Selecting a Picture Format Option

Your TV’s wide screen (16:9 aspect ratio) delivers a home-cinema experience that isn’t possible with a conventional (4:3 aspect ratio) set. The 16:9 format of high-definition (HD) programs and other widescreen-format video sources appear more lifelike, dramatic, and theatrical. Black or gray bars are diminished or eliminated. As the television industry moves toward the high-definition format stan- dard and more HD broadcasts become avail- able, you will be able to see the broadcasts as they were intended—in 16:9 format.

For flexibility in viewing conventional 4:3- format video sources on your TV’s wide

Conventional 4:3 Screen Size

Your TV’s 16:9 Screen Size

Your TV’s Picture Format Options

screen, you have the options Automatic,” “Super zoom,” “Panoramic,” “4:3,” “Movie expand 14:9,” “Movie expand 16:9,” “16:9 subtitle,” or “Wide screen.”

NOTE: The Automatic option is disabled for AV3–AV6.

Page 36 explains how to select a picture for- mat option.

cCHECK IT OUT

Inputs AV3–AV4 allow horizontal and vertical picture panning using the Cursor Left, Right, Up, and Down buttons. The Side input allows vertical picture panning; left and right panning with the Side input is possible when the input has been labeled “Game.” See pages 20 and 21 for details on side panel connections and source labeling.

HELPFUL HINT

The term aspect ratio refers to the relation- ship between the width and height of a TV screen. Historically, TV screen width has been 33 percent greater than its height, amounting to a 4:3 aspect ratio. The width of your widescreen TV, however, is nearly 80 percent greater than its height, which means its aspect ratio is 16:9. This screen corresponds well with the tendency of the eyes to feel more comfortable with fields of view and action planes that are horizontally oriented. The wide screen is also propor- tionally truer to the formats in which movies are filmed and presented in theaters. However, many widescreen DVDs will still display black bars to preserve the true the- atrical format.

Automatic (not depicted) Makes the picture fill the screen as much as possible when the presence of black or gray bars is detected.

Super zoom Removes the black or gray bars on the sides of a 4:3-format pic- ture with minimal distortion. Part of the top and bottom portions of the picture are excluded from the screen.

4:3

Displays a conventional 4:3 pic- ture without change. Black or gray bars will show at the left and right sides.

Movie expand 16:9

Alters the image both horizontal- ly (stretched) and vertically (cropped) to fill the TV’s wide screen. Part of the top and bottom portions of the picture will be excluded from the screen.

Panoramic

Evenly stretches the edges of the picture to fill the TV’s wide screen.

Movie expand 14:9

Expands the picture to 14:9 movie aspect ratio. Part of the top and bot- tom portions of the picture are excluded from the screen. Black or gray bars are shown at the left and right sides.

16:9 subtitle Zooms the picture for a full view of subtitles or other information displayed at the bottom of the picture. Part of the top portion of the picture is excluded from the screen.

Wide screen Evenly stretches the width of the picture to fill the screen.