Black Bars or No Black Bars?

[G1Ravage]

I can't stand watching video that has been stretched or squashed in any unnatural way. Just like Mike, I don't "see" the black bars at all. My TV is also black, so my eyes just focus out the black and I only see the picture. I'm a complete videophile. Proper aspect ratio is the only way for me. I can't stand watching those "fake" HD channels where they simply take the SD feed and stretch it.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

I personally don't care about "black bars" at all. Whether they're on the top of the screen, or on the sides. It doesn't really affect the viewing experience for me that much.

[linkdude20002001]

I don't mind the pillar bars because once I start watching a show I just tune them out. The side of my television is black so it matches the bars anyways.

Same here. It just looks like the TV was designed with wide sides for the speakers (like in the good 'ol days).

[Mountain]

Original aspect ratio, please.

[Goku100xKamehameha]

Just use your PS3 as a DVD/Blu Ray player if you have one, it will show up in 4:3 Ratio on a 16:9 Widescreen TV's.

Umm.... What? I have a PS3 and I already watched my Kai Blu-ray on it and it look the same.

[Choice195]

Just use your PS3 as a DVD/Blu Ray player if you have one, it will show up in 4:3 Ratio on a 16:9 Widescreen TV's.

Umm.... What? I have a PS3 and I already watched my Kai Blu-ray on it and it look the same.

I was talking about Z Kai not Kai.

[DemonRin]

I've never understood how someone could have a problem with Any "Black Bars" on the screen in any way shape or form.

If there are black bars, it means your screen isn't the same dimension as the source footage. That's the way the footage was meant to be seen. Watch it that way. End of story.

[Innagadadavida]

Because not everyone knows that, silly person. They don't know what "aspect ratio" means and in the grand scheme of things that's perfectly fine. All they see are black bars, and as far as they're concerned it's covering up part of what they should be seeing.

[Goku100xKamehameha]

Just use your PS3 as a DVD/Blu Ray player if you have one, it will show up in 4:3 Ratio on a 16:9 Widescreen TV's.

Umm.... What? I have a PS3 and I already watched my Kai Blu-ray on it and it look the same.

I was talking about Z Kai not Kai.

I know if you watch the DVD version of Z Kai, The footage will fit the screen if it's set in 16:9! But it's the same if it's the Blu-ray.

[Choice195]

I know if you watch the DVD version of Z Kai, The footage will fit the screen if it's set in 16:9! But it's the same if it's the Blu-ray.

That's what I meant. If you have a Widescreen TV and its ratio is 16:9, and if you have a PS3 and a DVD whose ratio is 4:3, it will show up in Full-screen instead of Widescreen on your TV, unlike some DVD players.

[Goku100xKamehameha]

I know if you watch the DVD version of Z Kai, The footage will fit the screen if it's set in 16:9! But it's the same if it's the Blu-ray.

That's what i meant, If you have a Widescreen TV and it's ratio is 16:9, If you have a PS3 and a DVD that's ratio is 4:3 it will show up in Full-screen instead of Widescreen on your TV unlike some DVD players.

Didn't I already mention that I hate black bars? And the Blu-ray is also in 4:3. So the same with the DVD, If it's set to played in 4:3.

[linkdude20002001]

What color's your TV? If your TV is black, then you can pretend the black bars are a part of the sides of your TV.

[Tanooki Kuribo]

I've never seen them as "bars". To me the black is just the background color while the video plays at it's correct aspect ratio. Maybe I'm just odd like that.

[Kendamu]

I've never seen them as "bars". To me the black is just the background color while the video plays at it's correct aspect ratio. Maybe I'm just odd like that.

Makes sense to me. "There's no video there." I never put it into words, but I think I have a similar outlook.

[Cipher]

I honestly can't believe that, in 2010, this is even an issue.

You watch material in its correct aspect ratio, or you aren't watching it right. End of story. The fact that 4:3 Blu-Rays can't be played correctly on a 4:3 TV is absurd. I can only imagine it's an attempt to get people to upgrade to 16:9 sets, which is the standard now, but still.

[Rod]

I honestly can't believe that, in 2010, this is even an issue.

You watch material in its correct aspect ratio, or you aren't watching it right. End of story. The fact that 4:3 Blu-Rays can't be played correctly on a 4:3 TV is absurd. I can only imagine it's an attempt to get people to upgrade to 16:9 sets, which is the standard now, but still.

Well to be fair, playing Blu rays on an old 'square' TV pretty much defeats the purpose. You might as well just get a DVD

[Mountain]

I honestly can't believe that, in 2010, this is even an issue.

You watch material in its correct aspect ratio, or you aren't watching it right. End of story. The fact that 4:3 Blu-Rays can't be played correctly on a 4:3 TV is absurd. I can only imagine it's an attempt to get people to upgrade to 16:9 sets, which is the standard now, but still.

All Blu-rays, aspect ratio aside, are put into a 16:9 frame so that the 1920x1080 resolution can be displayed. This is HD. Not only does it defeat the purpose of HD to watch a Blu-ray on a standard definition 4:3 display, but it's not possible for a 4:3 image on Blu-ray to fill up a 4:3 screen. On Blu-ray, the "black bars" are part of the image, so to speak. Though the resolution may be "wasted" on the black areas, whether they're pillers for a 4:3 image or at the top and bottom for a film in scope (2.35:1 ratio), that's just the way HD is. 4:3 DVDs, on the other hand, can fill up a 4:3 screen because the "black bars" aren't part of the encoded image.

If you create a new image in Photoshop with the size: 1920x1080, you will see the 16:9 ratio. That's what the studios are working with for Blu-ray, regardless of the intended ratio.

[Kendamu]

I honestly can't believe that, in 2010, this is even an issue.

You watch material in its correct aspect ratio, or you aren't watching it right. End of story. The fact that 4:3 Blu-Rays can't be played correctly on a 4:3 TV is absurd. I can only imagine it's an attempt to get people to upgrade to 16:9 sets, which is the standard now, but still.

Well to be fair, playing Blu rays on an old 'square' TV pretty much defeats the purpose. You might as well just get a DVD

That's exactly what I was thinking. Why would anyone want to watch Blu-ray on a 4:3 SDTV?

[Big Momma]

I just prefer bars at the top and bottom. The stretching doesn't really bother me, and I don't mind watching it in the correct aspect ratio, either. Like, if I'm watching one or two episodes at a time.

However, if I'm gonna marathon a lot, then I prefer to stretch it out a bit to have bars at the top and bottom, it just gives it more of a "movie" feel, IMO.

[nathantheguitarist]

...lordy. I was facepalming at this thread before, but damn dude.

You stretch out the Dragon Boxes enough to have bars on the top and bottom? Is that even possible? Or is this Kai you were talking about? ...either way.