iMacs not a True Widescreen?

[Konradx]

So i just got my new 24" iMac any every widescreen ive put in has big black bars just like on my non widescreen monitors. I tried various 16:9, 16:10 movies but none fit the screen.

Anyway to watch them in full screen without cutting off the left and right parts of the movie? Is there a specific aspect raito that fits the iMacs?

 

[tvguru]

Just like other computers and HDTV's it's a mix between standard tv and 16x9 that way they both look good. It's a compromise between the 2 sizes.

Edit:
Remembered this being talked about before, hopefully this helps: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/233911/

 

[ripfrankwhite]

So i just got my new 24" iMac any every widescreen ive put in has big black bars just like on my non widescreen monitors. I tried various 16:9, 16:10 movies but none fit the screen.

Anyway to watch them in full screen without cutting off the left and right parts of the movie? Is there a specific aspect raito that fits the iMacs?

You do realize that the resolution of a 24" iMac is a lot higher than a DVD, don't you? That is the problem. An iMac is 1920x1200 and a DVD is ~720x480.

 

[Eithanius]

So i just got my new 24" iMac any every widescreen ive put in has big black bars just like on my non widescreen monitors. I tried various 16:9, 16:10 movies but none fit the screen.

Anyway to watch them in full screen without cutting off the left and right parts of the movie? Is there a specific aspect raito that fits the iMacs?

8:5....

 

[pengu]

"widescreen" resolutions for computers are almost always 16:10, which is slightly taller than "normal" widescreen for a widescreen tv (16:9)

if you play a 16:9 video fullscreen, you will see small black bars top and bottom.
if you play a 4:3 video fullscreen, you will see black bars left and right.

you can make MacOSX zoom in, but i dont know why you would want to, because it would cut off the left and ride sides of the image.

 

[ipoddin]

So i just got my new 24" iMac any every widescreen ive put in has big black bars just like on my non widescreen monitors. I tried various 16:9, 16:10 movies but none fit the screen.

Anyway to watch them in full screen without cutting off the left and right parts of the movie? Is there a specific aspect raito that fits the iMacs?

You may very well be watching movies shot in "anamorphic" and not widescreen. Widescreen monitors like the iMac, and even HDTV's for instance, are 16:9, or in other words 1.85:1. Anamorphic movies are even wider at 2.35:1. So if you watch a movie shot in anamorphic (and many are) even on a 16:9 screen like the imac or a plasma tv, it will STILL be letterboxed. Happens on my HDTV all the time. Nothing you can do about it. Read the back of the DVD boxes to see if it tells you which ratio the film was shot in.

Read more about it here.

 

[balamw]

8:5....

FWIW 8:5 is also known as 16:10 which the OP says he tried.

Even some HD trailers and such will have a more extreme aspect ratio than the natural 16:9 of their standards... Find some full resolution 16:9 1080p samples to check out your screen, but you'll still have thin black bars at the top and bottom...

B

 

[tomacintosh]

I'm glad the iMac's use 16:10 to be honest, I think it'd look stupid with a 16:9 screen aspect. You need a bit of height for most programs

 

[Konradx]

You do realize that the resolution of a 24" iMac is a lot higher than a DVD, don't you? That is the problem. An iMac is 1920x1200 and a DVD is ~720x480.

I downloaded the 1080p trailers off Apple Trailers and it also didnt fit the screen. I realize DVD resolution is alot smaller.

And i tried 2.4:1 which is anamorphic, and 2.35:1 (says enhanced for 16x9 Telivisions) and also didnt fit. Im gonna look for a 1.85:1 and see how it looks.

Thanks for all the feedback,

Konrad

edit: I put on Sin City and it has minimal bars (its 1.85:1). It sucks like 90% of my movies are either 2.35:1 or 2.4:1. If there a reason for so many different aspect ratios?

 

[balamw]

If there a reason for so many different aspect ratios?

Artistic vision, and the fact that there are many aspect ratios of screens in movie theaters. The wider it is the more enveloping the experience, like Cinerama at 2.59:1

B

 

[Pressure]

Tried some HD 1080p clips from Apple trailers and it looks great on this 23" Apple Cinema Display.

Sorry about the large size, haven't installed Photoshop CS2 yet...

 

[JAT]

It sucks like 90% of my movies are either 2.35:1 or 2.4:1. If there a reason for so many different aspect ratios?

Why does it suck? You don't like immersive widescreen films? Who cares what shape your TV/monitor is, just watch the movie. I guess if "usage of all pixels in whatever screen happens to be here" is more important than the movie, you can zoom/stretch it however you like.

The reason for different aspects is TV. Originally everything was close to 4:3, a little more square perhaps. Then TV came out at the same shape and Hollywood decided they needed to look different. Widescreen was born and now they all use whatever their "vision" decides, as somebody above mentioned.

 

[afornander]

are the LCD's on the imacs acualy HD?

 

[Mac-Addict]

are the LCD's on the imacs acualy HD?

Thats what i was wondering seen as i am going to be getting eyetv hybird and a 24" imac..

 

[balamw]

are the LCD's on the imacs acualy HD?

Define HD.

Even the 17" has higher resolution than many of the 720p LCD HDTVs out there in the market. The 24" is a bit taller than required for 1080i/p. (16:10 instead of 16:9).

B

 

[ipoddin]

are the LCD's on the imacs acualy HD?

My guess is yes considering high def 1080i is 1920x1080 and the 24" is capable of 1920x1200. 720p is 1280x720 so the iMac can easily display this as well.

 

[SpankyPenzaanz]

technically anything with an aspect ratio x:1 where x>1 is widescreen