ILikeDVD

I have a JVCXV-D2000BK player. And I have a Toshiba 27 inch tv. Both connected with Super Video cable.
In the manual for the dvd player, it says you can select a monitor type when you playback DVD discs recorded for widescreen tv's.
My choices are 16:9 , 4:3 pan n scan, or 4:3 letterbox.
I set it to 16:9 and i get a skinny picture, but the detail is crystal clear. My tv is 4:3, so i have to pick either letterbox or pan n scan. I compared both.
Are the letterbox and pan n scan selection the same in quality? I think the letterbox choice is clearer. Then again i might be wrong. Is the letterbox choice the 16:9 squeezed down, by the player,so i can retain that clearness on my 4:3 ? Or is the pan n scan the 16:9 with every other resolution line taken out by the player?? Or is it vice versa??
Help!! Just wondering.

[Edited by ILikeDVD on 05-23-01 at 11:18 PM]

X

I think you lost me part way into the questions. But I believe you want the 4:3 letterbox for 16:9 movies since you don't have anamorphic squeeze.

ILikeDVD

Which is clearer than the pan n scan selection, right?? i mean, for example i put the movie Hook on. It is an anamorphic movie. when i pick either the leterbox or pan n scan monitor setting, i dont lose the black bars above and below the picture. That confuses me because i am led to believe that with the setting to pan n scan, the image would be kinda zoomed in, which will eliminate the bars. But that doesnt happen. So i still have the bars( which is NOT a problem, i love letterbox) but which one should i use? Is one better than the other? Thanks

X

Maybe you use the pan and scan setting with pan and scan DVD's? I never tried it. Short of having anamorphic squeeze and outputting in 16:9, I'm not sure if there would be any apparent clarity differences on a 27" TV.

I've been watching some 4:3 60's TV shows on DVD lately on my 27" TV and they look very clear. But an anamorphic movie shown using the squeeze looks extremely good.

ILikeDVD

so you mean you use he 4:3 letterbox setting, which means no lines are lost? The dvd player is squeezing the picture for you, right? X, I appreciate your help.

X

Since I have the squeeze on my set it looks like a 16:9 to the player. So I set the player to 16:9 output so it doesn't do any anamorphic downconversion. If you don't have the squeeze on your TV you need the player to do the anamorphic downconversion so you set it to 4:3 so it knows to do it.

ILikeDVD

ok i need the player to do a downconversion. i have 2 choices:
1. 4:3 pan n scan
2. 4:3 letterbox

choice 1 the picture looks ok , but when i choose letterbox, the picture looks just a little more cleaner, but not much. Would that be true?? Is choice #2 above similar to having my player doing the sqeezing of the 16:9 pic and sending it to my tv. And choice #1 above the player is doing the down conversion, eliminating some scan lines then sending it to my tv??
That is my ques because when i compare both of those choices i see a minor difference, but one seems to be clearer than the other, is my theory above correct??

DigIt

There is no difference between "4:3 Letterbox" and "4:3 Pan&Scan" in your menu. IIRC, this was an unimplemented spec for DVD -- the ability to dynamically pan&scan letterboxed movies. This menu choice would allow you to choose to watch the letterboxed version or dynamically pan&scan it. Unfortunately, no discs have the appropriate information coded in, because it is actually easier and cheaper to include a separate pan&scan version than it is to program the dynamic pan&scan onto the letterboxed version.

The only other possible function of this menu item is to default to the letterboxed or pan&scan version when two versions are available -- some MGM DVDs have both versions on one disc.

You should probably choose "4:3 Letterbox" and forget about it. This will give you the correct aspect ratio of the film. Either 4:3 option will downconvert the image the same, most likely by eliminating a few lines and displaying the rest.

ILikeDVD

But under close examination, i find the letterbox selection much more clearer, why is that?? Is the player doing the squeeze of the 16:9 image?

renaldow

Ilikedvd: Go with whichever one you like best. For technical details of why you will more than likely have to contact your player manufacturer. DigIt is correct in what he's saying, and you really should not be seeing a difference as it's an unimplemented standard. I can tell you on my player, and others I've seen, there is absolutely no difference that I can tell. There should be no difference that you can tell either, but like I said, contact your player manufacturer as they'll have the details about what (if any) difference it does on your player.

Try taking the Pepsi challenge with it. Leave the room, have a friend pick one of the settings and see if you can tell. Do it a couple times. If you're 100% correct in guessing, there is a difference. If you're not 100% on each and every time, it's psychological. Either way though, just watch the one you enjoy.