Widescreen tvs

[doctor_prox]

I bought a widescreen tv (Panasonic 100hz), its real nice but i thought that by getting a widescreen, i would get rid of the black top and bottom of a dvd, but it hasnt i still get a widescreen within a widescreen if you know what i mean, is this normal? The only way around it is using the "zoom" feature.
Also on some programs, not all but a lot of them, instead of stretching the whole picture to be widescreen, it sort of only stretches the edges, so it is normal in the middle and stretched towards the edge which i dont like. The engineer says this is normal but i dont see how, peoples heads stretch towards the sides like triangle heads

[Howard]

On our Panny 100Hz widescreen, when watching a DVD, the horizontal bars are there for a minute or so, then the telly automatically stretches to get rid of them.. >Dunno if that happens on yours ?

[Jonny M]

If you are watching a TV broadcast, get a digital box so you can get a true widescreen source into it.

[Zathras]

It depends on the aspect ratio of your DVD. TVs aren't cinema widescreen, they're more of a best-of-both-worlds ratio. Most DVDs will be 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 as that's the ratio they were filmed in and displayed at in a cinema, whereas TVs are 16:9, so you will get bars, albeit a lot smaller than the bars you'd get on a 4:3 standard TV.

As for your other issue, well on my Philips there are numerous widescreen modes. Best bet is to do as Caged suggests and get a digibox. However if you're stuck with a 4:3 standard picture coming in, most TVs let you do one of a number of things:

1) stretch the screen across the width to fit. You get short, fat people and see the entire picture, called Widescreen on my Philips.

2) zoom in to cut off the bars at top/bottom but lose the sides of the picture, called Zoom 16:9 on my Philips

3) display the full picture in the correct ratio but with large bars at each side, called 4:3 on my Philips

4) slightly stretch the extreme sides of the picture but keep the middle aspect ratio correct as this is where most of the action occurs. You'll lose a tiny amount from top and bottom but will see the full width of the shot. This is called Super-Wide on my Philips and it's our standard viewing mode. You get used to it.

Unfortunately unless you get a true widescreen picture by getting digital or playing a DVD recorded in Widescreen (95% are) you'll get one of the above effects.

[Alex]

Is it to do with asoect ratios? Normal TV is 4:3, ie 1.333:1, Widescreen TVs are 1.78:1, which is slightly lower than the 1.85:1 that most DVDs come with, or even 2.35:1 for proper widescreen.

You can normally adjust your TV to stretch the 1.85:1 DVDs to 1.78 to 1 using panoramic display or something.

EDIT: Bugger, beaten to it, again.

[DsW]

I bought a widescreen tv (Panasonic 100hz), its real nice but i thought that by getting a widescreen, i would get rid of the black top and bottom of a dvd, but it hasnt i still get a widescreen within a widescreen if you know what i mean, is this normal?

"Widescreen" TVs are 16:9 format. If a film is shot in 16:9 format then it will fill the screen, but most are shot in the 2.35:1 format so you still get black bars top and bottom because its aspect ratio is too wide for your TV. In other words, you would need a 2.35:1 format screen for it to fill the screen without distortion.

If its shot in 4:3 (normal) then you get black bars on the left and right hand side (unless you use the TVs "Zoom" function - but that distorts the format).

Same goes for TV progs.

This may help - http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.5

cheers,
dave

[doctor_prox]

I see, thanks all. I have digital tv from ntl:home i would have thought that would be widescreen. Sometimes if say i view ITV on the digital box its stretched at the sides, and then if i switch to analogue its fixed.
Its fine for most things, but when people are talking and the camera pans, they are stretched -> normal -> stretched again, i would like the option to have it normal widescreen but looks like im stuck with super-wide.
Like you say ill get used to it, 100hz is a treat

[BUFF]

I see, thanks all. I have digital tv from ntl:home i would have thought that would be widescreen. Sometimes if say i view ITV on the digital box its stretched at the sides, and then if i switch to analogue its fixed.

Check in your digibox settings menu what you have the aspect ratio set to.
Even if you have it set to widescreen not all broadcast material is widescreen though.

[MurphmanL]

I have ntl home digital and there is a setting that can be used to go wide...
Press Guide, go to settings and I believe it is under Visual Settings, or if not it is definately there.. there is a tv size, you can then choose 4:3 Pan and Scan, 4:3 Letterbox or 16:9 Widescreen, but after this new software has been installed now i cant remember where anything is
Looking on the brightside, they finally added reminder sounds!
I cant help but laugh when my reminder appears and the trumpet blows

[doctor_prox]

Thanks guys, it works a treat