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rimmi2002 · 2009-01-11, 02:42

Hi just had finished seting up my HTPC. Starting to try someone of the 720p files online and noticed all backsup from blu-ray are of 1280x5xx in resolution, so when they are played they are played with black bars on top and below. Is this the only 720p resolution possible when ripping from blu-ray. I have a 720p/1080i TV.

If I want content to run full screen then is the only way around this to is get 1080i/p content?

**snappz** · 2009-01-11, 02:53

While most screens are now 16:9 (1280x720 or 1080x1920) alot of movies are shot with an even wider aspect ratio. Those black bars are to keep the original aspect ratio correct. If you get it to fill the screen then you are either making the people look taller and skinnier than they really are or you are going to chop off some of the sides.
You will have the same issue with 1080 content.
Most TV show content in 720p will fill the screen nicely as it was shot 16:9.

To try different views, toggle with the 'OK' button on a MCE remote (not sure what the keyboard shortcut is). This is your only real choice if you dont like the bars.

To answer your original question though, the 5xx is I THINK is not to encode the black bars and waste bit rate.

snappz

rimmi2002 · 2009-01-11, 03:04

Darn thats too bad the full screen version looks so much on screen. Its a shame the movies are shot much wider than they need to be. My 42" TV ends up working like a 36" TV.

althekiller · 2009-01-11, 03:24

zoom level adjustment is 'z' on the keyboard and also available from the video OSD. The movies you're talking about are shot with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (large letter boxing) or 1.85:1 (small letter boxing) anamorphic as apposed to 1.78:1 aka 16:9 (no letter boxing). And yes, the black bars are cropped to avoid wasting space encoding them, which allows the actual video to be encoded at a slightly higher bit rate.

**natethomas** · 2009-01-11, 04:01

rimmi2002 Wrote:Darn thats too bad the full screen version looks so much on screen. Its a shame the movies are shot much wider than they need to be. My 42" TV ends up working like a 36" TV.

"a shame" might be the wrong word. If you are willing to go all out, buy a projector, then buy a special lens, and possibly even construct an entire home theater, the decision to keep the old aspect ratio can be pretty amazing....

**Hitcher** · 2009-01-11, 12:54

snappz Wrote:To answer your original question though, the 5xx is I THINK is not to encode the black bars and waste bit rate.

Correct.

rimmi2002 Wrote:Darn thats too bad the full screen version looks so much on screen. Its a shame the movies are shot much wider than they need to be.

They're shot for the cinema not our TVs.

rimmi2002 Wrote:My 42" TV ends up working like a 36" TV.

But think it would look on a 36" TV.

**ashlar** · 2009-01-11, 13:04

rimmi2002 Wrote:Its a shame the movies are shot much wider than they need to be.

Thank god movies are shot for cinemas and not TVs, the wider aspect ratio allows for a different viewing experience. While I love getting the full frame, I strongly advise you against zooming in, you'd lose a lot of "information" on the sides.

rimmi2002 · 2009-01-11, 19:53

yeah I have been just watching them with the black bars. Zooming looses detail and streching makes everything look too streched out. For some movies though the custom setting produces good results.

Actually the SD-DVD resolution 720x480 scales pretty well to cover the whole screen, but then the DVD video quality is not the same 720p content.