Audio/Video Chat → Why is 1.85:1 being reformatted to 1.78:1 for Blu-ray

Why are movie's that get filmed in the 1.85:1 format being reformatted to 1.78:1 format on Blu-ray? I got movies on Blu-ray that were shot in 1.85:1 but yet they are formatted on the Blu-ray to display in 1.78:1 format. In my 47" Magnavox HDTV setting I have the picture format set to unscaled and yet it still fills the entire screen.

Are you sure that it is not your Blu-ray player?

Have you tested your set for overscan?

My Philips BDP5506/F7 does 16:9 Widescreen, and 16:9 Squeeze. I leave it on 16:9 Squeeze Because that way it will display the video in the correct screen format.

I don't think my Magnavox 47MF439B does overscan.

All sets overscan. If you can get your hands on a calibration disc, you'll be able to see by how much it does. Here's some reading on the subject.

Brands and model numbers.

Also verify the player setup. Most DVD and BluRay players have a video output configuration option.

The picture format settings I can choose from on my Magnavox 47MF439B are as follows:
1) Automatic
2) 4:3
3) Widescreen
4) Unscaled
I have the picture format set to unscaled and it should be showing it with black bars on the bottom and top on the 1.78:1 16x9 screen. I have Pearl Harbor on Blu-ray and it is in 1.85:1 format. When I set it to Unscaled I see black bars on the top & bottom. But will overscan when viewed in the Widescreen format.

My Philips BDP5506/F7 player screen settings are set to as followed:
1) 3D Output: Auto (2D)
2) TV Display: 16:9 Squeeze
3) HDMI Video: Auto
4) HDMI Deep Color: Auto
5) De-interlacing Mode: Auto

Blu-ray:
1) Philips BDP5506/F7
TV:
2) Magnavox 47MF439B

If you have your phillips player set to 16:9 squeeze, then set it to 16:9 widescreen instead. I think that might be the issue.

Warner and Paramount open theirs up to 1.78 IIRC. Everyone else should be 1.85. Its harmless IMO.

speaking of certain movies being "re-formatted", welcome to the new 16x9 pan/scan age !
gotta love it.

16x9 movies fill the screen on my tv. 1.85:1 also fill the screen. its the disks how theyre formatted.

They shouldn't if everything is setup correctly and you have no overscan.

HD Video is 16x9... Why is it 1.78 you ask? divide 16 by 9.

1.85:1 is a film based aspect ratio... It depends on 3 things...

The gate that was in the film camera at the time... There are many gates.... depending if you left room for audio or not on the film...

The gate and the format that the Telecine was set for at the time of the film transfer.... There are a few gates, and multiple formats, each of which will change the format of the film being transferred to video...

And the format of the video.... SD (4x3=1.33:1) HD (16x9=1.78:1) and then there is Cinemascope (2.21:1) but since it being displayed on 1.78:1 the conversion aspect ratio is........ (I've got a headache).

Floyd, in reviewing this thread I would only suggest that you make a change on the bluray player settings. DO NOT use the squeeze option. I think you want 16:9 widescreen.

You are coorect in thinking that a 1.85 movie should have black bars on top and bottom if all is being set properly.

However on a 1.85 movie these black bars will be very very small. Almost unnoticeable. Probably less than an inch of black top and bottom on a 47inch screen. And if the TV is overscanning a small percent you might not even see them.

Now a 2.20:1 or 2.35:1 movie will have of course, much larger letterbox bars at top and bottom and you will see a couple inches of black on a 47inch screen.

Also you should not consider the information on the movie case to be 100% accurate when it comes to this kind of stuff. There are just too many variables in the disc production process going all the way back to the filming that affect the final product.

My suggestion is to find the settings on both the TV and the player that do not alter the aspect ratio or how it is displayed. This way you will view the video as it was intended to be viewed.

That might mean having letterbox bars (top and bottom) Pillarbox bars (left and right) or even windowboxed (bars all four sides).

what kind of blue ray players do squeezing? last i checked they were a 1:1 pixel mapping.

Blue Ray is Pure Digital, it is not squeezed, it is 1:1, the black bars in a blue ray are encoded in the frame, they are not "stretched" out.

Blue rays are also connected to a tv set commonly in HDMI, my tv only allows 16:9 to be selected when hdmi mode, as well a just scan which is 0 overscan.

its a thin thin line on 1.75:1 movies, so when your tv is on 16:9 the overscan hides it. i also had lots of other movies same ratio had no black line, it was cut off buy the directors.