I have 1080I tv and upconvert dvd player. isn't dvd picture supposed to fill screen like hd programs?

Question

I have 1080I tv and upconvert dvd player. isn't dvd picture supposed to fill screen like hd programs?

Answer 1

depend on the dvd disc.

Answer 2

That all depends on the particular DVD you are trying to watch. Movies are made in many different aspect ratios ranging from 1.33:1 (standard square TV) all the way to 2.4:1 (an extra wide screen format). There are no standards for movies so each studio uses one or several different aspect ratios in shooting their movies. The standard for high definition TV is 1.78:1 also known as 16:9. In order to show wider formats on a DVD letter boxing is used, hence the black bars across the top and bottom of your screen. A similar technique is used to show 1.33:1 (standard TV) by adding black bars on the left and right of the screen. So the answer is no, the picture is not supposed to fill up the screen unless the movie is shot in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio.