Since I'm still using the Draper 10 foot diagonal screen with the VW60, is there any way to automatically project NON-HD signals "full-size" (using the entire 6 by 8 foot space available) instead of the smaller 4 by 6 image I'm getting?

Thanks,

Jack

Since I'm still using the Draper 10 foot diagonal screen with the VW60, is there any way to automatically project NON-HD signals "full-size" (using the entire 6 by 8 foot space available) instead of the smaller 4 by 6 image I'm getting?


Ok, I'll bite... something is really wrong with your setup.
First of all, a 8'x6' screen has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. You'll never fill that screen with a VW60, since that is a native 16:9 (1.78:1) projector. If you want to fill that screen fully, you'll have to over-zoom it and use pillar-boxed 4:3 material to begin with. You'd have to zoom back in once you go back to any wider aspect ratio format.

Are you saying with HD material you have a full size image on that screen? Because you should have black bars on top/bottom of the image with HD material that is non pillar boxed. That's just the way it is supposed to be.
Non-HD sources with the same aspect ratio as HD material should be the same size as HD sources, as the VW60 scales everything to it's native panel resolution. 6'x4' sounds like there's something really messed up in the settings somewhere, as that would be a 1.5:1 aspect ratio.

I'm afraid more info is needed, such as sources used and how they're hooked up. It would also be helpful to know if you're new to the whole thing or if you already know what the different aspect ratios are, recognize them when you see them and if you know what settings in your equipment really affect. We were all beginners at some point, so if you don't know exactly what these things mean or do, that's nothing to be ashamed of. We just have to know to sort these issues out.

Stephan:

I'm new to HD but have been using a front projector for 25 years. I was using a Zenith PV890 with the Draper 10 foot (diagonal - 6' high by 8' wide) until the VW60 arrived last month, it filled the screen. The HD material appears as you described with black bars top/bootn of the image and that's what I expected. With Cox cable service, much of the material is NOT HD and appears in the 4 by 3 format which has black bars on all 4 sides; I thought that I recalled seeing somewhere that the VW60 could be set to display NON-HD sources in 4 by 3 utilizing the full 6' by 8' area but I could be mistaken.

Thanks,

Jack

You will have to zoom.

When you watch 16:9 content on a 4:3 screen, you have black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. The veiwable height of the picture is the most you can get at your current zoom. This is because the panel in your PJ is 16:9. The black bars represent areas of no pixels, as opposed to areas where the pixels are black or "unused".

Since there are simply no pixels available in those areas, there's no mode that you can set the PJ to in order to fill those areas with picture.

To get more height to fill your entire screen when watching 4:3 content, you will have to zoom the projector. This will increase your height to fill the screen, and also your width which will be black bars off-screen to the right and left. The black bars will be black or "unused" pixels

Hope this helps! :)

Your VW60 is screaming for a new screen! Even a 10' 16x9 Dalite Model C High Power will do the trick. I bought an electric version (119"Dalite Contour Electrol High Power with IR Remote)from Marc at an excellent price.

You've been using a front projector for 25 years??? The same one?

With Cox cable service, much of the material is NOT HD and appears in the 4 by 3 format which has black bars on all 4 sides; I thought that I recalled seeing somewhere that the VW60 could be set to display NON-HD sources in 4 by 3 utilizing the full 6' by 8' area but I could be mistaken.

What aspect ratio is the cable material? If it's 4:3 (most likely older TV shows, maybe cropped movies), then there's no way to fill the entire screen with the push of a button. You'll indeed have to zoom the image to fill the screen then.

For letterbox or anamorphic movies (1.78:1 or wider) via the cable service, it should look like HD and fill the entire screen width, leaving some black bars on top and bottom. If it doesn't, then the output of your cable box is most likely set to 4:3. You should be able to set it to 16:9 to fix the issue. Native 4:3 material will still be shown window-boxed, there's no way around it besides zooming.

A new screen has been recommened and I agree. With a 16:9 screen (maybe with masking), 4:3 material would only show black bars on the sides, but would fill the entire height of the screen.

So, what's the consensus as the best screen to accommodate the VW60? I would definitely prefer something that is 6 feet "long" since I would like to mount it in the same position as the existing Draper and like the current vertical position of the letterbox 16:9 image.

Thanks,

Jack

NO! I had an Advent (5-foot) for the 1st 12 years and a Zenith PV890 for the next 13. I replaced the Zenith with the VW60 last month.

Cheers,

Jack

>You've been using a front projector for 25 years??? The same one?

So, what's the consensus as the best screen to accommodate the VW60? I would definitely prefer something that is 6 feet "long" since I would like to mount it in the same position as the existing Draper and like the current vertical position of the letterbox 16:9 image.


I wouldn't say there's such a thing as the "best" screen. It all depends on your viewing environment. Do you mean 6' high? That would give you a bit more than 10.5' width. If you mean 6' wide, that would be smaller than your current screen. Depending on your budget, I'd recommend a Stewart Studiotek 130 or if you want to pay a little less, try Carada. They're available in pretty much all aspect ratios and with or without masking.

If you want to go with an acoustically transparent screen (to put the speakers behind the screen), I'd either recommend SMX or Screen Research. But since you don't have that now, you may want to stick to a regular screen.

Obviously there are lots of different screens for different applications. I researched screens for a couple of months before deciding on the stewart firehawk dropdown 106" and couldn't be happier. The colors are fantastic, the blacks are black, and great picture even when there is some light in the room. I actually found the screen on craig's list well below retail (new in box, never been used, 1 year old), although AVS gave me an incredibly competitive quote. For a room that won't always be pitch dark, I vote for the firehawk. Just my 2 cents.

Enjoy the new projector, and definitely go 16:9 on your screen. High-def material looks great, and even normal def looks great on our 106". A lot of normal def has bars on top and bottom, and the projector is smart enough to display them wide screen (without the bars) zoomed to fill the screen. And it looks less pixelated than my old 65" rear projector Mitsubishi.

-Ethan