"4:3" DVDs playing as widescreen - Blu-ray Forum

GC13 · 03-04-2011, 03:37 AM

I suppose this would be the right forum, since I'm asking specifically about TV show DVDs.

A few of my DVDs (notably Invader Zim and Sabrina the Teenage Witch) have a 4:3 aspect ratio listed on the back, and yet rather than stretching to fill the entire television they play normally—when I set my TV to 4:3 mode the pillar boxes come up but they crop out content, and nothing on the screen loses its shape.

This is only some DVDs, not all (Garfield and Friends, for instance, stretches). Is it common for DVDs to do this, or am I missing something?

GC13 · 03-05-2011, 01:13 PM

I spoke too soon when I said Garfield and Friends stretched; I checked a disc from later in the series and it too just trims out the left and right of the picture while keeping the same shape when I switch to 4:3.

Somebody has to know what this is.

hornakapopolis · 04-22-2011, 12:38 AM

I know this reply is late, but I ran across your post because I had the same problem. After not being able to find a solution for it online, I was finally able to fix it on my end myself.

I have a Sony BDP-S360 and finally found the setting I was looking for at Setup-> Video Settings -> Screen Format. Here, I have two options Original & Fixed Aspect Ratio. Those settings do the opposite of what I expected, but it solved my problem.

Original displays my 4:3 DVDs stretched and not in their original aspect ratio. Fixed Aspect Ratio does not fix the aspect ratio to 16:9, but shows them in their original ratio.

There some other settings that seemed more likely to fix the issue, but that's what did it for me. I hope this helps, at least, someone else.

03-04-2011, 03:37 AM	#1
GC13 Active Member Member since:Feb 2011 Blu-ray collection:111 Trading Score:1	"4:3" DVDs playing as widescreen I suppose this would be the right forum, since I'm asking specifically about TV show DVDs. A few of my DVDs (notably Invader Zim and Sabrina the Teenage Witch) have a 4:3 aspect ratio listed on the back, and yet rather than stretching to fill the entire television they play normally—when I set my TV to 4:3 mode the pillar boxes come up but they crop out content, and nothing on the screen loses its shape. This is only some DVDs, not all (Garfield and Friends, for instance, stretches). Is it common for DVDs to do this, or am I missing something?

03-05-2011, 01:13 PM	#2
GC13 Active Member Member since:Feb 2011 Blu-ray collection:111 Trading Score:1	I spoke too soon when I said Garfield and Friends stretched; I checked a disc from later in the series and it too just trims out the left and right of the picture while keeping the same shape when I switch to 4:3. Somebody has to know what this is.

04-22-2011, 12:38 AM	#3
hornakapopolis New Member Member since:Apr 2011	I know this reply is late, but I ran across your post because I had the same problem. After not being able to find a solution for it online, I was finally able to fix it on my end myself. I have a Sony BDP-S360 and finally found the setting I was looking for at Setup-> Video Settings -> Screen Format. Here, I have two options Original & Fixed Aspect Ratio. Those settings do the opposite of what I expected, but it solved my problem. Original displays my 4:3 DVDs stretched and not in their original aspect ratio. Fixed Aspect Ratio does not fix the aspect ratio to 16:9, but shows them in their original ratio. There some other settings that seemed more likely to fix the issue, but that's what did it for me. I hope this helps, at least, someone else.

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