Widescreen questions, black bars with 16:9 TV

[Kristian]

Hi Folks

I am getting black bars with my DVD movies even though I have a 16:9 TV. I have figured out on my own that there are a few different ratios out there, 16:9 , 14:9 , 2.35:1, 2.32:1 Anamorphic?, Letterbox, 2.20:1 *sigh* I think there are even more.

However I cant get ANYONE of my widescreen titles to look good on my JVC 32" TV. Both Matrix and Notting Hill I can make to fit the screen but the people get quite tall and thin...or I can get black bars and it looks ok. But that is NOT what I want from a widescreen TV where the black bars shouldn't even be there.

Question is, can this be solved (probaby not since the weird size configurations) or made better somehow? I guess that I am not the only one to experience this problem. Its pretty strange that none of my widescreen DVD's run at 16:9???? Is that size never cut for movies?

Thanks for all answers

Yeah, and one more thing. What the hell is "Closed-captioned"?

Kristian

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Striving for perfection


[This message has been edited by Kristian (edited 31 March 2000).]

[Byron_H]

You should have read up about Widescreen TV's more....Black bars still appear on Widescreen TV's depending on the ratio of the DVD...The only ones where you are unlikely to see black bars with are 1.85:1 titles.

ActiveDVD - http://www.activewin.com/dvd

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Byron Hinson
Microsoft MVP
http://www.activewin.com

[Kruzin]

It's all based on the ratio of the movie.
If you force it to fit the screen, you will be distorting the picture (as you have seen with the tall, thin people).

And closed caption is the subtitles that play across the bottom of the screen.

[Kruzin]

And just look at it from the positive side.
If you had a standard 4:3 TV, a much larger percentage of the screen would be used up by the black borders....I'm sure the black borders on my 31" 4:3 are larger than the black borders on your 32" 16:9 if comparing the same movie...

[Kristian]

Thanks guys, at least I know iths not the software in my TV ( yes I can actually change the type of widescreen )

Bye now

Kristian

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Striving for perfection

[Wombat]

Speaking of captions, I wish somebody would figure out a way to put the captions in the bottom of the screen, which isn't used by the movie in letterbox format. It would be much better than covering the movie.