Home Theatre Setup - Update + more questions

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Dunnersfella

4086 posts

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#441816 21-Feb-2011 09:15

To generalise...
If your sub isn't working on a specific audio track, it doesn't mean something is wrong.
It's more that your speakers can handle enough of the bottom end, so that the sub doesn't need to do much.
You can of course alter the crossover point of your speakers in order to use the sub more.

...and this is where your ears come in.
What sounds better to you? When the sub is producing the majority of the bass? Or when the speakers are? If you can't notice a difference... then yeah, keep on keeping on!

Lizard1977

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#442227 22-Feb-2011 08:45

I spent a bit more time with the setup last night, and worked out what was going on with the sub. In the speaker setup, I had set the floorstanders and centre speaker to large. I stumbled across a section in the manual which said that setting the speakers to large would tell the receiver to send the bass signals to those speakers, but setting them to small, sends the bass signals to the sub. So I changed the setup, and now the sub is firing properly. The side-subwoofers on the floorstanders are still going, but I think it's made the high and mid frequencies a little clearer. I'm much happier now I've worked that out...

So I think the only real outstanding issue now is the cropping of some broadcasts. I noticed this on Ocean's Eleven a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't done any scientific testing of this. On Ocean's Eleven, it looks like it's been stretched to fit widescreen, but shown on a 4:3 display. I checked the aspect ratio of the TV, and it's set to 16:9. No matter what I change the ratio to, it still stays cropped, which suggests to me that's how it was broadcast. Does this sound right, or have I got a setting wrong somewhere?

This brings me to a general question about broadcast formats. I got my first widescreen TV in 2004, and the salesperson (who I acknowledge probably didn't know anything) assured me that with a widescreen TV, and broadcasts moving to widescreen, there would be no black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. But there are. And even with this TV, I notice that widescreen programmes and DVDs still have black bars at the top and bottom. If something is in 16:9, and my TV is set to 16:9, should the whole screen be used?

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

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#442251 22-Feb-2011 09:47

Great to hear that you've sorted out the sub issue - shoulda thought of the speaker size setting. But nicely spotted regardless!
Re: Your cropped broadcast, are you watching a BluRay or broadcast TV when you get the cropping?
I have two ideas...

Step one - turn off Overscan.

On the TV, press 'Menu'
Then navigate down to 'Setup'
Then go down to 'Other settings'.
Then set 16:9 Overscan to 'Off'.

Step two - turn the broadcast source (Freeview BluRay player?) to something that will help... sorry I don't know the BluRay recorder quite well enough, but it wouldn't hurt to experiment.

Oh and widescreen TV's still show the black bars as they offer a 16:9 ratio, not 21:9. There are Philips TV's overseas that do away with the blackbars as they are designed around the Cinema 21:9 ratio. GREAT for movies... not so great for broadcast TV.

Jaxson

8041 posts

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#442261 22-Feb-2011 10:09

Lizard1977: setting them to small, sends the bass signals to the sub.

You'll need to investigate what setting works well for you. If you set you large floorstanders to small you may need to adjust the crossover point within your receiver to make sure you get the best sound out of it all.

By setting it to large you're routing all the bass to the floor standers, with it set to small you're re routing some bass to the subwoofer. You just need to make sure you're only sending the real bassy stuff to the subwoofer and not some higher frequencies that your receiver thinks your floor standers can't reproduce.

The Onkyo receivers had an option called double bass where you could send bass to the speakers (set as full/large) and the subwoofer as well.

Lizard1977: No matter what I change the ratio to, it still stays cropped, which suggests to me that's how it was broadcast.

Yup, there's all sorts of TV hack ups broadcast.

Lizard1977: black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Argh! Your 16:9 screen is an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 so films shot/displayed in this aspect ratio, or 1:85:! is very close will fill the whole screen. Films in real wide widescreen are in aspect ratios of 2.35 or 2.40:1 will still have black lines above and below on a 16:9 screen.

Don't worry, it's all normal and the black lines wont hurt you. You are seeing the movie as intended and not losing any of the picture/cropping etc to mush it into showing on your screen with no black bars.

http://hometheater.about.com/od/televisionbasics/a/aahdtvfaqs6a.htm

Jaxson

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#442263 22-Feb-2011 10:10

Dunnersfella: Step one - turn off Overscan.

Great idea to check too.

scampbell

16 posts

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#442338 22-Feb-2011 12:07

timmmay: "PS3 Media Server" is free software that runs a DLNA server. It works directly with my Samsung TV too. Give it a shot.

Another good Media Server is VortexBox. It supports DLNA, works with a PS3 or Samsung TV fine and is also free.

Linux based but a piece of cake to set up on an old PC with a decent size HDD. It will allow you to auto RIP your CD's and DVD's to HDD and enjoy from anywhere on your network.

http://www.vortexbox.org

ilovemusic

1439 posts

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#442352 22-Feb-2011 12:33

Jaxson:
Lizard1977: black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Argh! Your 16:9 screen is an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 so films shot/displayed in this aspect ratio, or 1:85:! is very close will fill the whole screen. Films in real wide widescreen are in aspect ratios of 2.35 or 2.40:1 will still have black lines above and below on a 16:9 screen.

Don't worry, it's all normal and the black lines wont hurt you. You are seeing the movie as intended and not losing any of the picture/cropping etc to mush it into showing on your screen with no black bars.

http://hometheater.about.com/od/televisionbasics/a/aahdtvfaqs6a.htm

Yes, 1.78 and 1.85 are interchangeable, on most TVs (which overscan) the very thin black bars of a 1.85 image won't be seen.

2.35 and 2.40 are the same, back in 1971 the ANSI changed the specified projection aspect ratio for anamorphic prints to 2.39 to avoid splice marks etc from showing onscreen.

2.35 remained in the film maker's lingo, with 2.40 being for the persnicky pedantist.

The real horror is the increasing cropping of a 2.40 film to 1.78 (on HDTV and DVD/BD) in order to appease the ignorant "I don't like black bars" faction.

It's pan and scan for a digital age.

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Jaxson

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#442359 22-Feb-2011 12:42

ilovemusic:
It's pan and scan for a digital age.

Yuck!

Also I know a lot of people have got used to 4:3 analogue TV squished down to display on their widescreen TV's

I've run into lots of opposition when you try to adjust this to display TV at 16:9 full resolution as suddenly people look taller/thinner than what they have become accustomed to.

ilovemusic

1439 posts

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#442612 22-Feb-2011 23:27

Roadshow is one of the worst offenders.

They recently released the period action flick Solomon Kane on BD, butchered to 1.78.

Contrast that withe the UK BD in the correct AR of 2.40, albeit with a cover that sez it's in 1.85.

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