Adjusting TV to film's aspect ratio question.

[The_Iceflash]

Now this may seem like an elementary question but bear with me. So yesterday I finally got a Blu-ray player. Now my question involves my TV settings. On my widescreen tv, I have a choice between the following ratios:

Set by program
Full
16:9
4:3
Zoom 1
Zoom 2

When I watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, for example, which TV setting should I put it on Full, 16:9, or 4:3?. Now this is probably a stupid question but one I've been curious about for a while, For a widescreen film, the setting should be on 16:9 correct? That's what I've been having it on but I just wanted to be sure.

Note: The player adjusts to the film's ratio and this isn't about wanting to fill the whole screen. This is about setting the TV to the appropriate ratio for it to be viewed correctly.

I'd like to thank beforehand for the help and patience and I apologize if these are stupid questions.

[Disneykid]

Yeah, always leave it on 16:9 when watching Blu-rays. 4:3 movies like Snow White and The Wizard of Oz are actually encoded on the disc with "black bars" on the sides to create a 16:9 image. Even if they weren't, like you said, your player automatically presents 4:3 material pillar-boxed so that they aren't stretched or cropped. You'll notice the latter when watching old DVDs or when watching BD bonus features that are SD.

[The_Iceflash]

Yeah, always leave it on 16:9 when watching Blu-rays. 4:3 movies like Snow White and The Wizard of Oz are actually encoded on the disc with "black bars" on the sides to create a 16:9 image. Even if they weren't, like you said, your player automatically presents 4:3 material pillar-boxed so that they aren't stretched or cropped. You'll notice the latter when watching old DVDs or when watching BD bonus features that are SD.

Thanks.

[milojthatch]

Interesting. So it use to be black bars on the top and bottom. Now they are on the sides. LOL! I for one am ok with shows and films that were originally shown in the fullscreen format to stay that way.

[ajmrowland]

^Since it's encoded in widescreen, any 4:3 tv without zoom will get windowboxing.

And it's always best to keep the native AR. Im not sure what effect Full does that 16:9 doesnt, but whichever makes the image smaller is best.

[Disneykid]

"Full" is a half-way point between stretching and cropping. If you watch a 4:3 show in "full" mode, tiny slivers of the top and bottom get cropped, and then the sides get stretched slightly. This way, you're not completely cropping the image to 16:9 where you end up with sliced off foreheads, but you're not completely stretching it so that everyone looks short and fat. I, personally, avoid this feature since it messes with aspect ratios. Plus when the camera pans, it looks like you're viewing the image through a tube (the middle stays normal, but the sides get warped).

[dvdjunkie]

To make sure you are getting the OAR of all your movies, make sure that your DVD player is set for 16X9 if your Television is a Widescreen Monitor. Even if it isn't, it will still show the movie in the OAR as long as your TV and DVD player match perfectly.

Now all the 'wannabe critics' will say, what about your 4:3 formatted films, they looked stretched on a widescreen television. Just make sure that your DVD player and television meet the same. It is easy to change and even the least experienced person can do this, by just following the simple directions contained in your owner's manual.

I use this format all the time, and even my Blu-ray player has no problem being changed from 4:3 to 16X9 and back. It is the simplest way to watch your movies in the OAR they were intended.

[ajmrowland]

^Some players-like the PS3-make it so you dont have to interchange manually.

Or is that what you're saying?