Screen - 4:3 or 16:9

[vyerth]

Hi friends,

I am in a fix. Can't decide what aspect ratio screen size I should be going for i.e. 16:9 or 4:3.

I have recently bought HD20 which is native 16:9. Most of my media is in DVD form or torrent downloads. i am assuming it would be better to go for 16:9. I am looking for pull down screen arrangement.

Here is what my understanding says, Please correct me if I am wrong. If I buy a screen for 4:3, I will be able to turn it into 16:9 by opening it till the screen of the projected image.

But when I look at the projector central screen calculator and shift the 16:9 to 4:3, the horizontals doesn't really shift, its only the verticals which gets closer like letterbox. Does that mean with the given projector (HD20), the length of the screen wouldn't really matter.

Please help me clear the confusion to make a better decision.

Thanks a lot.

 

[vinay]

The idle screen size is 16:9, very few movies you will get in 4:3, unless you want to watch TV.

It is better to order projector and screen at one go, like in your case you are already having the projector since 2/3 weeks, and by the time you get a screen it will be another 2 weeks or so, in other words you would be having a projector for 2 months, without being used, so these 2 months of warranty has gone in thin air and not to forget the frustration .

It will be better if you download only 720P., as you are having a good projector.

V.

 

[santhosh]

Better to go for 16:9. Searching on this forum will tell you why you should opt for 16:9.

Apart from TV (which is fast changing), even classic movies are 4:3 format.

It will be better if you download only 720P., as you are having a good projector.

Vinay, always get the best quality rips that one can get. No reason one should download 720p source material to be watched on 1080p projector. Infact it is better to watch 1080p material on a 720p but not the other way round. In this hobby, there is nothing like 720p is sufficient.... better the source material better the performance and satisfaction. It is what is called "Garbage in Garbage out" principle.

 

[santnai]

I fully agree with what Santhosh says..

 

[vyerth]

Hi,
Friends thanks for posting your views. its always helpful. I should have actually posted this in the earlier thread regarding the screen, I have been through posts on the forum regarding screen size but couldn't really understand if it was in favour or against of any.

You guys are right about 16:9 content increasing day by day but what happens to the old classic which was meant for 4:3. As a viewer I would like to go back to them. I have collected DVDs from classic films, just to go through masters to refresh grammar of cinema of yester years.

I just tried small thing with my projector by playing merchant ivory's 'Heat and Dust' on 16:9 and 4:3 projection there wasn't much of a height shift while playing back the dvd. The native dvd is 4:3 LB (1.66:1)

Then I played Tingya (marathi) on 16:9 and 4:3 Aspect Ratio. The height shift was quite a lot. Not sure why there is so much of difference.

Anyway,It seems there are members like Dushie and subhash are using 4:3 screen to project 16:9 image.

Would love to hear experience and practicality of this system. I think its a fairly good idea if its easier to set the screen aspect ratio just by taking the screen up or down similar to cinema theaters.

The Article below also advocates similar option.
16:9, 4:3 or 2.35:1 - What is the best screen format?
Not sure how feasible it is practically.

Cheers!

 

[ukjeyaraj]

My choice is 16:9. I was using a 1024x768 resolution projector earlier and using 4:3 screen. Now with my Epson EX-71 beaming 720p I enjoy my video at 16:9. Also whenever I watch 4:3 format videos (old movies/tv shows), I dont mind the black pillars on both right and left side of the video. If you use a proper black screen to cover the pillars, it will give you much better result. Currently I am not using any thing to hide those pillars, still its good.

If your projector has a native resolution of 16:9 better go with 16:9.

 

[Dushie]

I will differ here, i am using a 4:3 screen, which is a pull down one, i just pull it down as per requirement and i am happy with the performance, i can watch both 4:3 & 16:9 formats without compromising on anything.

 

[vyerth]

Hi,
I had to go back with my hd20 to do the same test again in the darkness as opposed to what i did earlier was in daytime with ambience light.

This time I played Wings of Desire and marked the wall the top and bottom size of the projector beam and also marked the screened image area.

What I really found is that the top and bottom "PROJECTION" on the wall doesn't really change on switching from 4:3 to 16:9. The image and the "projection" gets wider on 16:9 without disturbing the height. The image size changes within this projected area with height being the same.

One major shift I saw is when the dvd player display is set on 16:9, the 4:3 becomes bigger and when the DVD display is set for 4:3 LB the image become smaller.

Therefore, you guys have been right in saying that 16:9 is correct screen for HD20 cos its beam is projected as 16:9.

Dushie, I might be missing something, in your case, can you please explain how does the image size increases, with the change of aspect ratio ? I have checked this with DVD's only.. that too quite old films. Do you zoom in or out when you watch TV, to make the frame/image bigger?

Thanks!

 

[santhosh]

I will differ here, i am using a 4:3 screen, which is a pull down one, i just pull it down as per requirement and i am happy with the performance, i can watch both 4:3 & 16:9 formats without compromising on anything.

But Dushie, in your case the bottom of the screen will vary depending on your choice of screen format. Do you also need to adjust seating position to ensure there the movie is viewable comfortably?

 

[vinay]

Santosh,

Well i have always been getting best quality rips in 720P, many a times 720 is available in 2gb, but i never get them, i only take 4gb and above, even if that means 8gb that too for a 720P.

I suggested the fellow member to get 720p for watching on 1080p projector for the simple reason that he has been downloading about 1gb files, so i thought that to graduate from 1gb to 5gb, itself is going to be a tough call. Indeed once he is able to digest nicely the culture of 5gb, then he can go for 1080p files.

I always thought that on a 720p projector, a 1080p picture can not give quality difference.

It is always true that better the source material better the performance and satisfaction, no wonder i made a mini theater, let there be any circumstance i will not watch anything less then 720P with exception to 1%, and it has to be via projector and screen, so i am lucky for being nowhere near the garbage school.

It is because of this forum that i am away from the garbage of dvd and not buying a projector from the stores here, with many people like you around, there is so much to learn and move ahead.

On the other hand it is quite a fact that for most of the people they prefer to watch the movies via regular way, a television and dvd player, they are right in their way, as everyone has their set of interests.

V.

Vinay, always get the best quality rips that one can get. No reason one should download 720p source material to be watched on 1080p projector. Infact it is better to watch 1080p material on a 720p but not the other way round. In this hobby, there is nothing like 720p is sufficient.... better the source material better the performance and satisfaction. It is what is called "Garbage in Garbage out" principle.

 

[vyerth]

Santhosh, what do you mean by choice of screen format? And how can one vary it?

I have tried to change the dvd player setting from 16x9 to 4x3 and vice versa along with change in projector screen format. But I don't see any change in the length of the projected screen. Am I missing something or am not aware of?

Please illuminate.

 

[Dushie]

But Dushie, in your case the bottom of the screen will vary depending on your choice of screen format. Do you also need to adjust seating position to ensure there the movie is viewable comfortably?

Santhol, my viewing distance is greater than 20 feet and is at the other end of the room on my bed next to the wall. I watch all the movies from sitting there.

I don't shift the sitting,and it's fixed.

 

[santhosh]

Santosh,

Well i have always been getting best quality rips in 720P, many a times 720 is available in 2gb, but i never get them, i only take 4gb and above, even if that means 8gb that too for a 720P.

Definitely 4gb to 8gb is good but enough. Let me explain....

A bluray movie is around 30 to 40GB. At the time of ripping, the ripping software provides several options to the ripper like below:

• Full Disc (with extras, behind the scenes etc) - ~40GB
• Full movie (no extras, full movie in 1080p including all audio formats, all subtitles etc) - ~35GB
• Full movie with one audio format (no extras, full movie in 1080p including one audio formats, one subtitles etc) - ~30GB if audio format is lossless HD audio like DTS MA HD and DD True HD and ~20 GB if audio format is lossy DTS 5.1 or DD 5.1
• Full movie with (no extras, full movie in 720p including only lossless HD audio format, one subtitle with HD audio) - ~20GB
• Full movie with (no extras, full movie in 720p including only lossy DTS or DD 5.1 audio format, one subtitle with HD audio) - ~8GB
• Full movie with (no extras, full movie in 720p including only 2 channel audio) - ~2GB

Disclaimer: I do not have a BD-ROM and have never ripped a BD. Hence the options mentioned above may not be totally accurate and are based on my understanding through reading online. I have only listed these so as to illustrate how and why the SQ and PQ deteriorates with lesser size.

When we download, the movie has been ripped by a third party and is purely based on what his\her constraints were at the time of ripping. For Eg: if the person ripping has a 1080p HDTV (no AVR), he is only focussed on the 1080p part and will rip to a filesize which gives him 1080p and keep the audio part to a minimum. Similarly, some may only be interested in the movie but want full PQ and SQ, then they will leave out the extras. Some of the rips may even be upscaled versions of DVD or inferior rips.

So Vinay, since your Projector is 1080p and your AVR cannot handle HD audio formats go for a rip that is 1080p and has a lossy surround sound format atleast. So as to not miss anything, download only full bd rip ..don't worry about HD audio...your WDTV will downmix the HD audio to DD 5.1 or DTS 5.1 .

I suggested the fellow member to get 720p for watching on 1080p projector for the simple reason that he has been downloading about 1gb files, so i thought that to graduate from 1gb to 5gb, itself is going to be a tough call. Indeed once he is able to digest nicely the culture of 5gb, then he can go for 1080p files.

I would recommend newbies to view in best quality stratightaway depending on their constraints. We can always make out the difference when we see an inferior quality rather than going step by step to best quality.

I always thought that on a 720p projector, a 1080p picture can not give quality difference.

Yes, a 720p projector/HDTV will give you better PQ if you feed it 1080p content. You will also get better PQ and SQ using a Bluray player than playing a full BD rip on a media player\htpc, no doubt about it.

It is always true that better the source material better the performance and satisfaction, no wonder i made a mini theater, let there be any circumstance i will not watch anything less then 720P with exception to 1%, and it has to be via projector and screen, so i am lucky for being nowhere near the garbage school.

Ofcourse you are nowhere near garbage school and that was definitely not my intention.

"Garbage in Garbage out" is just an expression used in IT to describe how good you can expect your outcomes to be. Its garbage in, garbage out, meaning if you feed your computer bad information, youll get bad results.

 

[santhosh]

Santhosh, what do you mean by choice of screen format? And how can one vary it?

I have tried to change the dvd player setting from 16x9 to 4x3 and vice versa along with change in projector screen format. But I don't see any change in the length of the projected screen. Am I missing something or am not aware of?

Please illuminate.

You have got it right, sorry if I confused you. Length will not change, it is the height that gets adjusted.

Santhol, my viewing distance is greater than 20 feet and is at the other end of the room on my bed next to the wall. I watch all the movies from sitting there.

I don't shift the sitting,and it's fixed.

Ok, so you pull the full screen down to 4:3 and then watch a movie in either 4:3 or 16:9. Right? If not, you would have to change your projector settings every time you switch between the two formats.

My earlier question about changing your viewing distance was so that you can adjust your eye level to the center of the screen to avoid neck ache. However, since your viewing distance is 20 ft, some of these theories don't affect as much. In my case, my viewing distance is ~14ft for a 120 inch screen, so these things can make a huge difference and were considered while fixing my screen given that my viewing distance could not be increased.