Help explaining 2.4:1 and 1.85:1/why there are black bars

[j33smiles]

I am wondering if someone can explain, why different film companies release there films in different aspect ratios. Also I own The Departed on Blu Ray and HD DVD, and it is in 2.35:1, and it is now on Cinemax HD, and on Blu Ray and HD DVD, I have black bars on the top and bottom of my tv screen, (I have a 50" plasma samsung) and when it is on Cinemax HD, there aren't any black bars... I am just wondering why that is. please help explain. thanks

[Giantfoot08]

I am no expert, but on the HD movie channels such as HBO and Cinemax, they zoom the picture in. So the movie you see on HBO has the edges cut off so that the picture fills the entire screen. Some TVs or DVD players have a similar option so you can adjust a variety of pictures to fill a widescreen TV.

[eNoize]

MOD NOTE:

This discussion concerns issues with display devices: "why are there black bars on a widescreen television?" It is for this reason that this thread is more appropriate and will receive a better response in the 'Home Theater Forum.'

Have a nice day.

[AV_Integrated]

Here is the answer you are looking for...

http://www.avintegrated.com/aspect_ratios.html

[ATLFalconsFAN]

It is not the studio who decides which aspect ratio the film will be shot and released in, it is the director. It usually depends on which type of film you are watching. Most comedies and dramas are shot in 1.85:1 which will fill your entire 16X9 screen. Most action movies are shot in 2.35:1 to give you a wider perspective and then you will have black bars. There is also 2.40:1 which is fairly common and then the extreme of 3:1. Again, watch enough movies and you will realize that certain directors prefer certain aspect ratios. Kubrick was a wild one, if I'm not mistaken he went from one extreme to the next, shooting The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut in 1.33:1 (regular TV ratio) all the way to 3:1 with 2001.

This is a debate that has gone on for ages. Trust me, the black bars (in 2.35:1 or higher) are your friend. They mean that you are seeing the whole picture. Try watching Jaws in it's original aspect ratio and then in pan and scan, you will see a totally different movie in both formats. From what I have read Speilberg was getting upset at his movies being cropped for pan and scan and specifically filmed so that two people were on either side of the frame in certain shots so that it looked like crap when it was cropped.

If you are new to this there are a couple of other things to keep in mind so that you are watching a wide screen movie right. You should 99% of the time have your TV set to the full (aspect ratio) mode. Most all DVDs (all next gen DVDs) are anamorphic (can't remember the nerdy details on how that works) which means that in the full mode they will be the correct ratio. If you have a movie that says on the box that it is 1.85:1 and you still get black bars then that means that the movie is not anamorphic (certain older disks) and you will need to set your TV to the zoom mode. Same goes for 2.35:1 if the black bars are just huge. A good example of this is True Lies on DVD (I don't think they ever released this anamorphic.