16:9 VOB files playing back at wrong aspect ratio

WD Legacy Products WD TV Live Streaming
1

I have seen another thread on this topic, but after a few posts, the thread just seemed to dry up, with no solution, so I have to ask as well.

As part of my other problem, I have been thinking of an alternate container for my videos. For my TV shows on DVD, I decided to stay with their default format of VOB. So to test, I got one of my TV shows, and ripped an episode to test playback etc…

The source was a PAL 720x576 (16:9) DVD

The output was a PAL 720x576 (16:9) DVD

Playing it in VLC results in correct playback, with no black bars in the frame.

Playing it on my Oppo BDP-103, results in correct, fullscreen playback, with no black bars on screen.

Playing on the WDLive results in a squashed frame, with black bars at the top and bottom.

Edit: Have just tried it on my Xperia Tablet Z, and it plays full screen on there too.

I have checked the output VOB with VOBEdit and you can see the info in the included image. This shows the size and aspect ratio to be correct. Now MediaInfo shows a different ratio, and that is 2.40:1… however, MediaInfo shows the bitrate incorrectly, and that makes me question whether it is pulling the aspect ratio from the right place in the file.

I cannot find any settings in the WD that will let me force the correct aspect ratio, so I am not sure what my options are. Had other players played the file incorrectly, then I would have blamed the VOB, but nothing else does. That makes me wonder if the WD is getting the same incorrect aspect ratio that MediaInfo is getting.

vobedit-output.png
vobedit-output.png947×645 27.2 KB

2

There is a setting for this.

Settings—>Audio/Video Output—>Aspect Ratio.

To play 16:9 you would choose Widescreen.

To play 4:3 you would choose Normal.

Any other aspect ratios may still display black bars.

3

The setting in the video setup has nothing to do with the file aspect. It should be set to match the TV, not the video format.

4

Yes thank you Tony for your opinion, but this is what I use as it works for me.

Page 173 of the manual says:

Aspect Ratio

Use this menu to select the way videos are displayed.

Options include: Normal(4:3) Widescreen(16:9)

The media player’s default setting is Widescreen.  Make sure your TV can support widescreen resolution, or this default settingcan result in a distorted video display.