iTunes movies aspect ratio

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JimmyC

726 posts

Ultimate Geek

#302000 21-Oct-2022 11:32

I have a 2.35:1 projector screen and most iTunes movies I watch will flick between this ratio and 16:9 on a regular basis which is incredibly annoying.

Short of "don't use iTunes for movies", does anyone know of a fix for that? It's definitely iTunes specific.

hsvhel

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#2985793 21-Oct-2022 11:34

I tired to use iTunes last weekend for a movie and it would not even load.

Believe the service might be on the way out anyway, or at least on it's last legs enough that they are no longer really interested with keeping it functional

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lxsw20

3555 posts

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#2985824 21-Oct-2022 12:51

Don't know about that - via Apple TV it's pushed pretty hard/movies are constantly getting upgraded.

ilovemusic

1439 posts

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#2994675 11-Nov-2022 12:45

Aspect ratios will change depending on the movie - 1.85, 2.40, 1.78 are the common ratios for home viewing.

Is that what you're seeing or is the aspect ratio changing as you watch the movie ?

That can happen too with some modern movies, eg DC superhero Imax flicks that change between 1.78 and 2.40 depending on the scene.

JimmyC

726 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2994720 11-Nov-2022 13:43

ilovemusic:

Aspect ratios will change depending on the movie - 1.85, 2.40, 1.78 are the common ratios for home viewing.

Is that what you're seeing or is the aspect ratio changing as you watch the movie ?

That can happen too with some modern movies, eg DC superhero Imax flicks that change between 1.78 and 2.40 depending on the scene.

It changes during the movie. Top Gun Maverick was the latest. All the action / flight scenes in 2.35, all the talking scenes 16:9. Drove me nuts, completely pulls you out of the movie.

FineWine

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#2994722 11-Nov-2022 13:47

What version of macOS or iOS are you using?

iTunes is no longer and has been split into three distinct all-new, dedicated apps — Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts. TV app is where all your movies and TV shows should reside and be played from.

EG: my digital movies and TV shows reside on my iMac within the Apple TV app, then via our Home Network it is connected to our; Apple TV 4k 64Gb (2nd gen) > TV set. Or we just watch streamed shows free or paid direct from via the TV app.

Prior to owning our TV we: TV app on an iMac or iDevice > ChromeCast Ultra > TV set

If you can, upgrade from iTunes. On upgrade all your music, pod casts and movies, TV shows and home video content will be imported into the appropriate apps: Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts.

This will more than likely solve your viewing problems.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

ilovemusic

1439 posts

Uber Geek

#2994826 11-Nov-2022 18:17

JimmyC:

ilovemusic:

Aspect ratios will change depending on the movie - 1.85, 2.40, 1.78 are the common ratios for home viewing.

Is that what you're seeing or is the aspect ratio changing as you watch the movie ?

That can happen too with some modern movies, eg DC superhero Imax flicks that change between 1.78 and 2.40 depending on the scene.

It changes during the movie. Top Gun Maverick was the latest. All the action / flight scenes in 2.35, all the talking scenes 16:9. Drove me nuts, completely pulls you out of the movie.

That's intentional for that film.

It's the other way 'round tho, action scenes were shot in Imax, in the home Imax expands to near full frame.

Talking was in 2.40.

Some services offer an Imax or non-Imax version, if you want to avoid the aspect ratio changes look for a non-Imax film.

Have you see Transformers Last Knight ?

That is the grand poobah of multiple aspect ratios, about 8 different aspect ratios are used throughout the film, some scenes changing 3-4 times.

😂

JimmyC

726 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3007901 9-Dec-2022 18:57

So after getting frustrated with iTunes version of Maverick I bought the 4K UHD disc only to find *drum roll* the same problem!

Reading the fine print - I guess it's the "Includes sequences of expanded aspect ratio" that's causing the issues:

I really can't understand how a movie that flicks in and out of your projector screen area is deemed working as intended. Is there a way to locks ones player to one resolution? Panasonic BD820 in my case.

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Behodar

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#3007902 9-Dec-2022 19:16

Yeah, it's annoying when you have a 2.39:1 screen and all home releases are of the Imax version (which, in theatres, is projected onto a 1.90:1 screen). Virtually all of these movies had 2.39:1 versions created for regular theatres, but whether they're available on a home video format is another matter entirely.

JimmyC

726 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3007903 9-Dec-2022 19:28

Dune 4K UHD is perfect... I can't see IMAX on the back of the Maverick disc but I'll look out for "expanded aspect ratio" comments in future. I feel like a home theatre noob right now 🤪

JimmyC

726 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3008797 12-Dec-2022 08:31

Just to wrap this up, it has nothing to with iTunes at all, but as @ilovemusic attested, the issue will continue to increase with time as directors choose variable aspect ratios to suit scenes in their films and push IMAX as their theatre option of choice.

Fully discussed here - Top-gun-maverick-variable-aspect-ratio-seems-too-small

Interestingly, on Disney+, movies with variable aspect ratios come with an option to lock the movie to a widescreen format. The Legend of the 10 Rings is an example of this. Would love to see this used more widely in future -

Meanwhile I've spent $70 on two formats of the same movie that I can't watch for all intents and purposes. Still seems wrong to me.