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I did some seaching to answer this question and think I get it now, but just to confirm....
Certain DVD's (usually the el-cheapo ones at the checkout counter at Best Buy) are labeled as "widescreen" but actually display as letterboxed within a 4:3 aspect frame on my 16x9 Panasonic TV. This sucks. The only way to maximize the picture is to use the zoom option, thus losing the resolution. Some culprits - Something About Mary, Spaceballs and What About Bob?. 1st question - is there any way to get around this problem with these DVDs through TV/DVD player settings? 2nd question - is there some labeling I can look for to AVOID these titles? Should I be looking specifically for the word "Anamorphic"? (DVD player [Panny RP-82] is correctly set for 16x9 display...)
Follow Ups:
Letterboxed widescreen can be made to fill the screen on a 16x9 display if you have a zoom function on the DVD player or the projector that is set up to zoom letterbox to full size. However, there are fewer pixels in a leterboxed DVD than in an anamorphic one, so resolution will not be as goodDon't buy letterbox and they will stop making them. They are useless.
Gotta watch out for "stealth" letterboxes BEFORE you buy. I bought a couple that were mislabeled at CC and upon returning them, was informed I could only exchange them for 4:3 full-screen. I bitched my way up to the store manager but still no-go. So I made a bet with him. If he could play the DVDs on a 16:9 in Full mode with no distortion, I'd go away. If not, he'd give me my money back. 5 mins later I had the cash.Austin
To get true widescreen you need a DVD w/ a 1.8:1 aspect ratio (16x9). Most are letterbox or 2.35:1 so your will still have the black line on top and bottom.
Make sure your DVD player is set to the correct ratio.
What can be done with non-anamorphic DVDs depends both on your player and on your monitor. Some older monitors (including some Pannys) lock in full when given a 480p signal. If this is the case, you'd have to look for scaling options in your player. Conversely, if the player can't do anyting, your TV stretch modes can be used (if it doesn't lock in full on 480p).Look carefully for the phrase "Enhanced for 16:9 Displays" on the DVD. This is code for anamorphic. Some DVDs actually have "Anamorphic" printed on the package but the "Enhanced" phrase is much more common. Good luck.
Austin
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