DVD picture distorted on HDTV

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

"Tex Murphy" <tex_murphypi@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:Q79mc.51155$Qy.34137@fed1read04:

> My wife and I recently purchased a 42" HDTV projection screen (Sony
> 42WE610). The picture quality off of a dish network feed through
> s-video is... underwhelming (probably due to the size of the screen).
>
> However, we were surprised that when we played a widescreen DVD on the
> HDTV, the picture shows up as widescreen, on Normal mode (4:3).
> Switching the TV to Full mode somehow distorts the DVD picture - as if
> it was stretched horizontally. Is this stretching distortion normal
> for DVD outputs? My wife and I are sensitive to these things, and we
> can't see any sense in keeping this, or getting an HDTV unit if we're
> constantly forced to view widescreen DVDs in the smaller normal mode.
>
> We are currently using a non-progressive scan DVD player, but doesn't
> that only help with the overall resolution of the picture, rather than
> address the horizontal "stretching" of the video feed?
>
> I apologize if this seems like a silly question. We're rather new at
> this, and any help or insight into how to fix this would be a lot
> better than returning the unit!

It looks from the specs as if this TV has four display modes, full, wide
zoom, zoom and normal. Try all of them. What you want is for the image
from the widescreen DVD to fill the screen from side to side with no
distortion. So the question is, have you tried all four of these modes
to see if one actually works the way you want? The 480i or 480p (if
progressive scan) signal from a DVD player is standard definition and is
therefore actually a 4:3 raster, so if your TV is cropping it on the left
and right to display it on a 16:9 screen a little zooming may be just
what you need. Other than that, I don't know what to suggest.

--
Dave Oldridge
ICQ 1800667

Paradoxically, most real events are highly improbable.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Wed, 5 May 2004 10:03:44 -0700, in article
<Q79mc.51155$Qy.34137@fed1read04>, "Tex Murphy" <tex_murphypi@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>My wife and I recently purchased a 42" HDTV projection screen (Sony
>42WE610). The picture quality off of a dish network feed through s-video
>is... underwhelming (probably due to the size of the screen).
>
>However, we were surprised that when we played a widescreen DVD on the HDTV,
>the picture shows up as widescreen, on Normal mode (4:3). Switching the TV
>to Full mode somehow distorts the DVD picture - as if it was stretched
>horizontally. Is this stretching distortion normal for DVD outputs? My
>wife and I are sensitive to these things, and we can't see any sense in
>keeping this, or getting an HDTV unit if we're constantly forced to view
>widescreen DVDs in the smaller normal mode.

It sounds like either you haven't set your DVD player to 16:9 output
mode, or you are watching a 4:3 letterboxed disc (which requires a
"zoom" mode, which expands both horizontally & vertically, not "full"
which only expands the picture horizontally).
--
Stephen Tu
stephtu@surfbest.net

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Thank you for your advice, everyone. I'll give it a shot tonight!


"Tex Murphy" <tex_murphypi@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Q79mc.51155$Qy.34137@fed1read04...
> My wife and I recently purchased a 42" HDTV projection screen (Sony
> 42WE610). The picture quality off of a dish network feed through s-video
> is... underwhelming (probably due to the size of the screen).
>
> However, we were surprised that when we played a widescreen DVD on the
HDTV,
> the picture shows up as widescreen, on Normal mode (4:3). Switching the
TV
> to Full mode somehow distorts the DVD picture - as if it was stretched
> horizontally. Is this stretching distortion normal for DVD outputs? My
> wife and I are sensitive to these things, and we can't see any sense in
> keeping this, or getting an HDTV unit if we're constantly forced to view
> widescreen DVDs in the smaller normal mode.
>
> We are currently using a non-progressive scan DVD player, but doesn't that
> only help with the overall resolution of the picture, rather than address
> the horizontal "stretching" of the video feed?
>
> I apologize if this seems like a silly question. We're rather new at
this,
> and any help or insight into how to fix this would be a lot better than
> returning the unit!
>
> Thanks!
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

"GGA" <crpediem@ptdprolog.net> wrote in message
news:rACdnRHv6JiHFATdUSdV9g@ptd.net...
> Also make sure you are using component cables to connect your DVD player.
If
> you are using s-video or worse the picture will stay in 4:3. Sony's
usually
> detect the mode and adjust the screen accordingly, but I could be wrong
> about that. But make sure you are using component cables.
>
> Scott

Just an addendum: Svideo connections are NOT high def.

I was so sure that everyone would be telling you this. One guy alluded to it
but it was unclear and it needed restating.

Terry Joyce