was, as bliss says, if you stretch it you are changing the look of the film, things won't look right, and the quality of the "HD" resolution will be changed.

If the black bars really worry you that much, get a projector and a 1.85:1 ratio screen. Thus no black bars.

 

[Ste]

If the black bars really worry you that much, get a projector and a 1.85:1 ratio screen. Thus no black bars.

Until you watch something in 16:9

Most software players let you change the amount of 'overscan' on the picture, this will basically zoom in, losing the information at the sides of the picture but reducing the black bars at the top/bottom. If you sit far away enough from your screen you won't notice a quality difference (obviously zooming in = reduction in quality).

 

[El_Watcher]

zoom in, losing the information at the sides of the picture but reducing the black bars at the top/bottom.

So not only are you going to reduce resolution per square inch, but you will also lose an inch off either side of the picture. What happens if an imortant thing happens in the film at the edge of the shot...you miss it

 

[Confused]

Black bars = you're seeing more of the picture.

If you remove the black bars, you're zooming in and cutting off bits of the image. The image may be slightly bigger, but you're seeing less!

 

[FrankJH]

Black bars = you're seeing more of the picture.

If you remove the black bars, you're zooming in and cutting off bits of the image. The image may be slightly bigger, but you're seeing less!

( on the sides of the image, if people dont understand)

I can appreciate "wasted space" on the tv, however remember this is how the director wanted it to be seen

I was watching Wall Street this morning on BR, and it was full 16:9 image which I actually found a little strange after being so used to black bars of one height or another (it was made in 85 so its not that surprising)

 

[Ste]

So not only are you going to reduce resolution per square inch, but you will also lose an inch off either side of the picture. What happens if an imortant thing happens in the film at the edge of the shot...you miss it

Yup... an obvious price to pay - the ideal is of course not to touch it and put up with the black bars

However, very few movies will put essential action to the extreme edges of the picture.