Using MacBook as DVD Player

[BikerRob]

Hopefully I'm in the right forum ...

On the weekend, I was watching a widescreen DVD on my DVD player, but it kept skipping. Frustrated, I put it in my MacBook, plugged my MacBook into my TV (using the adapter) and figured I'd watch the movie using the MacBook as the DVD player.

I noticed, however, that the black bars on the top and bottom of the movie were almost twice the size on the TV doing it this way.

Why is the ratio of a widescreen movie different on a standalone DVD player connected to my TV than my MacBook connected to the TV.

And, is there anything I can do about it?

Rob

[fryke]

There's a zoom function in Apple's DVD Player software.

[BikerRob]

Hmmm .... I'll try that when I get home then ... would it be something in the default settings?

The only thing I see with the zoom feature is that there are not vertical black lines (on the left & right side of the screen), only top and bottom.

It's as if the aspect ratio is different when running the MacBook to the TV than using a standalone DVD player to the TV.

Do others use their MacBook DVD player with an older television?

[fryke]

It probably depends on the DVD player's output. With the zoom feature (nothing defaulty about that), you can zoom into the picture to make the black bars on top and bottom smaller (or vanish completely).

[BikerRob]

well, I'll try that ... just weird that it defaults differently than a stand alone

[fryke]

Most video devices do "overscan", which means that part of the picture is always cut-off. A computer however wants you to see the far edges of the screen. I think there's also a setting called "overscan" when using a TV set as a monitor, somewhere in the Displays pref-pane. Although I'm not sure where it's at...