Aspect ratios always screw with me

Improvolone

For example, I'm watching a widescreen version of Harry Potter tonight. My TV is a stadard 4:3 (for now, give me a few months, eh?). My DVD player shows the movie in widescreen inside my 4:3. However, I can use 16:9 mode on my TV. When I do so, the picture clearly looks different. I think, better, but I was never very good and assuming what it's supposed to look like.

So, some help?

Akilae729

I believe that the 16:9 mode on your television simply redirects the picture tube to only strike where a normal letterbox image would be displayed. Theoretically, this gives you more lines of resolution for the wide screen presentation and thus a sharper picture

It should look a little bit more crisp

Improvolone

It seems to mostly affect the smooshed-ness of the image

Deusfaux

if your 4:3 tv has a 16:9 mode, that's a good feature

you'll want to set the dvd player to 16:9 output first, (and leave it there forever), and then for anamorphic ("enhanced for widescreen tv") dvds, switch tv into 16:9 mode

for non anamorphic dvds, switch it to regular 4:3 mode


the difference is whether or dvd player or your tv is putting in the black bars. (you want your tv to do it if necessary). that'll result in higher resolution