[Ian Fleet]

What’s so great about a 16x 9 projector when most rented DVD’s are 4:3 format?

I have read on this forum so much about how better a16x9 projector is and yet most of the films I can rent from my video store are 4:3 format DVD’s.

I have a nec vt45 which projects in both formats.

Have you noticed how funny it looks when you compress a 4:3 film onto a 16x9 screen? Everybody looks short and fat!

I just watched Men in Black II last week and Will Smith looked like he could use some time on a Stair Master!

My next project is to buy some Goo paint and use clip on black margins.

 

[Shinji Kinomoto]

-Buy movies that aren't pan and scammed and you'll see why.

-KS

 

[bublitchki]

Ever think of giving poor Mr. Smith a break, and displaying the 4:3 movies properly, which is to say windowboxed in the center of your 16:9 screen?


That's not even to raise the question of why you're even watching 4:3 versions of 16:9 movies. Why not try renting from Netflix? They've got thousands of movies in 16:9 format. That way you can fill your 16:9 screen, put Will Smith on a diet, and honor the framing intended by the director.


Of course, if you prefer watching movies in 4:3 format, you might have considered not getting a 16:9 screen in the first place.

 

[Ian Fleet]

My problem is not watching films in 16x9 format but renting films in 16x9 format. Netflix doesn’t doesn’t rent to Canadians and maybe I don’t want to buy every film I watch! So this boils down to having access to content.

I’m sure there are other people with the same problem!

 

[Jazser]

Actually most movies are in either 1.78 :1, 1.85: 1, or 2:35:1 from my experience, except old movies like casablanca etc. that are in 4:3 (also IMAX movies, and movies that include 4:3 format discs such as Shrek. The reason to buy a 16:9 projector is you can use all of the available resolution for high defenition signals (1.78:1) and 1.78 to 1 movies. If you have a 16:9 screen, and you are watching a wide screen format (as above) you don't have to deal with annoying light spill off the top and bottom of the screen with a native 16:9 projector. Your 4:3 projector will spill light off the top and bottom of the screen when viewing this material, unless you zoom it down.


However, the drawback is you can only use part of the available resoltution available when viewing 4:3 material. But I guess it depends on what you like to watch. With a 4:3 screen, a 4:3 projector makes a lot of sense. In fact, I would have gone that route had I had the room for it.

 

[guitarman]

"Your 4:3 projector will spill light off the top and bottom of the screen when viewing this material, unless you zoom it down."


The 4.3 Z90 I have has no light spill. The HT200 Seleco does have a halo of light around the screen.


One thing that bothered me about the AE100 16.9 projector. Watching a 16.9 movie and having the blacks calibrated correctly, you had a lighter set of horizontal black bars within the 16.9 frame.


With the Z90 a 16.9 film just has solid black bars on the top and bottom. Also the viewing size is larger.


I didn't notice to much of a difference between the squeeze of the HT200 vs the way the Z90 does a film.

 

[rlindo]

Quote:

Originally posted by guitarman One thing that bothered me about the AE100 16.9 projector. Watching a 16.9 movie and having the blacks calibrated correctly, you had a lighter set of horizontal black bars within the 16.9 frame.

Huh? are you just commenting on the low contrast of the ae100 whihc made the aspect ratio bars grey instead of a true black? or are you teferring to something totally different...



as for the original poster, rent OAR dvds. and the purpose of a 16x9 pj to watch dvds and/or HDTV material is pretty obvious. If you were renting real dvds, you'd realize that

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

You need to complain loudly to your rental place about them only having 4:3 material then. That means that most movies you watch have 40% of their image content hacked off on the sides. Ick!


A 16:9 projector is a good compromise for many of us. 16:9 material is shown on the entire screen, 2.35:1 material has narrow black bars above and below and 4:3 material has black bars on the sides instead.


Personally I view almost exclusively widescreen material on my projector and would never willingly get a 4:3 projector instead. I don't mind viewing 4:3 material unsqueezed in the middle with black bars; philosophically I think 4:3 material should be less impressive than real widescreen. This applies especially if they have hacked 40% of the image off and panned and scanned, aka butchered, the movie.


If you want to know what you are currently missing, check out the examples over at Widescreen.org: http://www.widescreen.org/examples.shtml


Scary.

 

[C Hering]

I've ordered the HS-10, and my logic is based on my intended use of this pj.


1. My primary use will be for HDTV and Widescreen DVDs.......you will most appreciate these high resolution images if you view them closest to their native format. 16x9 will do that better than 4x3.


2. I will also likely use it, although much less frequently, for some computer games with high resolution. 4x3 gets the nod here (I think).


3. Then, only occasionally I may watch lower resolution digital standard def TV (4x3). Since this is lower resolution anyhow, it really doesn't make a difference which format you pick.


I only watch DVD's in "cropped" 4x3 format today because my HS10 hasn't arrived yet.


If your pj viewing priorities are different than this, then your format choice could be different.

 

[JeffreyTaylor]

Let me count the pixels:


Projector A: 4:3 (1024x768 max. resolution)

Projector B: 16:9 (1368x768 max. resolution)


watching 4:3 content in 4:3 aspect ratio (no stretch or zoom):

Projector A: 786,432 pixels

Projector B: 786,432 pixels (bars on the left and right)


watching 16:9 content in 16:9 aspect ratio (no stretch or zoom):

Projector A: 1024x576=589,824 pixels

Projector B: 1368x768=1,050,624 pixels


Of course other aspect ratios will vary slightly, but Projector B will always have the same or better resolution as Projector A. Somewhat OT, has any company thought of making a 16:9 projector that matches an actual HDTV ratio (1280x720, 1920x1024) or say double a DVD resolution (1440x960)? Where did 1368x768 come from?

 

[nigel_ht]

And in my case for 16:9 (other than 1080i):


1024x768 = 786,432 pixels (with an anamorphic lens)


By the way...a lot of 16:9 projectors are 1280x720.


1368x768 probably comes from easy pillarboxing of 1024x768 computer material by the projector (what you just pointed out). With 1280x720 you're stuck with scaling computer material unless you use a non-standard resolution.


Nigel