[mythtv-users] Widescreen

[Ben Bucksch]

matt at mattmarsh.net wrote:

>intended as a TV for the bedroom and I'm going
>to stream video from my TiVo sitting downstairs.
>
hm? Analog TV -> digital TiVo -> analog S-Video -> digital MythTV -> 
analog S-Video or analog VGA -> digital LCD? I hope you don't expect any 
picture/audio quality to remain. Why not replace the TiVo with MythTV? 
That's what it's for.

Better go digital DVB or analog TV -> digital MythTV -> digital DVI -> 
computer LCD

>In which case maybe I'll have to go for a 4:3
>TV instead. I would prefer to use a widescreen
>if possible, but if I have to go to 4:3 then
>it's not the end of the world.
>
Unless you use DVB, almost all TV is 4:3 anyways. OK, movies are often 
sent with black bars. If you hack MythTV, I guess it should be possible 
to resize the player window, then, like I suggested. Somebody will have 
to implement that, though. And the resolution is of course not as good 
as if it were broadcasted as 16:9.

>If it can't play 16:9 MPEGS correctly, how does
>it get on with DVDs in widescreen formats? Do
>they work well or look dumb?
>
MythTV (the TV module) can't play DVD at all. You can start an external 
player from a Myth button, e.g. Xine or Ogle.

>This is why widescreen TVs generally do more
>clever stuff than just stretching... they tend
>to stretch them wide to fit the screen, and
>then stretch them high too, but not by as much
>but still it is then higher than the screen, so
>it chops a bit off the top and the bottom. You're
>left with something which looks reasonable.
>
uh, that's like intentionally messing up the picture.