Stretching video in WMP11

Psyk · 23 Dec 2006 at 23:08

I have my PC hooked up to a widescreen TV and I have some videos that are also widescreen (both 16:9 aspect ration so it should fill the entire screen). The problem is the PC assumes the TV is standard 4:3 so it outputs at that and the TV stretches it. So I get black bars at the top and bottom and the image is stretched horizontally.

So basically I want to know if there's a way I can get WMP11 to stretch the video vertically to compensate for this. In VLC I can set the aspect ratio to 4:3 and that does the trick but there doesn't seem to be an option for this in WMP. This video doesn't work in VLC and there are other reasons I want to use WMP.

Anyone have any idea how I can do this?

squiffy · 23 Dec 2006 at 23:13

Set your desktop resolution to 16:9, I use 720x576 PAL and it works in WMP 10.

Use FFDSHOW "Keep OAR" mode as well.

Psyk · 23 Dec 2006 at 23:22

It won't let me set the TV to that resolution. Closest I can get is 960x600 but even that doesn't seem to help. There are still black bars and it's still stretched.

I'm using Vista btw.

Psyk · 23 Dec 2006 at 23:36

Ok well I found an option if you go to Tools->Options->Devices->Display->Properties. This supposedly allows you to specify the aspect ratio. Except it does sod all. It makes no difference to the video whatever I set it to and whichever screen it is playing on.

squiffy · 23 Dec 2006 at 23:39

Do you a similar option in display devices, "List all modes" like in XP? As the standard slider doesn't have 720x576, but it's selectable within "list all modes"

Psyk · 23 Dec 2006 at 23:42

squiffy said:
Do you a similar option in display devices, "List all modes" like in XP? As the standard slider doesn't have 720x576, but it's selectable within "list all modes"

Ok managed to get it to that res, but I still have the same problem. The bars are still there.