Posted by Joshua Zyber on 01/12/44 11:39

"J. Fredrik Hesselvik" <fhess@bu.edu> wrote in message
news:McCdnYhAuc2__HbenZ2dnUVZ_v2dnZ2d@rcn.net...
> I'm installing a home theater with a Sony HD (native 16:9) front
> projector.
>
> The obvious screen aspect ratio would be 16:9, however, what if I made
> a screen that was 2.40:1 instead and used the projector zoom to fill
> the whole screen? (The area behind the screen will be non-reflective
> black). The setup will be used almost exclusively for watching DVD's.

This is possible. In fact, many projection users do it. At
www.avsforum.com there is a discussion forum for "2.35:1 Constant Image
Height" that will give you some tips.

Some things to keep in mind:

- If you simply zoom the projector so that the 2.35:1 portion of the
image fills the 2.35:1 screen, the top and bottom of your picture (where
the black letterbox bars are) will be projected off the screen. This
means that those pixels will be inactive and you are losing out on
potential resolution. A better (though more expensive) option is to add
an anamorphic lens such as those made by Panamorph, Prismasonic, or
Isco, to your projector, which will effectively turn it into a native
2.35:1 model, allowing you to use all available pixels for your movie
image.

- In order to properly establish a 2.35:1 constant height arrangement,
you will need to use a video scaler or HTPC with full aspect ratio
control. Your projector is unlikely to support the aspect ratio controls
necessary for 2.35:1 constant height. For example, you'll need to scale
16:9 and 4:3 images down to fit within the center of the 2.35:1 screen
with pillarbox bars on the sides.

[Back to original message]