The future has no black bars! 21:9 HDTV

[Texitura]

Originally Posted by SkantDragon

All of the black bar haters I've encountered have been older folks of the variety that can't understand the concept of aspect ratios. No matter how I've tried to explain to them that the full screen DVD they bought is cropping off half of the image, they don't get it. If there are black pixels on the screen, then they are missing part of the film. And that's all there is to it.

Everything on the TV was always in the same aspect ratio when they were growing up. They've never seen black bars until more recently. And the whole concept of other aspect ratios confuses them.

Younger generations, on the other hand, understand that there are different aspect ratios. They've grown up seeing black bars, and aren't concerned about them.

It just takes time for the viewing public to become educated about and used to what they're watching. Same with the whole grain thing.

That said, I really _really_ hate that TVs have 'features' to stretch the aspect or warp the image to avoid black bars for these people. It just adds to the confusion and ruins the video. Wrong aspect ratio is wrong wrong wrong. It looks aweful. And we shouldn't be training our viewing public to prefer it in any way.

OAR is definitely the only acceptable way to present films on video. And this TV will of course have black bars on the sides for 1.85 and 1.33 material.

But after having switched to a projector with a CIH (constant height) 2.40 screen, I realize there is a problem with black bars. Not with the bars, actually, but with the image.

Widescreen movies were invented to be wider than non-widescreen movies. The whole point is to have a wider field of view, to make it a more immersive experience.

On a TV, a 2.40 movie is smaller than a 1.85 movie. The image that is supposed to be wider, grander and more impressive is actually smaller!

I know it can't be helped on a TV screen (except a 21:9 screen) but I feel this is why a lot of people object to black bars. Subconsciously they know the wider AR movie should be bigger, and it isn't.

My 2 cents.

[docjan_uk]

Don't think this is an ideal solution.

Maybe one day in the future we'll have wall sized screens or projections at UHDTV resolutions, allowing large high resolution images to be shown in their OAR and native resolutions (or some direct multiple thereof)

Imagine The Dark Knight on this TV, it'd actually get smaller in the IMAX scenes...

[quexos]

Originally Posted by Texitura

OAR is definitely the only acceptable way to present films on video. And this TV will of course have black bars on the sides for 1.85 and 1.33 material.

Yes but it will be the same black bars you see when you go see a 1.85 movie in a cinema. Thus it will feel exactly like at the movies.

Originally Posted by docjan_uk

Don't think this is an ideal solution.

Yes I have decided this is an ideal solution !

[Texitura]

Originally Posted by quexos

Yes but it will be the same black bars you see when you go see a 1.85 movie in a cinema. Thus it will feel exactly like at the movies.



Yes I have decided this is an ideal solution !

Of course, most 16:9 TVs have a stretch function for 4:3 because so many people would rather watch a distorted image than have black bars on the sides.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by Texitura

Of course, most 16:9 TVs have a stretch function for 4:3 because so many people would rather watch a distorted image than have black bars on the sides.

or zoom and cut the top and bottom off to fill the screen (dad) I can stand when he does that...

[muddyduck]

Will the tv have extra pixels for the extra width?

[SkantDragon]

What I'm actually the most afraid of is advertisers are going to eventually realize that those black bars are wasted ad space.

At one of the companies I worked for, I was actually asked if it was possible to insert advertising into the black areas created by aspect ratio differences. I told them they'd have to hire a different engineer to write that code.

I won that standoff.

But it's only a matter of time.

If the public is willing to tolerate having ads in those black bars, they're going to be there. And then you're going to rue the day someone thought up BDLive.

It's very important that if any company ever does this... even a little, it needs to be boycotted. Completely and immediately. As an example to the others. That's the only way your black bars won't eventually turn into ad bars.

[swifty7]

the day the black bars turn into ad bars will be the day I will quit video in general, I can only take so much.

[Yeha-Noha]

Getting rid of letter box bars is a luxury and not a necessity. I don't mind having letter box bars. The money would be better spent on adding more BDs to my collection. I would rather buy a projector and a 100 in. screen the next time I upgrade.

[4K2K]

Originally Posted by Texitura

Of course, most 16:9 TVs have a stretch function for 4:3 because so many people would rather watch a distorted image than have black bars on the sides.

You mean like in the Event Horizon and The Truman Show Blu-rays where they encode it with a distorted picture?

The stretch function could be for when a broadcast signal is sent but the aspect ratio flag isn't sent or received correctly (or you timeshift a recording but the flag isn't recorded properly/at all).

Wouldn't a Blu-ray with independent stretching modes (X & Y axis) be useful for discs like The Truman Show where they've been encoded incorrectly, or would you just watch it how it was encoded - distorted - even though that wasn't what the director intended?

[eric0923]

I would rather go back to VHS than have to watch all these movies on half a TV screen it just sucks after ive spent close to $4,000.00 dollars on my entertainment system.

[syncguy]

This is fantastic news. I was waiting for this to happen for sometime.

I am sure some people may not like 21:9, some people will love 21:9 and also some people will keep two sets one for the movies and the other for TV.

This is a goldmine for manufacturers, retailers as well as studios because it is a good opportunity to attract more people to watch movies.

This is God-given for the blackbar-haters which is a very large group.

Now it is the time for Sony, WB and BDA to fix black-bar subtitle problem which is long overdue. Sony/WB blackbar subtitles cannot be read on 21:9 sets and are counterproductive from both studio and manufacturer perspectives.

Also, there is a good case to reconsider anamorphic blu-rays to fully utilise 1080 pixel height of the future 21:9 sets.

[tron3]

I don't know of a single DVD or blu-ray player with 21:9 in the settings. I guess the TV automatically converts everything. Top and bottom bars never bothered me. Side bars bother me, so I stretch the 4:3 channel to fill the screen whenever I can. Can you imagine 4:3 stretched on this thing, let alone stretching 16:9?

[DrinkMore]

Originally Posted by SkantDragon

What I'm actually the most afraid of is advertisers are going to eventually realize that those black bars are wasted ad space.

At one of the companies I worked for, I was actually asked if it was possible to insert advertising into the black areas created by aspect ratio differences. I told them they'd have to hire a different engineer to write that code.

I won that standoff.

But it's only a matter of time.

If the public is willing to tolerate having ads in those black bars, they're going to be there. And then you're going to rue the day someone thought up BDLive.

It's very important that if any company ever does this... even a little, it needs to be boycotted. Completely and immediately. As an example to the others. That's the only way your black bars won't eventually turn into ad bars.

They don't need black bars to do that. Watching network tv, TBS, NBC, CBS, ABS - all have their stupid logos and all have reminders about upcoming shows on the left bottom side along with wonderful animated pictures and other crap that pops up and comes on all while you are trying to watch the currently running show.

And they wonder why their ratings are suffering.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by syncguy

This is a goldmine for manufacturers, retailers as well as studios because it is a good opportunity to attract more people to watch movies.

This is God-given for the blackbar-haters which is a very large group.

I respectfully disagree. Manufacturers are going to loose their shirts if they make this any more than a niche product sold at a hefty premium. You will need a 55" Scope TV in order to get the same size 2.35:1 picture as I have on my 58" set. Unfortunately, that same scope TV will only have 16:9 picture (all HD cable/sat, etc.) the size of a 44" set. Do we really think the "black-bar haters" will spend premium $$ in order to watch a small percentage of their viewing without horizontal bars while giving up a larger picture for the majority of their viewing? I don't think so.

[DavePS3]

Originally Posted by stockstar1138

wow! now we can hear ppl b1tch about how there are black bars on the sides for 16:9 movies.
+all of your tv is now gonna have black bars. stupid invention.

Right on, tell 'em Stocky!!!

[DavePS3]

Here's one view I found... (kinda funny & true):

Never known to leave things alone, your humble narrator has once again pushed the envelope just a little too far. Phillips recently came up with what looks like a 2.21 panel. Well, boots to you, man because Evolution (well, okay just me) has evolved (get it?) an all new 2.76:1 panel for those who want their three Panavision-70 movies to fill their screen. Imagine if you will… the majesty of Ben Hur full screen without overscanning! Marvel in the splendor of all 7 of your Cinerama shot films with barely noticeable black bars! Yes, technology certainly has come a ways, hasn’t it? On this new screen, all your wider movies greater than 1.78:1 will have black bars thinner than ever before! Why, your friends will line up just to touch you and say they knew you when. Freak out your mother in law by stretching her 1.33:1 episodes of Sex In The City so much that she can’t even recognize the characters! See her leave in a huff! Hear her curse your name and all for the low, low price of half what a Porsche might cost you. Available in 32, 42, 50, 60, 80 and a whopping 140 inch sizes, this new technology will be the new industry standard—as soon as some people in said industry buy into the concept that is. Cool? You betcha! Sassy? Oh yeah. Incredibly stupid? Absolutely without a doubt but you know what? If someone actually came out with this… there would be buyers. Scary but true.

[Teabaggins]

I would hate to watch football or other sports with bars on the side

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

I would hate to watch football or other sports with bars on the side

For me, it's not so much that I mind seeing the bars on the sides while watching programming that warrants it. But (as per my lengthy post from the previous page), with many movies and most newer TV programming being 16:9, I would be more concerned about any negative effects (like image retention/burn-in) that could occur from the black bars being displayed for a long period of time.

[Teabaggins]

this tv is LCD