On today ’s You Asked : Why dumb television set are practically extinct and what it means for you . Plus , we plunge into what Samsung ’s practical mode really does in its soundbars and tackle the age - old interrogative : Why do some film have black bars on certain cyclosis services but not others — even when it ’s the same pic ?
Black bars: sometimes there, sometimes not
Saud compose : I have a question that ’s been thwarting me for a while . I have anLG G477 - in OLED . Some film and appearance fill my entire television set screen ( no opprobrious bars ) , while others do n’t . For example , while watching theJohn Wickseries on Lionsgate Play , the first three movies were full screen , butJohn Wick : Chapter 4had black saloon . Why is that ? It feel frustrating and even unsatisfying when the full screen is n’t used — like I ’m not receive the most out of my TV . I ’ve read this has to do with aspect ratios , but is it really the director ’s choice , or are stream political program altering content to fit ? If they do adjust it , does that affect the viewing experience ?
to boot , while watchingTop Gun : Maverick , I noticed the look proportion change during the aerial combat scenes . Was that done for a specific reason , and why not keep it full - filmdom the whole time ? I ’d really appreciate your insights on this — it ’s something I opine about every time I see disgraceful bars .
OK , so it starts with expression ratios , yes . Most flick are not dash in a 16:9 aspect proportion , which is the aspect proportion of your television receiver . For the purposes of this mini - object lesson , we can commute 16:9 to 1.77:1 .
Most movies are shoot in 1.85:1 , which is moderately close to 16:9 . Really full-grown epic flick are done in 2.40:1 or 2.39:1 — both of which are passably far away from 16:9 and and are often called “ anamorphic . ” There are also a fistful of flick that use 2.35:1 .
Talking about the prospect ratios of the pic you mentioned , John Wick 1,2,3 , and4was take in 2.39:1.Top Gun : Maverickwas take in two facial expression ratio : 2.39:1 and IMAX , which has a 1.90:1 aspect ratio .
Now , to explicate your experience : Most Blu - ray phonograph recording will present films in their original aspect proportion , which means that there will be black bars . Some stream services will zoom and snip the icon so that it will occupy the sieve . Unfortunately , though , your screen is filled up , and you ’re miss parts of the range of a function because they have been chopped off . Not only that , but zooming and cropping can sometimes distort the epitome .
I ’m not sure why the first three John Wick films you saw were altered to conform to the projection screen but the fourth was n’t . Maybe you watched it on a different streaming service ? Often , the presenter of a film will discover when the photographic film has been altered . We see this subject matter a lot on airplane : “ This moving-picture show has been altered . ” This can entail that it ’s been format to fit the screen , and sometimes it ’s been castrate for language and subject , too — stand for they take out the racy scene to be more kid - friendly or to avail prevent embarrassment when someone is looking over your shoulder joint at your silver screen on a flight .
As forTop Gun : Maverick , most of the aeriform and cockpit scenes ( basically all the nerveless action shots ) were done in IMAX . The relief of the flick — like the fighter jock being cocky and chintzy or Tom Cruise messing around with his honey interest — was shot with less expensive , more commonplace cameras and in a unlike view proportion .
They switched between the two shooting methods to accomplish both the artistic and amazing factors of the film . The shift between the aspect ratio was less detectable in the theatre than at a smaller scurf at home . Also , there was no way any movie featuring Tom Cruise was ever go to be compromised ( we ’re talking about the Purist - in - top dog , here ) . Now you get laid .
So , you could pick out to fill your screen , or you could take to see the whole moving picture , but you seldom get to have both .
Virtual mode: What is it, really?
Alastair wants to know what the “ virtual ” mode on Samsung Q - Series soundbars does and finds it left there is little certification on what this surround mood actually does .
The reply is comparatively simple . Virtual mode is there to raise the surroundings audio for anything that ’s notDolby Atmosor DTS :X encode message . Donotturn it on if you are getting a Dolby Atmos or DTS :X sign — everything that is say to be there is already in the signal and all the driver will be enough meddlesome .
If you are acquire a canonical Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 sign , turning on the practical scene will engage processing that attempts to add peak channels where they do not otherwise subsist . Does that mean that if you heed to a 5.1 admixture without the virtual feature turn on that the up - open fire driver in your system will do nothing ? I do n’t recognize , but you could test that for yourself far faster than I can .
If you ’re learn a stereo demonstration , the practical setting is go to do a lot more . It has to create a signaling for all of the other speakers in the system — that means it will sate in the heart channel by examine to extrapolate dialog and it will fill in the environment speakers and all the up - send away speakers .
Do n’t bury that the soundbar is always doing some kind of processing . It has side - firing channel to expand the soundstage , and it uses those in all of its surround modes , even though there may be no sign specifically create for those speakers .
If you are look for a more detailed breakdown , you ’ll have to create it yourself . Most common people will be happy just live that virtual mode on a Samsung soundbar — and “ virtually ” every other twist — is always go away to fake a sound experience in the absence seizure of precise audio sign direction .
If you really want to know , you could play a 5.1 surroundings path , put your ear next to each driver in the system , and note which one are active and which are n’t . Try this during a in use action scene where you would expect as many drivers to be firing as potential . eminence which one are not make strait , then watch the same sequence with the virtual modal value turn on and you ’ll find that it is using all the driver at some point .
What is it trying to create ? Height channel , for indisputable , but also some side - fill to comfort the passage between the front and the back . Plus , the system is always render to habituate psychoacoustics to fill out a center - back speaker . The soundbar arrangement is design to make it seem like audio is come from every placement possible .
No dumb TVs, please
This interrogative has popped up many times just in the past hebdomad , likely due to the vacation shopping season : Do I really call for to interest about buying a smart TV if I ’m going to be colligate a well out stick or streaming corner to the goggle box anyway ? Put another way : Do I call for a fresh television receiver to get the unspoilt moving picture timbre , or , since I ’m just learn my own source , is it all right to get a non - smart TV ?
Here ’s the thing : Virtually every TV on sale is a smart TV . I would argue that every TV deserving buying is a smart telly . I ’m not go to say there are no so - call “ mute television receiver , ” but off the top of my head , I ca n’t think of one . If it ’s over 42 inches , it is a smart TV , or it is borderline garbage .
Over the past few years , manufacturer have shifted away from making their own user interfaces in favour of ones that are baked into the saucy TV atomic number 8 offer by Roku , Google TV , and Amazon Fire TV . Samsung and LG , however , have make their own .
It does n’t make a lot of sense for brands to have two dissimilar user interfaces and the chip shot that run them . I ’m sure there are other reasons , but whatever they are , the fact rest that almost all TVs are impertinent television . And while I do think that the brand of chic TV interface can shape your purchasing decision , it should not be a precedence consideration . I ’ve always said this : Buy the TV you want for the picture caliber , the level-headed calibre , and the stableness . If it has a smart user interface you like , that ’s a bonus . If it does n’t , then you could figure out around it .
In my recent revue of thePanasonic Z95A , I lamented that the TV ’s only real negative was the Amazon Fire tv set port ( because I do n’t personally worry for it ) . I take a little detour and march how to puzzle out around it . This can be done on almost any wise television : you could sic the telly up to open up to your HDMI stimulation of alternative and reasonably successfully ignore the smart TV part .
Make ataraxis with the fact that you are bribe a chic television receiver now . That ’s where the marketplace has gone since you bought your last TV . There may be much debate about whether that is smart or right , but it is a fact you ’ll need to memorize to live with .
