[ASPGuy]

Newbie questions - I have heard about Auto-scaling on some DVD players. Will these players scale and utilize the whole screen when I'm locked in FULL mode? I have a JVC GDV4210PZW Plasma display and JVC 732GD DVD player and would like to utilize the whole screen without any black bars. So far the only way I can use the whole screen is in ZOOM mode when watching some DVD materials. Why aren't some of the newer DVD releases not taking advantage of the FULL mode and still show black bars? e.g. Shrek, Star Wars Episode I

 

[analog8]

I'm not aware of DVD players with built in scaling - certainly not consumer models. Scaling is usually a function of the plasma or an external box like a Faroudja scaler.


I assume you are talking about horizontal black bars rather than vertical, which is a different issue.


Your JVC is a 16:9 display. If you watch a 16:9 DVD and your JVC is set to the correct mode, you definitely should not be seeing any black bars.


Star Wars is a 2.35:1 ratio DVD, which is even wider than 16:9. Shrek is 1.78:1 which is a different standard again. These will still have (smaller) black bars even on a 16:9 display.


Look on the back of your DVD's to find a 16:9 and adjust the set so that uses the full screen.

 

[amillians]

One small correction--1.78 is the same aspect ratio as 16:9. If Shrek is in 1.78 (and Amazon says it is), then it shouldn't be showing any top/bottom bars.


To reiterate what Analog8 said, there are really 2 main formats for movies on DVD: 2.35 and 1.85. Both will have top/bottom black bars on your 16:9 display (assuming that you have it set up correctly and are not zooming), with the bars on 1.85 movies smaller than those on 2.35 movies. As Martha Stewart would say, this is a GOOD thing...you're seeing the movie (hopefully) as the director intended.


The only time you're not going to get black bars is from viewing 4"3 material stretched/zoomed or from viewing native 16:9 (i.e., 1.78) format sources...these would include HDTV broadcasts and a number of DVD videos.


Please try to look at it this way...without the black bars in place, your are LOSING picture information. That's bad!