Watching a 4:3 Blu Ray on a Wide Screen TV

[Anthony Micallef]

I have a Samsung 46inch Smart TV and use a PS3 to watch my Blu Rays. I have a slight problem in that when I watch The Prisoner Blu Ray which is recorded in 4:3 format I get black bars at the side of the image.

I have tried altering the pic settings for my TV to no avail. Am I stuck with these black bars or am I missing something?

[Jobbo]

What do you want to happen instead? The original show was recorded in 4:3 format which is a different shape to your tv screen. You could either chop off the top and bottom of the original picture or stretch it to fit (so everything looks weird and out of proportion). Being forced to watch the full picture in the correct proportions seems entirely sensible.

[TEKNOPUG]

Anthony Micallef said:

I have a Samsung 46inch Smart TV and use a PS3 to watch my Blu Rays. I have a slight problem in that when I watch The Prisoner Blu Ray which is recorded in 4:3 format I get black bars at the side of the image.

I have tried altering the pic settings for my TV to no avail. Am I stuck with these black bars or am I missing something?

Set the TV foramt to 16:9?
Set the output on the PS3 to 16:9?

Watch it as it is, as it's native 4:3 and stretching it to 16:9 will make it look quite odd.

[Anthony Micallef]

Jobbo said:

What do you want to happen instead? The original show was recorded in 4:3 format which is a different shape to your tv screen. You could either chop off the top and bottom of the original picture or stretch it to fit (so everything looks weird and out of proportion). Being forced to watch the full picture in the correct proportions seems entirely sensible.

I want to be able view the episodes in full screen. Whatever picture settings I use on the TV doesnt achieve this. I have a 4:3 DVD (not Bluray) which I managed to get to full screen by setting up the PS3 accordingly.

I guess Ill just have to put up with the black bars then.

[IrateNinja]

Anthony Micallef said:

I want to be able view the episodes in full screen. Whatever picture settings I use on the TV doesnt achieve this. I have a 4:3 DVD (not Bluray) which I managed to get to full screen by setting up the PS3 accordingly.

I guess Ill just have to put up with the black bars then.

Do the black bars really annoy you so much you'd want to remove a quarter of the viewable picture?

[OldSkoolRS]

I have a Lumagen Video Processor that would allow me to do this if I felt so inclined (I don't) as it allows the image to be digitally zoomed or non linear stretch applied. However, it's an awful waste of a good video processor IMHO: Not unlike buying a Ferrari to tow a caravan. Oppo BluRay players will allow this digital zoom as well, but again not cheap:

Oppo BDP-103 BluRay player:
http://www.chromapure.co.uk/details.asp?id=275&amp...

Lumagen Radiance Mini3D video processor:
http://www.chromapure.co.uk/details.asp?id=249&amp...

Without the calibration kit:
http://www.chromapure.co.uk/details.asp?id=234&amp...

FWIW I have a 2.35:1 projector screen (22:9) so when I watch 4:3 content I have to cover virtually half my screen with side masking, but I still prefer to do that than stretch or crop bits off.

[Anthony Micallef]

IrateNinja said:

Do the black bars really annoy you so much you'd want to remove a quarter of the viewable picture?

Its annoying when you have a series from the 60s thats been digitally remastered and put on Bluray but then looks stupid on your TV because it doesnt fill up the screen!

[IrateNinja]

Anthony Micallef said:

Its annoying when you have a series from the 60s thats been digitally remastered and put on Bluray but then looks stupid on your TV because it doesnt fill up the screen!

I'm really not following you here.

The enhancement from the remastering is hardly going to magic up content from nowhere to fill the void of the bars is it? The picture quality and resolution will surely be far superior to your previous copy.

Both of which will suffer if you insist on filling the whole 16x9 display.

[MocMocaMoc]

Think yourself lucky you get black bars.

My TV only displays grey bars - and looks f*cking awful.


I don't mind watching with the bars. Never understood wanting to stretch a 4:3 image over a 16:9 screen?

Sorry : )

[TheHeretic]

Anthony Micallef said:

Its annoying when you have a series from the 60s thats been digitally remastered and put on Bluray but then looks stupid on your TV because it doesnt fill up the screen!

It was filmed in 4:3. Digitally remastering cannot fill in the gaps that are not there. Either stretch, or have bars.

[Meeja]

I much prefer TVs that pillar box 4:3 signals rather than stretch them.

After about 30 seconds of watching it you will have forgotten that the black side bars are there. If you haven't, then the programme is crap and is not holding your interest!

[Bullett]

be thankful.
I have a HD 3D projector, 120" screen, surround sound, blu-ray, etc, etc.

What does it get used for most of the time



Peppa bloody pig.

In widescreen.




"On the big telly daddy"

[telecat]

You are watching it in the Format it was filmed in. Stretching it will degrade the picture and cause some of it to "disappear" over the edges. Leave it it is 4:3 for that and 16:9 for modern programs.

[probedb]

Anthony Micallef said:

Its annoying when you have a series from the 60s thats been digitally remastered and put on Bluray but then looks stupid on your TV because it doesnt fill up the screen!

You're not really understanding aspect ratios. It was filmed in 4:3. How exactly do you want it to appear? It'll either be stretched or it'll cut off some of the picture if you zoom in whilst keeping the zoom 1:1.