http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/ Engadget HD Comments for HD 101: Why there are black bars on HDTVs http://hd.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://hd.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:10AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:11AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:39AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
that white noise you see on top of a analog signal is not just CC as that happens on line 21 on analog TV and on line 9 on HD tv.

That bar will always be their because it not only hold close caption content but it will hold the AFD. It also hold time code and other information the networks need to know that is their as a quick reference.]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:47AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:05PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
So am I correct in understanding that a Blu-ray disc will look best when displayed on a 1080p flat panel with the overscan feature turned off? It sounds like there won;t be any unnecessary upscaling and cropping this way.]]>Feb 19th 2009 1:57PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 22nd 2009 9:02PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
My question is why didnt they use a better image to show this off, one where edge stuff would get cut off in zoom levels and it would be easy to say "see, the monkey on the edge is now not visible".]]>Feb 19th 2009 9:28PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
"But rather then getting" s/be 'than'
"you might just loose your lunch" s/be 'lose'
"just assume" s/be "just as soon"
"in it's Original Aspect Ratio" s/be "its"
"have it's own name" s/be "its"
differnent s/be different
]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:28AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/"even though they though life with black bars was over"

Who edits these posts anyway? ]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:43AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Thanks for the corrections.]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:43AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 1:28PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 3:11PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 20th 2009 11:48PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Lo and behold -- just last month I got yet another e-mail from some guy bitching that all movies should be made in 1.78:1 so that they can fit on this 16:9 TV. (I'm sure that his argument five years ago was that they should all be made in 4:3.)

Sorry, Ben, but your statement about "So rather than fight them, just kick back and enjoy the part of the image that is there" will never happen. As long as people have the mentality that their $20 DVD purchase gives them the right to supersede the planning and vision of the entire filmmaking crew, they will always complain about "black bars".

That, sadly, is the reality about "the dreaded black bars".]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:32AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:33AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
That being said, I was a little irritated watching "Star Trek Enterprise" on Sci-Fi HD yesterday. Huge black bars framing and surrounding a relatively tiny "HD" picture in the middle. It was a bit bizarre. ]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:50AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/I pay for a 50" widescreen TV, I want all the movies I buy to fit them.
It's like buying a large pizza: you open the large box and only find a medium pie! And I still payed for the large box!

Why do filmmakers *need* so many aspect ratios?
I liked my Betamax player and I liked the betamax tape format. But VHS won and we are all better for it. Same with Bluray. Same with widescreen TVs.
We need an aspect ratio standard. Sure some fringe filmmakers can use whatever, but for mainstream movies we need a standard and TVs to match.

I hate the black bars *and* I hate to crop the HD picture!
I don't care if it's 1.85, 2.35, whatever. Movies and TV shows should all match up.
If a filmmaker is using 2.35 to "say something to the audience" maybe he/she should be using other techniques. Using the aspect ratio seems like a artsy crutch.

I don't make films, I just enjoy them but hate explaining why the black bars are there. ugghh]]>Mar 12th 2009 3:41PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:37AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/:|]]>Feb 20th 2009 8:37AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:48AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:49AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:52AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
I have a couple of those early DVD's before the widespread use of anamorphic widescreen and they look like crap on my 46" flat panel because a third of the 480 lines of resolution are being wasted on black. It seems a shame to do the same with HD content. ]]>Feb 19th 2009 2:51PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Wow! That was either the stupidist thing I've seen posted at Engadget or a brilliant troll!]]>Feb 19th 2009 3:36PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
And, yes, it would be a great idea to allow 1080p frames in anamorphic 4:3 and 64:27 aspect ratios as well. This would allow to store 1.33:1 and 2.40:1 movies in more pixels than with the current 16:9 frame.]]>Feb 19th 2009 6:17PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/I have been wondering the same exact thing for a while now, and was just about to pose the question when I saw that you had beaten me to the punch! Can we hear from an expert as to why there is no equivalent of "Enhanced for widescreen TV's" in regards to 2.35:1 films on blu-ray? Some folks are already going with 2.40:1 screens using buying anamorphic lenses in order to have a constant height screen. Why not be able to take advantage of the full resolution of blu-ray for films that do not conform to 1.78:1 as DVD did with 16:9?]]>Feb 19th 2009 8:22PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
On another topic, does anyone know whether the conversions to dvd or blu-ray allocate compression bandwith differently to different parts of the screen? It would probably have to be done manually, but you could tell the compressor to do a worse job on the background buildings in order to allocate more bits to the action in the middle. ]]>Feb 20th 2009 8:48AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Really, I can care less about those sissy-artsy-f artsy director's vision.
I spent damn good money on a 52in samsung and I want 52inches of picture. So with this black bars thing I have to go to a 65 inch ($4000 tv) to get 52 inches of picture?!? Heck no.
Only idiots will be 'ok' with black bars.
Those directors need to start thinking that a movie only has a very, very short life in the movie theater, then it's off to bluray and dvd, where 16:9 and 4:3 rule.
So cut the BS and give people what they want, FULL STINKING SCREEN.
And those who are okay with black bars and side with the "preserve the director's vision", can kiss my 16:9 behind.
]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:53AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:55AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
It must be nice to think that your $20 purchase gives you better judgment than an entire team of creative writers, cinematographers, producers, and so forth who have hundreds of collective years of experience under their belts and who do this for a living.]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:33PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Don't buy any movie that doesn't use the wonderful 16:9 ratio that so elegantly fills the screen you paid so much for, and restrict yourself to TV series.
Seriously, some are very good, and nearly every one is produced in full 16:9 HD.
Oh, and never, ever buy movies like Casablanca and other classics of that period. Not only the image aspect ratio is 4:3 or 1.37:1, but these morons dared releasing their movies in black and white (as in : no color), and the sound is mono. It would be terribly frustrating to have this kind of crap only using a portion of your hard-earned HDTV.

There's another solution if you don't want to spend 4000$ on a 65-inch TV. Buy a 2000$ projector and project a gorram 100-inch 16:9 image. Buy a 2:40:1 screen and zoom the image to fill the screen when you're watching 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 content.
]]>Feb 23rd 2009 5:39PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:55AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 11:56AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://www.dcimovies.com/DCIDigitalCinemaSystemSpecv1_2.pdf) their specification calls out these items.

The one question I have always had is what is the actual ratio of these Blu-Ray discs? I don't have a dot-by-dot capable display device to be able to test. 2.35:1 is still what most people say when referring to scope, but this is only out of old habit. Are Blu-Rays just using that out of habit or actual formatting? This is important because if you are a projector user, because screens come in either 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 so which do you buy?
]]>Feb 19th 2009 1:09PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 6:51PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
To at least negate one black bar issue, why wasn't 1.85:1 the wide-screen TV standard?

That would make sense.

Why is 16:9 (1.78:1) the standard?]]>Feb 19th 2009 11:59AMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Wikipedia does a great job of explaining it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_(image)
]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:00PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/You got the day off?]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:05PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
This is like 3rd grade math in elementary school. Jeez.]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:09PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
I was taught that rounding OFF would always go to the closer whole number, rounding DOWN would always go to the lower number and rounding UP would always go to the higher number.
]]>Feb 19th 2009 3:01PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
maybe I am ignorant.]]>Feb 19th 2009 3:14PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
It does make for smaller divx files ;)
]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:25PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/Feb 19th 2009 12:25PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Thanks for the explanation as this will provide a great link for those who question the black bars]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:34PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Actually who am I kidding. Theres about a 0% chance these peopl have their DVD or Bluray player hooked up right and its probably also set in 4:3 mode anyway.]]>Feb 19th 2009 12:47PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
The scary thing is, you know I'm right.]]>Feb 19th 2009 1:55PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/You just restated what the original poster said and you told him "you know I'm right". What was the point of you comment?]]>Feb 19th 2009 5:15PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
Watching that on my widescreen is so irritating. Maybe I shouldn't be so picky?]]>Feb 20th 2009 2:43PMhttp://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/http://hd.engadget.com/2009/02/19/hd-101-why-there-are-black-bars-on-hdtvs/
BTW, 4 divided by 3 = 1.3333333, and NEVER rounds up to 1.34! Math fail.]]>Feb 19th 2009 2:15PM