Distraught

Hello,

I am the proud owner of the Sony DAV S800 Home Theater System. I don't if anyone has this (it only came out in the UK a week ago) but my question refers to picture size and TVs anywhere.
My question is how come when I select the TV type to be 4:3 pan and scan (for my 4:3 TV) the DVD I wish to watch(like Gladiator) only appears in widescreen making it really small?
Were these kind of sysyems designed with normal TVs in mind or am I just an idiot?
Any help would be useful

Brian Shannon

Check your dvd settings as well.

If I remember correctly Gladiator is only in widescreen. If there is a p/s version you would need to change your display settings

Distraught

How would I change my display settings?

Brian Shannon

Sorry I would not know on that model.

Check your owners manual and see if the dvd player has a setting for aspect ratio on video.

Also check the Gladiator disc (I am at work so I cannot) and see if there is a widescreen version. I don't think there is so on that dvd you will only have it in the oar.

Distraught

The thing is right, I've tried almost every conceiveable solution to the problem and have concluded it must be my TV because every single 2.35:1 DVD I have cannot be converted to fill the screen. Is there some button on TVs that my one doesn't have that somehow makes the image bigger or something like that. My TV is moderately old but not that old. Could you suggest anything?


Thanks

Brian Shannon

Some of the newer TV have a zoom feature that will fill the screen.

What kind of TV do you have?

Distraught

I have a 24" toshiba conventional (i.e. not widescreen) which has no such zoom feature, unfortunately.

Thanks

Brian Shannon

Ok but remember there is nothing wrong with your TV.

The dvd is being presented in its original aspect ratio. That is how it is being displayed on your TV.

skar

That setting refers to a flag in the DVD spec that isn't used by any DVD in production yet to my knowledge.

If you want to watch in full screen you will have to purchase/rent full screen DVD's or look into zoom. Most of us enjoy watching DVD's in the original widescreen presentation so we see the entire movie. (even some of us with 13" TV's). Check out http://www.widescreen.org for more info.

Distraught

OK, but how come then on my computer I have WinDvd 3.0 which allows me to unlock the aspect ratio and after a bid of fiddling resize the presentation to fill the whole screen?
And another thing, the majority of people who own such systems have widescreen televisions?

Thankyou