Star Trek (Both Original And Next Generation)

[Maxwell Everett]

If you tell your Blu-ray player you have a 4:3 TV, it will show 16:9 content (i.e. Blu-ray) letterboxed with black bars on the top and bottom. Because both of these series have hard coded black pillar bars on the sides of the frame, yes, the show will be framed by black all around. You'd have to tell your Blu-ray player that you have a 16:9 TV and the image will appear stretched vertically. If you have access to a horizontal stretch control, you could then pull the image out to fill the screen.

Widescreen HDTV's are cheap and ubiquitous nowadays... it wouldn't hurt to buy one after you've saved up some money.

[Spottedfeather]

Originally Posted by Maxwell Everett

If you tell your Blu-ray player you have a 4:3 TV, it will show 16:9 content (i.e. Blu-ray) letterboxed with black bars on the top and bottom. Because both of these series have hard coded black pillar bars on the sides of the frame, yes, the show will be framed by black all around. You'd have to tell your Blu-ray player that you have a 16:9 TV and the image will appear stretched vertically. If you have access to a horizontal stretch control, you could then pull the image out to fill the screen.

Widescreen HDTV's are cheap and ubiquitous nowadays... it wouldn't hurt to buy one after you've saved up some money.

I've heard that if you watched the Star Trek original series on a 4:3 tv, it would be in widescreen with black all the way around the picture. The Pinocchio blu-ray is like that. I've also heard that the Next Generation blu-rays will fill a 4:3 tv. That's what I was wondering about because I wasn't sure if it was true or not.

And to everyone telling me not to even bother with blu-ray unless I have a widescreen tv....shut it. Not everyone has the money for a widescreen tv. A lot of us have to make do with the 4:3 tvs we have until they break. I got a blu-ray player because my dvd player wasn't working that well, and I thought why not upgrade for when I can get a widescreen tv. Not having a job makes it difficult to "save up some money."

And before a bunch of swingbags rag on me for that, you should know that I CAN'T get a job. My mother is ill and I'm the only one around to help her out. My dad works and both of my brothers moved out.

[benricci]

Originally Posted by Spottedfeather

And to everyone telling me not to even bother with blu-ray unless I have a widescreen tv....shut it. Not everyone has the money for a widescreen tv. A lot of us have to make do with the 4:3 tvs we have until they break. I got a blu-ray player because my dvd player wasn't working that well, and I thought why not upgrade for when I can get a widescreen tv. Not having a job makes it difficult to "save up some money."

Dude, take a chill pill. We're telling you to buy the DVDs because they will display properly on your TV, and because frankly it's sort of asinine to pay more for them on a high def format when you can't actually watch them in High Definition.

The DVDs just make way more sense for you right now. You have a standard definition television, there's no point in getting the HD versions of these shows since they're likely gonna display with black bars all around. The blurays are simply not intended to be played on old 4:3 tube sets. Sorry.

[Maxwell Everett]

Originally Posted by Spottedfeather

I've heard that if you watched the Star Trek original series on a 4:3 tv, it would be in widescreen with black all the way around the picture. The Pinocchio blu-ray is like that. I've also heard that the Next Generation blu-rays will fill a 4:3 tv. That's what I was wondering about because I wasn't sure if it was true or not.

And to everyone telling me not to even bother with blu-ray unless I have a widescreen tv....shut it. Not everyone has the money for a widescreen tv. A lot of us have to make do with the 4:3 tvs we have until they break. I got a blu-ray player because my dvd player wasn't working that well, and I thought why not upgrade for when I can get a widescreen tv. Not having a job makes it difficult to "save up some money."

And before a bunch of swingbags rag on me for that, you should know that I CAN'T get a job. My mother is ill and I'm the only one around to help her out. My dad works and both of my brothers moved out.

I'm sympathetic to your circumstances, but how did you pay for the Blu-ray player to begin with and how will you afford the TNG or TOS Blu-rays if/when you choose to get them if money is so tight?

Incidentally, how big a screen does your 4:3 TV have? What image adjustment controls does it have? Do you have access to a hidden service menu?

[Spottedfeather]

Originally Posted by Maxwell Everett

I'm sympathetic to your circumstances, but how did you pay for the Blu-ray player to begin with and how will you afford the TNG or TOS Blu-rays if/when you choose to get them if money is so tight?

Incidentally, how big a screen does your 4:3 TV have? What image adjustment controls does it have? Do you have access to a hidden service menu?

The blu-ray player was a birthday present 4 years ago. Money isn't tight for me. It's non existant. My tv is, I think, 27 inches. The image controls are for stuff like contrast, brightness, sharpness, and tone. I don't know anything about a hidden service menu.

[blu-ray_girl_fan]

Originally Posted by Spottedfeather

The blu-ray player was a birthday present 4 years ago. Money isn't tight for me. It's non existant. My tv is, I think, 27 inches. The image controls are for stuff like contrast, brightness, sharpness, and tone. I don't know anything about a hidden service menu.

You've mentioned that Pinocchio has black bars on all four sides.

1) How does Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs appear on your set-up?

2) Have you tried playing with your BD player's video output? It probably has two different settings for 4:3. Try both to see which one gives you the best results.

(By the way, I think Pinocchio has borders on all four sides for the same reason as Star Trek TOS -- the PIP video commentary is framed for 16:9 TVs.)

[Spottedfeather]

Originally Posted by blu-ray_girl_fan

You've mentioned that Pinocchio has black bars on all four sides.

1) How does Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs appear on your set-up?

2) Have you tried playing with your BD player's video output? It probably has two different settings for 4:3. Try both to see which one gives you the best results.

(By the way, I think Pinocchio has borders on all four sides for the same reason as Star Trek TOS -- the PIP video commentary is framed for 16:9 TVs.)

Snow White was a little square in the middle of the screen. I tried 4:3 Pan and Scan and it did nothing. I guess I just have to wait until HDtv are extremely cheap....

[Blu-21]

Speaking of non-HD CRT TVs and Blu-Ray, would anyone see any difference at all on such a set up in terms of PQ? I myself have never tried it but I would assume it would look the same as DVD no better, no worse...

[Spottedfeather]

Yeah, you see a difference. It's not what you'd see if it was an HDTV, but it's definately better than regular dvd. A lot clearer and sharper, for sure. And a lot more detail.

[Blu-21]

Originally Posted by Spottedfeather

Yeah, you see a difference. It's not what you'd see if it was an HDTV, but it's definately better than regular dvd. A lot clearer and sharper, for sure. And a lot more detail.

Fair enough, I'll take your word for it.

[Maxwell Everett]

Originally Posted by Spottedfeather

The blu-ray player was a birthday present 4 years ago. Money isn't tight for me. It's non existant. My tv is, I think, 27 inches. The image controls are for stuff like contrast, brightness, sharpness, and tone. I don't know anything about a hidden service menu.

Once you get the 16:9 image to fill your screen with the correct setting on your player (with the image stretched vertically -- no letterboxing) you may be able to get rid of the black pillar bars on the sides by adjusting the horizontal stretch of the CRT via the service menu (with the proper remote code). Do a Google search for the TV brand and model number and "service menu." If the TV isn't completely ancient, there's a possibility you'll be able to find something and get it to work. However, make sure you know what you're adjusting (write all the existing values down before you change them) because you can easily screw up your TV set.

Otherwise, once you've finally got some cash flow, you'll need about a 32" 16:9 HDTV to match the 4:3 area of your current CRT. Those run just under $200 for a refurbished 720p LED. I know you can get a 24" Full-HD LED monitor with HDMI input at Amazon for about $150 used (or the price of 3 Star Trek Blu-ray sets).