Is the video playback always in widescreen format.? In the menu I have changed it to normal but still plays in widescreen.Thanks
If the VIDEO you’re playing is widescreen, then yes, it’s going to play it in widescreen.
Basically, it will play any video in the aspect ratio the video is coded to.
Yes, as Tony says, the “normal” (or “widescreen”) setting isn’t meant to fill the entire screen for all video. No stretching or squashing is done (unless you choose the wrong settings). There is no “fit screen”… the file’s display ratio is always used in presenting the material as it was intended to appear. All the “widescreen”/“normal” setting does is let the WDTV know what is the proper amount of letterboxing/pillarboxing to properly present the material on that kind of display.
If you play 4:3 video on a 4:3 display with it set to “normal”, then the picture will fill the entire screen.
If you play anything past that (including common ratios like 16:9 and 2.35:1) on a 4:3 display with it set to “normal”, then the picture will fill the entire width of the screen, and will be letterboxed to maintain the correct display ratio given by the file.
If you play 4:3 video on a 16:9 display with it set to “widescreen”, then the picture will fill the entire height of the screen, and will be pillarboxed to maintain the correct display ratio given by the file.
If you play 16:9 video on a 16:9 display with it set to “widescreen”, then the picture will fill the entire screen.
If you play >16:9 video on a 16:9 display with it set to “widescreen”, then the picture will fill the entire width of the screen, and will be letterboxed to maintain the correct display ratio given by the file.
If you play 4:3 video on a 4:3 display with it erroneously set to “widescreen”, then the picture will fill the entire height of the screen, but will be squished horizontally (or stretched vertically) and pillarboxed, since the WDTV is “correctly” formatting 4:3 material for 16:9 output.
If you play 16:9 and above video on a 4:3 display with it erroneously set to “widescreen”, then the picture will fill the entire width of the screen, but the incorrect amount of letterboxing will be applied and the picture will appear stretched vertically (or squashed horizontally).
If you play 4:3 video on a 16:9 display with it erroneously set to “normal”, then the picture will fill the entire screen, thus appearing stretched horizontally (or squashed vertically).
If you play 16:9 and above video on a 16:9 display with it erroneously set to “normal”, then the picture will fill the entire width of the screen, but the incorrect amount of letterboxing will be applied and the picture will appear stretched horizontally (or squashed vertically).
