iPad Watching Television Shows on iPad Air

[iDuel]

I currently have an iPad2, and when I use apps such as Hulu or Netflix to watch TV, my screen is "letterboxed" on the top and bottom.

Does the iPad Air solve this issue? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the iPad's aspect ratio, but I'm not sure.

Any thoughts?

 

[rui no onna]

I currently have an iPad2, and when I use apps such as Hulu or Netflix to watch TV, my screen is "letterboxed" on the top and bottom.

Does the iPad Air solve this issue? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the iPad's aspect ratio, but I'm not sure.

Nope. The aspect ratio of the iPad Air's display is the same 4:3 as older models. Apple just trimmed the bezels. Great for web browsing, PDFs, etc. Not so much for videos.

 

[SamuraiMinis]

It has to do with the aspect ratio. The retina screen and new form factor of the iPad Air would still be a big plus imo tho 🙂
Not to mention the multitude of other advances over the iPad 2.

 

[iDuel]

Nope. The aspect ratio of the iPad Air's display is the same 4:3 as older models. Apple just trimmed the bezels. Great for web browsing, PDFs, etc. Not so much for videos.

It has to do with the aspect ratio. The retina screen and new form factor of the iPad Air would still be a big plus imo tho 🙂
Not to mention the multitude of other advances over the iPad 2.

Thanks guys!

 

[Robster3]

Will the Air be better for Tv/Movies compared to the iPad 4? Picture and sound? Hope they fix the light bleed.

 

[gman901]

Don't worry, even on the 16:9 Nexus 7, its letterboxed and even smaller to see compared to the 8 inch mini.

 

[Cyloncat]

The best tablet I've used for Netflix and television shows is the Surface 2. 16:9 1080p 10.6" screen, gorgeous color, and no letterboxing. It has Xbox video, which seems to have a decent selection, although I haven't compared it to iTunes.

 

[iDuel]

The best tablet I've used for Netflix and television shows is the Surface 2. 16:9 1080p 10.6" screen, gorgeous color, and no letterboxing. It has Xbox video, which seems to have a decent selection, although I haven't compared it to iTunes.

Yeah, I wish Apple would have upgraded the ratio to 16:9, as most people who own an iPad use it to view media. It's a 9.7inch screen, I want to be able to utilize all of it.

Quick Question..couldn't developers add a "stretch" feature to their apps so that the video would fit the screen much like when playing a DVD?

 

[jdag]

Yeah, I wish Apple would have upgraded the ratio to 16:9, as most people who own an iPad use it to view media. It's a 9.7inch screen, I want to be able to utilize all of it.

Quick Question..couldn't developers add a "stretch" feature to their apps so that the video would fit the screen much like when playing a DVD?

I really don't think that video is the primary use for most people.

Regardless, having a 16:9 ratio would not solve the "problem" of video taking up the full screen anyhow. True, TV shows are virtually all 16:9, but movies are produced in many ratios, often much wider.

Truth is, you cannot escape the "wasted area" on any viewing device, TV, tablet, computer, etc.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, I wish Apple would have upgraded the ratio to 16:9, as most people who own an iPad use it to view media. It's a 9.7inch screen, I want to be able to utilize all of it.

I don't. One of the reasons I stick to the iPad is because the 4:3 aspect ratio works so much better for web browsing, PDF, etc. The few times I hold the iPad single-handed, it also felt easier to balance compared to a 10.1" Asus TF700T. Sure, 16:9 is nice for TV shows (although movies are usually wider at 2.35:1 so you still get some letterboxing) but I find it's not so good for other stuff.

Quick Question..couldn't developers add a "stretch" feature to their apps so that the video would fit the screen much like when playing a DVD?

Yep, they can. The question is whether they will.

 

[Night Spring]

Quick Question..couldn't developers add a "stretch" feature to their apps so that the video would fit the screen much like when playing a DVD?

Wouldn't stretching the video distort the picture? The stock video app and many third-party video apps have a zoom-in feature, where you can fill the screen by zooming in to the video. Of course, the sides get cut off when you do this.

 

[rui no onna]

Wouldn't stretching the video distort the picture? The stock video app and many third-party video apps have a zoom-in feature, where you can fill the screen by zooming in to the video. Of course, the sides get cut off when you do this.

It does but hey, I think they should just let the person watching the video decide if he'd prefer fit to screen (distorted), zoom or letterboxing/pillarboxing.