Screen Format Question

[AmyR7]

Hi Everyone,
Happy New Years to everyone.
A question about some DVD's seem to be not playing properly and we are trying to figure out why it shows up with black strips at the top and bottom of the screen.
We have 3 different settings under Disc Options and Screen Format section. When you click on each option, it lists a bit about each option.
1. 4x3 Letterbox
To view movies in the traditional TV aspect ratio, press OK.
2. 4x3 Standard
For movies filling the entire TV screen, press OK.
3. 16x9 Widescreen
If your DVD player is connected to a widescreen TV, press OK.

Which we have a widescreen TV. So, we have it set on the 3rd one.
We don't even understand anything though about the Aspect Ratio. But did try to see if changing to any of the other settings would help, and still seems to show up with the black strips.

Thanks,
Amy

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Can you post a picture?

[AmyR7]

Here is a picture I found that shows exactly what I'm talking about.

[Saving space, attachment deleted by admin]

[Allan]

The movie is letterboxed to fit on your screen in the correct aspect ratio. The way you see it is the way it was intended to be seen.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

We don't even understand anything though about the Aspect Ratio

Below I have attached a snapshot from a 4:3 video and stretched it to 16:9.

If you were to get rid of those black bars, the video would be stretched vertically the same way the attached image has been stretched vertically.

[Saving space, attachment deleted by admin]

[AmyR7]

Yes, but we don't have it marked on the Letterboxed option.
The same movie we have on vcr tape and it doesn't show up with the black strips. But for some reason the DVD does, and not all our DVD's do this which is what we don't understand. When we read the back of the DVD's, they all say the same wording, so that's what we can't figure out.
Also, it says for that 3rd option if you have a widescreen tv, to do that one. Which yes, we have a Widescreen tv, and in the diagrams for all 3 of them, that 3rd option it doesn't seem to have the black strips in the diagrams they show, but then when you watch the movie, it shows up with the black strips.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Then the movie is filmed in a ratio other than 16:9.

What movie is it?

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

If you were to get rid of the letterbox, the movie would look like this.

[Saving space, attachment deleted by admin]

[AmyR7]

If you were to get rid of the letterbox, the movie would look like this.

This still doesn't make much sense. If the movie was filmed that way, why when we play it on a vcr tape, it doesn't have the strips. But if you play the DVD, it does show up with the strips?
I'll Be Home For Christmas is the movie.
The other thing we don't understand is when we compare the boxes of the DVD to others, the wording of the way it's filmed is the same as others that do not have the strips. So, is very confusing as to all this ratio thing. It says the same exact things. So, why it happens on some and not all is very puzzling. Makes us wonder if the DVD is a bad copy we got.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Can you get a picture of the VCR version of the movie.

[rthompson80819]

Here is a good article on screen size.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/formats.htm

Everybody talks about 4:3 or 16:9 but there are actually several more.

[AmyR7]

Went to that site.
Still really doesn't make much sense when like I said, when we watch the same movie on VCR tapes, it doesn't show the strips, and also same when it's airing just on tv, it doesn't show up with the strips either.
Also, still doesn't make sense when we compare the boxes of the DVD's to all the ones we have. The wording of how it was filmed, is all the same.
Here is a picture we found so you can see what we are talking about, or you can just look at the pictures you posted earlier, they don't seem to have black strips on the top and bottom of screen.



[Saving space, attachment deleted by admin]

[rthompson80819]

If you have a wide screen TV it is almost definitely a HD digital TV and is designed to adjust to what ever input it receives.

VCR's are analog devices with relatively low resolutions compared to digital and the TV is adjusting to the input and fills the screen to offer the best picture it can.

With a DVD, it's digital and the TV is reacting to it's input in the resolution it was programmed for on the DVD.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

The screenshot you uploaded without the 'black strips' is in 4:3 aspect ratio, standard VCR ratio.
Don't you notice how the video is stretched vertically compared with the letterboxed one?

[AmyR7]

If you have a wide screen TV it is almost definitely a HD digital TV and is designed to adjust to what ever input it receives.

VCR's are analog devices with relatively low resolutions compared to digital and the TV is adjusting to the input and fills the screen to offer the best picture it can.

With a DVD, it's digital and the TV is reacting to it's input in the resolution it was programmed for on the DVD.

It's the same player though- a DVD VCR Combo unit.

The screenshot you uploaded without the 'black strips' is in 4:3 aspect ratio, standard VCR ratio.
Don't you notice how the video is stretched vertically compared with the letterboxed one?

Yes, but why when we have it set to the other settings, it still seems to play with the black strips.
In my 1st post where I listed the 3 options, the 3rd one is what we have it marked on which is not the letterbox one, and in the diagrams it shows for all 3, the option we have it marked on it does not show the black strips in the diagram, but then it still plays it with the black strips.
Then like we said, when we try to compare the boxes of all the DVD's we have, the wording is the same, so still don't understand why some of them are showing up without the black strips. It also seems to like never happen on tv shows we have on DVD's. On Little House on the Prairie DVD's just got all the seasons. Same with Alf I have all them. The movies I just got for Christmas- Jingle All The Way and I'll Be Home For Christmas, the Jingle All The Way one does not have the black strips, but I'll Be Home For Christmas does seem to have them.
Here is what it says on the boxes for all my movies on DVD's- widescreen 1.85:1
and not all of them seem to have the black strips.
On the Little House here is what the box says Ratio 1:33