Ok I have a question since this has been driving me nuts. I recently got an HDTV and I am currently watching "Ils". When I start the movie I push the zoom button so that the image takes up most of the screen. However by doing that it crowds the subtitles just off the screen, enough so I can't make them out. If I hit the zoom again it sets the tv to wide and while I can see the subtitles it smashes the image so that it looks compressed. I never seem to have this problem while watching BluRay or Hd-dvd's since those foriegn movies put the subtitles in the damn frame of the movie where where they belong! Any suggestions, any help?

Sounds like "Ils" is non-anamorphic, do not zoom in and deal with the letterboxed image.

it also depends on the player. On mine (oppo) you can zoom in if desired and keep the subs exactly where they should be.

My DVD lists it as "Anamorphic - 2.35:1".

Why would you zoom a movie? You might as well watch full screen or pan and scan.

Wait, he's scanning in on a 2.35 movie? Revoke the OP's posting privileges

Benefit of the doubt: He said he recently got an HDTV so he is probably in the burn in period and trying to fill the screen...
As for alternatives: I doubt it, but if the dvd has english closed caption, you could leave the subtitles for the dvd off and enable closed captioning on your TV. However, if you are connecting to the TV through HDMI, closed captioning doesn't function anyway.

Are you watching the Dark Sky release?

I just watched it last night and it is anamoprhic

don't zoom and view the movie as it was originally intended.

No, no, no.

Ils is a 2.35:1 movie. He's not "zooming" or "smart zooming" a 1.33:1 film so he can watch it in Wal-Mart widescreen.

The movie is not anamorphic, so he has grey (or black) bars on the side of the 1.33:1 image and, furthermore, black bars inside the 1.33:1 image to make the movie 2.35:1. The first prints of Audition have this same problem, and it is annoying as hell.

I guess some players (like the Oppo) can get around this, but otherwise you're stuck watching the movie on a space about 50% the size of your TV. Sorry.

Be mindful of non-anamorphic DVDs you buy where you'll need subtitles. Or watch them on a regular (old) TV.

from the dvdtalk review:


also i just watched this a week ago on my HDTV and had no problems with the image.

he says he's had no problems with Blu/HD-DVD titles and i'm wondering if he's used his standard DVD player on his new HDTV before...maybe he needs to change the settings on his player to 16:9.

Not anamorphic? wtf?


who the hell releases non-anamorphic films in 2008? Not Dark Sky.

Unless the OP is viewing another region but I would imagine it would still be anamorphic.

Go into your DVD player's setup menu and make sure that the aspect ratio setting has been changed to "16:9" or "Widescreen".

I'm using my x-box 360 hd-dvd player to play my dvds now since it upconverts and my old player doesn't. I just want the proper ratio on my tv, I'm not some walmart dud looking to foolscreen the image. I want honest to god 2.35:1 image on my 16x9 tv. So the image takes up the majority of the screen. I'll check the xbox hd player to see if it has options I can change there. When I have it on a normal setting I get the kind of image that "the bus" descibes and I just don't want to settle for that. Time to rifle through the manuals.

Found the answer, I had the setting all mixed up between the x-box and the hdtv. the tv was set to widescreen and the xbox was set to standard from having a plain old tv. Plus I had to flip the switch between Tv/HDTV on the cables. Problem solved.