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Question for widescreen display owners: 4:3 content

S

spectrumbx

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Apr 2, 2003
Messages
1,647
I just got my new 2005FPW to go along with my new HTPC.
I use it when I don't want to use my projector.

I hate the fact that 4:3 contents (yahoo music video) played through windows media player have black borders on the left and right sides.

I have two 2001FPs and those display everything properly since they are non-widescreen.
Also choosing a 4:3 aspect ratio on the 2005FPW solves the problem.

How do you guys force WMPlayer to play everything in widscreen?

I am starting to think I should have got another 2001FP instead.
 
To my knowledge, theres no way to "force" a video in WMP in a widescreen view if its not originally shot or recorded at that particular resolution. You can change how programs will look on your widescreen when loaded via your video card drivers but its the same equivalent to "forcing and ingame video to be widescreen when its not intended to be.
 
you would hate the way 4:3 content would look stretched to 16:10 like your monitor is even worse.
 
The only way I can think of solving that is to get an external player that can play that content that also has functions to stretch or zoom the 4:3 to widescreen. But there is no real way to do it without consession. You will either have a stretched view, or they will basically cut off the top and bottom to make it fit the screen.

I use PowerDVD for playing DVDs that has those functions, and in the end I settled with just leaving the black bars.
 
You can keep the aspect ratio and cut off the top and bottom (called pan scan) with BS player. Also works vice versa to cut off the left and right sides of widescreen content on a 4:3 based monitor/tv. Personally I think that "stretching" is not even an option it's just awful, but I don't think pan scan is much better, in that case you're missing content.

I think you should get used widescreen and it's 4:3 'conundrum' and embrase it. Eventually there will be no 4:3 content because there will be no reason for it to exist. It's the format of movies and definately the most forward compatible. I mean did it bother you really when you had the top and bottom having black bars when watching 16:9? Doesn't the benefits of widescreen gaming and movie watching vastly outweight 4:3?
 
The thing is I have my projector for watching DVDs.

The 2005fpw is only for watching TV, which is 4:3 and will be so for a very long time.
For now I am running the monitor @800x600, and I hate it.
I am running Windows Media Center by the way.

I choose this monitor instead of an LCD tv just for games. Yet, most games hate this resolution (1680x1050). They all do better on a 4:3 screen.

Grr! Time to return this monitor and get something else.
 
Hey! Nevermind...

The zoom feature of windows MCE works wonders.
I am running at native res and everything looks great with "zoom 3".
 
ATI drivers have overscan/overlay features that can force that stuff
 
mjz_5 said:
ATI drivers have overscan/overlay features that can force that stuff
Click to expand...

The thing is I don't want it to affect the whole desktop.
All I want is for videos only to stretch properly.

I happy with Win MCE working properly.
I still need a solution for windows media player.
 
spectrumbx said:
The thing is I don't want it to affect the whole desktop.
All I want is for videos only to stretch properly.

I happy with Win MCE working properly.
I still need a solution for windows media player.
Click to expand...

ati drivers have it for only movies, called theater mode
 
mjz_5 said:
ati drivers have it for only movies, called theater mode
Click to expand...

On my system it is grayed out. It's saying it is only available in dual clone mode or extended desktop configurations. :(

Thanks for the tip though...
 
spectrumbx said:
On my system it is grayed out. It's saying it is only available in dual clone mode or extended desktop configurations. :(

Thanks for the tip though...
Click to expand...

You have to be playing the video before you can change anything there. So play the video in WMP and then open up that panel and u can change anything you want.
 
You can use Zoom Player to squeeze/stretch/zoom the video any way you want.
I use it to play movies and tv shows on my 16x9 TV from one of my PC's, and I'll usually just zoom the image in to fill the outer sides of the screen.
It does chop off the top and bottom of the video, but usually it isn't that bad.
 
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