Hey guys - after a year of research I finally have my new Pioneer 433CMX on the wall - looks glorious! Quick question - I am still learning the features of the TV and was wondering why some WS movies still have those darn black bars at the top and bottom no matter what zoom or choice I choose. Is it because they are non anamorphic? Could some please straighten me out on the difference? Should I try to replace all my non dvd's with anamorphic? Stinks to have a killer TV in WS with same bars on top and bottom - not as much as my 4:3 but still enough to have my wife comment!!!! any help

"Those darn black bars" are there for a reason. Every movie is shot in different aspect ratios. The majority of them are shot in 1.78:1 (or 16:9/widescreen/etc.). Other movies are shot in 1.33:1, 1.65:1, 1.85:1, 2.35:1 and so on. So, depending on which movie you are watching, you will still get "those darn black bars".

Here's some more info for you

Explanation of Aspect Ratios

Explanation of Anamorphic Enhancement

I knew what the question was going to be before I even clicked on the thread, and yet here I am.

Watch the movie, not the black bars. If you're going to spend the kind of money a plasma screen TV costs, you should at least be using it correctly (to see the movies the way they were made).

No offense kiddnets but I amazes me when people spend all that money on a plasma, LCD, DLP or even an RPTV and never took the time to learn about this before buying it. Then they get it home and wonder and complain about the bars they thought they were getting rid of or the ugly stretch modes or 6 months later ask why they have logos burned in. You say that you did a year of research but why wasn't this something you researched and knew about?

A widescreen TV means it's wider than the 4:3 tv's of old but it doesn't mean that every widescreen movie is the same shape. They only chose the size of 16:9 because that's what HD broadcasts will be in and it's a good compromise of all the varying ratios of widescreen material.

Amen Chipmack!!!! Geez...a bit of net research would have told you that the black bars will remain when viewing many many movies.

I hope your plasma is true HD and not ED.

The 43" Pioneer is neither true HD nor ED. It's XGA, though in a non-square pixel format.

The amount of shear hatred spewed in this thread is a little amazing. Take it easy guys.

kiddnets: a 16X9 tv has an aspect ratio of about 1.78:1. Most movies are shot or presented in either 2.35:1 (most common) or 1.85:1. The movies that are shot/presented in 1.85:1 (for example the Pixar flicks) will not have bars. Movies in 2.35:1 (e.g. LOTR) will.

Boy - what a response from this group - usually I get a lot nicer people in this forum like Hiro and Josh. To answer some of your rantings:

I researched solely plasmas for 6 months - I read about black bars remaining but thought it could be controlled by zooming or anamorphic features - the TV actually has a nice zoom feature so it gets rid of most of the black bars but some remain hence the question. Wasn't my top priority at the time - pic, dimensions and future proof was - I can live with bars.

Besides the plasma picture - the main reason was the dimensions of the room necessitated a plasma on the wall. The price was really not astronomical compared to some larger RPTV's I looked at. It is not ED and has HDCP future proof card.

It is a great TV and just got it a few days ago with progressive DVD so haven't figured it out quite yet. I'd rather figure it out myself than hear from some of you guys.

Last time I will post in this forum - you guys need to chill out on newbies. You were all one too at some point, remember?

Unfortunately the industry bears much of the blame here. With the different aspect ratios in existence and the lack of education by both retailers and manufacturers alike, the result is that many, many people will find it tough to understand and make decisions. "Zooming" features while nice sometimes will distort the picture.

IMHO until everything becomes all digital with a digital signal path and digital source material this issue will remain. And this will slow the progression for the average consumer even further.

Hey easy there. I did say that I meant no offense. It's just that your original post and even your follow up sounded like you needed an education on aspect ratios that should have been asked before you dropped all that cash on a plasma IMO. I was just expanding on the comment that Mr. Salty mentioned about the cost of the set and using it correctly. In order to do this you do need to learn about these things but it seems like many feel you should have asked these questions before you made a purchase you might find you're unhappy with.

Your original post says you're trying to use the zoom function to eliminate the darn black bars in a derogatory tone and wondering why it doesn't work. Your follow up post says you can live with the bars. Well if you can live with them then why try to get rid of them? As for your question about anamorphic discs; that's a different story. If you had asked why your picture was distorted and why none of the stretch and zoom modes would fix it I'm sure people would have been a lot more helpful. In fact the first two replies have links to all of the answers you needed. Continue to post here just learn to be a little more thick skinned.

I agree completely. I see nothing in this thread that was particularly harsh, especially given the provacative wording of the original question. AndI have to vehemently disagree with Hiro's comment. There is nothing here even close to "shear hatred."