In stores, blu-ray pictures have black bands over and under the picture on hdtvs. Is this true for all dvds and hdtvs?
Most widescreen TV’s come in the 16×9 aspect ratio, however DVD’s come in different aspect ratios. Some movies come in the 1.85:1 ratio which is the 16×9 format on those DVD’s you will have a full screen on your HDTV, but DVD’s also come in an aspect ratio called 2.35:1 which is wider than the 16×9 format and that is why you get the black bars at the top and bottom of the picture. When you look at the back of a DVD case usually in the lower right hand corner it will tell you if it is 1.85:1 or if it is 2.35:1 and you can then tell which ones will have the black bars on your widescreen tv.
