aspect ratio
Latest
At last, you can watch early ‘Simpsons’ episodes as intended on Disney+
As promised, 'Simpsons' fans can now watch early seasons (pre-2009) in 4:3 format on Disney+.
'The Simpsons' aspect ratio problem will get fixed (again) on May 28th
Next week Disney+ will start streaming old episodes of 'The Simpsons' in their original 4:3 format
The Order: 1886's cinematic look is more than meets the eye
To 1080p or not to 1080p: that is not the question for Ready At Dawn's PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886. Running at a 1920x800 resolution in 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the game is presented like a film, with horizontal black bars running across the top and bottom of the screen. In an age where resolution is a selling point, is Ready At Dawn selling themselves short by giving up valuable real estate? The short answer: No. The longer answer: In fact, it may even be better.
LG Intuition review: Optimus Deja Vu with a Verizon LTE twist
More Info LG Optimus Vu review LG Intuition officially announced Intuition by LG hands-on It's not uncommon for US carriers to take an international smartphone under their wings, make a few adjustments to hardware and firmware, stamp their fat logos in multiple places and then sell it to the masses. Verizon is no exception: the LG Intuition is its interpretation of the Optimus Vu, a 5-inch phablet we reviewed over the summer. Perhaps calling it an "interpretation" is a bit of an overstatement: aside from a bump in firmware and Big Red's LTE, it is the Optimus Vu. In fact, going into this review, we had a difficult time believing our experience would be much different than our run-in with the Korean version. Our first reaction is that this doesn't bode well for the carrier. If Verizon opted for the Intuition in order to fill a gaping hole in its lineup, we have a hard time understanding why it would choose to greenlight this particular device with the Samsung Galaxy Note II coming within the next two months. The device's quiet launch is a solid enough indication that the network isn't planning on throwing a lot marketing dollars behind it, so it feels as though the Intuition's main reason for existing is to bolster Verizon's rapidly expanding LTE portfolio. Is there something intriguing about the Intuition ($200 with a two-year commitment) that wasn't there when we first played with the Vu? Or will we find ourselves in the Twilight Zone, reliving the same moment over and over again? Let's find out.
Could this be Apple's solution to the iPhone letterboxing issue?
As things stand, empty voids at the top and bottom of an iPhone or iPad display come as standard with every widescreen video you might care to watch -- a problem that almost persists with the iPhone 5, since that phone's elongated panel is still a few pixels off 16:9. However, judging from paperwork recently filed with the USPTO, which mentions both mobile and TV displays, Cupertino thinks it has a general workaround: using a Photoshop-style technique to copy colors from each frame of video and use them to sympathetically fill in the letterbox bars, mimicking the appearance of full-screen footage. The latest application -- filed in January of this year -- actually builds on an earlier one that Apple first submitted in 2006, when the original iPhone was in development. Since then, various other companies have had success with similar display-extending ideas, such as Ambilight on Philips TVs and the illuminated strip on an Xperia U smartphone, but nothing exactly like this smart-fill concept has so far taken off. Ultimately, the question is whether messing with the borders of a video clip in this manner would look better or just plain awkward. As yet, thorough testing in our mind's eye remains inconclusive, but it's almost easier to imagine this curing letterboxed apps (of which we'll soon see plenty on iOS) rather than video.
Vizio XVT CinemaWide TV goes on sale, 21:9 movie purists celebrate the end of black bars
It's been a long, long wait for Vizio's ultrawidescreen LCD TV to show its face: the company was promising such sets starting around this time last year that ultimately missed the October and subsequent March targets. Vizio is one to eventually make good on a promise, though, and has just started shipping the first XVT series CinemaWide set. The lone 58-inch model's focus remains on that 2560 x 1080p screen, whose stretchy 21:9 aspect ratio fits what you often see at the movie theater without having to crop or adjust like you would with a typical 16:9 set. Whether or not you have a chronic aversion to black bars, the CinemaWide is still a respectable set in its own right, with edge-based LED backlighting, a 120Hz refresh rate, a Bluetooth remote and the common host of Vizio internet apps. The TV maker must be doing a form of penance for taking its time on the 21:9 display: the $2,800 regular price is a lot lower than the originally quoted $3,500, and you can pick up the CinemaWide TV for $2,500 if you act quickly.
Vizio reveals $3,499 price for its 58-inch ultrawidescreen HDTV
We were told at CES last month to expect Vizio's ultrawidescreen LCDs would hit the market sooner rather than later, now we know how it will fit into our budgets, even if we're not sure how the aspect ratio will fit in our living rooms. Similar to the way its first Theater 3D TVs popped up last year, the XVT 3D CinemaWide product page reveals a 58-inch model (50- and 71-inchers are also planned) sporting its trademark 21:9 aspect ratio (compared to a traditional HDTV's 16:9) and 2560x1080 resolution will start at $3,499. It also has an array of specs, measuring the 120Hz Edge LED lit screen at 56.7-inches wide by 29-inches high and 1.8-inches deep. Just as we saw when they were first announced at CES 2011, Vizio upscales Blu-ray and other wider-than-widescreen sources to fill the screen without those black bars we've become accustomed to. If you're watching standard HD programming, the extra space alongside can accommodate tiles for Yahoo! Widgets pulling information from the internet without blocking the picture at all. Check our gallery below for a better look and a demo video after the break, we'll keep an ear to the ground to find out when and where these displays might hit the market first. Update: Vizio tells USA Today to expect this set to launch ahead of March Madness -- the better to manage our completely-useless-by-the-Sweet-16-because-Gonzaga-won-again brackets on. [Thanks, chilipalm]
RIM: BBX smartphones will have same resolution, aspect ratio as PlayBook, BES support, too
Wondering what RIM's got up its sleeves for its forthcoming lineup of BBX-based handsets? According to the company, it's derived at least some of its inspiration from its very own BlackBerry PlayBook. Speaking to PC Mag, VP of Developer Relations and Ecosystem Development Alec Saunders confirmed that the manufacturer's next generation smartphones will boast the same 1024 x 600 display resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio that you'll find on the PlayBook, all squeezed into a smaller frame. He also reassured developers that apps designed for the tablet will be compatible with BBX handsets. "Look, if you build [an app] for the PlayBook, then it will run on BBX," Saunders explained. "We have maintained aspect ratios, BBX also has the ability to upload multiple dimension graphics... [and the standard resolutions] are the same as PlayBook." Oh, and as for those rumors that RIM's first BBX phone (Colt?) would lack BES support? Pure hogwash, according to Saunders, who said the phones will also feature a native e-mail client, and that users shouldn't expect BBX "to be behind the PlayBook."
Runco reveals LS-10d and LS-10i projectors to bring home theaters out of the basement
Unlike most high-end projectors designed strictly to live in nice dark dungeons, Runco's new three chip DLP, 1080p LS-10d and LS-10i projectors are built to perform in a wider range of rooms -- which is good news for penthouse dwellers lacking a basement. Both are packed with the usual proprietary picture-enhancing accoutrements and also support the firm's nifty CineGlide motorized 2.35:1 anamorphic lens solution for users who can't bear to view black bars around their image. The LS-10i sports an internal image processor, while the LS-10d ups the ante with Runco's DHD rack-mounted external video processor. That upgrade enables IR and RS-232 control as well as the ability to install the processor next to your existing HT setup -- a real boon for those not building a fresh home theater out of their old squash court. Either can also be custom painted and printed to match any decor, so there's no need to fear the gear clashing with the drapes. Release-wise, the LS-10i is coming in October for just under $22,000, while the LS-10d ships later in December for a hair below $27,000. That's way more than the sub-$10k range of other LightStyle models, but it's nothing compared to Runco's $90k+ 3D cinema projectors, so we'll quit our plebeian whining. For full details see the PR after the break.
Watching movies on an iPad: What you see is what you get
Watching a movie on the new iPad will not as pleasurable experience as you might think. The screen being 1024x768 pixels is in a 4:3 ratio which is the exactly the same as an old CRT television set. Many of us are have gone on from there and are luxuriating in the glory of our 16x9 aspect HDTVs. It turns out that 16x9 will give you big honking black bars at the top and bottom of your screen as you can see by the green bar in the image above, and anything above or below it will be displayed as black bars. It gets worse, lots worse. Let's say you're playing a regular, non-widescreen movie which has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. In that case anything above or below the blue area will be black bars. Now we get to ribbon-vision. Most widescreen films, from Star Wars to the new Star Trek were filmed in 2:35:1. This and all other resolutions mentioned refer to how wide the screen is as compared to how high. So these films are 2:35 times wider than they are high, and result in a mere ribbon on the iPad screen. Without measuring, it seems to me that a full half of the screen in landscape mode will be filled with black bars. One last kick in the pants. Having a resolution of 1024x768 pixels there is no way that you can display the gold standard of today's high-definition of 1080p. There just aren't enough pixels. So iBooks make sense, but movie watching will be somewhat limited. People frequently say that they really can't watch movies on an iPhone or iPod touch, since the resulting display is so small. The iPad will absolutely be better, but still at a trade-off. Thanks to Blake Walters for creating the chart and tipping us off about this. Note: Some users have questioned the graphic, so I'm posting a revised version by Arash Ayrom which is correct. I'm not sure who is correct, but hopefully it will come out in the comments. Either way, I'm still not happy being a purist with the home theater to prove it. I have little interest watching Ghost Busters in pan and scan where Ernie Hudson is hardly even in the film. DW. Here is Arash's graphic:
Poll: What's the worst mistake HD channels make?
We've discussed it again and again, the ills done by so-called HD channels against perfectly good content, whether it's passing off SD as high definition with Fox Widescreen, vomit-inducing stretching on TNT & TBS or the inexcusable cropping, zooming and pan & scanning of movies broadcast on AMC and HBO. But which one is the worst? Let your voice be heard, and if we forgot anything drop us a line in the comments.%Poll-33001%
Steven Soderbergh calls out the aspect ratio villains: HBO, AMC - We're talking about you
You've gritted your teeth every time TNT flips the switch on its dreaded stretch-o-vision, and we've done our part to explain why proper aspect ratios are so important, and yet few have taken heed. Perhaps director Steven Soderbergh can succeed where we have failed, railing against cable channels that, instead of using HDTV to deliver movies the way they were meant to be seen, are often cropping and squeezing to give what they think viewers want instead. The worst network? AMC. Not only is it guilty of pan scanning like HBO, but the advertisements tease the movies in their correct aspect ratio, the cruelest bait and switch of all. Check out the article for a full explanation from behind the lens of why correct treatment of aspect ratios matters, and please, tell a friend to tell a friend.[Thanks, Chevelleman & Fortified Live for the image]
Gulliver's Travels Blu-ray shows the wrong way to bring animation to HD
Disney's approach to handling its animated classics has been a careful one, even down to the inclusion of Disney View to keep older features like Pinocchio in their proper aspect ratio and keep viewers from stretching. In creating a Blu-ray version of the 1939 movie Gulliver's Travels, E1 Entertainment has chosen.... a different way, cropping and zooming to make a widescreen picture where none existed before. Check the picture above for evidence of the transfer's issues, while ToonZone has links to a few other reviews pointing out not only the problems (jerky movement, poor sound) created in this rerelease, but also E1's claims that it has been "restored" with lost images and safe areas, while the truly interested can check the AVS Forum thread for even more terrifying revelations of misleading 5-star Amazon reviews and false claims of ignorance or poor setup by those complaining about the quality.Read - "Gulliver's Travels" Blu-ray, or How Not to Do Animation Squash and StretchRead - Gulliver's Travels 1.33:1 only please!
Pinocchio's Blu-ray black bars filled in with Disney View
The 70th Anniversary release of Disney's Pinocchio on March10 marks yet another first for the studio, as the Blu-ray edition fills in the widescreen frame with (optional) decorative bars dubbed Disney View. Since simply picking up an ultra widescreen LCD wouldn't help, Disney has opted for 16 sets of watercolor artwork to frame the picture, depending on the scene. Next up for the treatment is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and given the positive reviews for Pinocchio's picture quality, it looks like a good way to compromise between those of us who are happy to watch the movie the "right" way, and those who can't stand empty space caused by the the film's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.Read - Disney spruces up Pinocchio Blu-rayRead - SoundtrackNet Review
HD 101: Why there are black bars on HDTVs
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/hardware/HD_101_Why_there_are_black_bars_on_HDTVs';It never fails, one of the first thing just about every new HDTV owners asks is; why are there black bars on my new widescreen TV? And this is the reason why just about every HD discussion forum has a sticked thread at the top of the forums explaining why this still happens. So in this edition of HD 101, we figured we'd have our go at trying to give a simple answer to an age old question. The most basic explanation is because the image you want to watch isn't the same shape as the your TV. Of course that seems too obvious and now you're thinking; but why not, they're both widescreen? But rather than getting into the why are there so many shapes -- called aspect ratios from here on out -- we'll show you the various formats and the different ways they might be displayed on your HDTV.
YouTube shifts to a widescreen view of internet video
While YouTube is still just dipping an experimental toe in the HD waters, it's throwing old school 4:3 out the window for good, adjusting video players and webpages to 960 pixels widescreen aspect ratios. If you want the most resolution the service can offer, URL tweaks will still be in order but expect to see black bars to the sides each and every time you're RickRolled from now on. Naturally, opinions are mixed about the change, with 16:9 heads mostly cheering the news and others complaining their 4:3 vids are shrunk, plus any content uploaded with top/bottom bars already inserted is even smaller, but we'll sacrifice that for a better look at Bulletproof Monk, if we could just find it on the site.
The Dark Knight Blu-ray disc leaking out, complaints already rolling in
Don't let that December 9 street date fool you, it seems like many are taking our advice and getting their hands on The Dark Knight Blu-ray disc as soon as possible. Reports have popped up on more than one forum over the last weekend of people ordering -- and receiving -- copies from retailers with 7-11-style views of release date tyranny, or for the less scrupulous, downloading ripped copies. Even worse the biggest Blu-ray debut to date is being met with criticism before it even (officially) goes on the shelf, with complaints about edge enhancement, compression and director Chris Nolan's aspect ratio choices in relation to IMAX / non-IMAX footage. Need to check it out for yourself? A bit of poking around should earn a copy sooner rather than later, no mail-ins necessary.Read - AVSForumRead - Blu-ray.com
Windows commercial gets wrong message across on 4:3 sets
We can't say we spotted this one in person (sorry, Chuck lost its luster after about six episodes), but we'll still join in the chorus of laughter. The image spotted above was an advertisement for Microsoft's little 'ole operating system, known around the underground as Windows Vista. What you're supposed to see there is "Windows: Life Without Walls," but instead, you're missing the final "s." In fact, Michael Smith points out that most 4:3 set owners actually saw even less than that (think "Windows: Life Without"). The capture was taken from a locally broadcast 4:3 NTSC feed of the show, and amazingly enough, it wasn't the only commercial aired that night with some of the critical information hanging off in no man's land. Have any of you spotted this recently, or was this just a one-time screw up?
Could we see ultra widescreen HDTVs in the future?
C'mon, who hasn't had an inexperienced movie goer over that politely asks why black bars still show up on a widescreen HDTV? Have you ever wondered if a set would be produced to harmonize with those films shot and presented in 2.35:1? Sound & Vision sat down with a number of industry experts and asked them that very question, and while many believe that the same technology that has become commonplace in custom projector installs is feasible for TVs, it's not apt to happen anytime soon. Essentially, there's just not a large enough market for ultra widescreen displays; the hardcore among us that would spring for one are in the minority. Richard F. Doherty, research director of The Envisioneering Group on Long Island, was one fellow who seemed to have more faith than anyone else, even going so far as to suggest that we may see at least a prototype of one such set at CES 2009. Mark our words, we'll be keeping an eye out -- after all, it shouldn't be too hard to spot in the sea of 16:9 units.
Lenovo axes the 4:3 ThinkPad T61 -- are widescreens better?
Lenovo's the latest laptop vendor to go to a mostly-widescreen lineup today, as it retires the 4:3 14.1-inch ThinkPad T61. All that's left in the standard ratio are the 12.1-inch X-series laptops, and even those are something of a novelty in today's 13.3-inch dominated market. It's not a formal move and there's no announcement, but it's clearly a growing trend -- Apple, Sony, and HP don't offer any 4:3 laptops either -- and it's got us wondering what people prefer. Just amongst Engadget editors there's no clear agreement: some of us prize vertical real estate, while others say tiling windows horizontally provides maximum multitasking power, and one ed rocks both 16:9 and 4:3 displays side-by-side -- but that's probably crazy. What's your aspect ratio of choice? Hit us up in comments!
