Harman Kardon DVD5 Owners Manual - Page 19

Setup Menu After the password has been entered once, a second set of data entry boxes will appear, asking you to confirm the entry (Figure 12). Using the same method described above, enter the password again. When all four numbers have been repeated, press the Enter Button d to set the password in the DVD 5's memory. If the two passwords do not agree, an "Incorrect Password" message will appear to ask you to try entering the number again. Figure 12 Once the new password has been entered, the system remains locked with the new password in effect. If you have no other changes to make after setting this default, press the Menu Button ` to remove the Setup Menu from the screen, or press the Play Button g/@ to begin or resume playback. Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of a television picture is the relationship between its width and height, and it defines the shape of the picture. Television sets have traditionally had an aspect ratio of 4 x 3, which is to say that they are almost square, with slightly more width than height. Almost all television programming is presented in the 4 x 3 aspect ratio so that the pictures fit within the confines of the TV screen. Movies, on the other hand, have a variety of what are known as "wide aspect ratio" formats that are significantly wider in relation to their height than traditional television pictures. Indeed, the development of wide-screen movies was something that was popularized in the 1950's in response to the success of television; movie producers wanted to provide a wider vista than afforded by TVs. However, since many movies are produced for a wider screen than the TV set they are played on, there is a problem that is like fitting a square peg in a round hole. In many instances this is taken care of by the disc's producers, who reformat the image to fit within a standard 4 x 3 TV screen. Discs such as this require no special setting. The only downside to this is that when wide-screen movies are converted to 4 x 3, some of the information at the sides of a scene may be cut off due to the difference in picture shape. This is also called a "pan and scan" presentation, as a 4 x 3 viewing area is moved across the wider cinema image. Other discs are produced in what is called a "letterbox wide-screen" format. In this case the entire wide image is fit inside the 4 x 3 screen shape from side to side. This means that you see the entire picture as the movie's director intended, but the height of the picture is reduced to accommodate the added width. The blank areas that appear at the top and bottom of the screen make the image in the center appear as if you are looking into a mail slot, giving this sort of presentation the nickname of "letterbox." The DVD format accommodates both of these formats, though it is up to the producer of the disc to select which way to convert the movie to video. Sometimes you will have a choice of only one of the two formats, while some discs offer a full screen, with the pan and scan version on one side of a disc and the widescreen, but letterbox version, on the other side. The DVD 5 will play either type of disc, and you may select a default that tells which way to present the image when there is a choice. To select an aspect ratio default, you must be viewing the Setup Menu (Figure 1), which is available by pressing the Menu Button ` while the unit is in the Stop mode. At the Setup Menu, press the ¤ Navigation Button e until the Aspect Ratio option is highlighted. Next, press the Enter Button d. Select one of the three choices in the options box (Figure 13) using the ⁄/ ¤ Navigation Buttons e. Figure 13 Depending on the type of television set you have, choose one of these three options: s 4 x 3 Letterbox: Choose this setting if you have a standard 4 x 3 television set and prefer to see movies in their original aspect ratio. You will see the entire movie but, when it is presented in a letterbox fashion, there will be black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. Movies or other programs recorded in a 4 x 3 format will appear normal. s 4 x 3 Pan Scan: Choose this setting if you have a standard 4 x 3 television set and always want the image to fill the entire screen. When a wide screen movie is shown, you may not see parts of the picture at one side of the screen or the other. Note, however, that even when you select this option, playing a wide-screen-only movie will result in black letterbox bars at the top and bottom of the screen. This is due to the way the disc was produced, and it cannot be changed. s 16 x 9 Wide-screen: Choose this setting only if you have a wide-screen television set (16 x 9 aspect ratio). With this setting, the DVD 5 will adjust the output for wide-screen movies so that they fill the entire screen in the proper aspect ratio. Note, however, that in this setting a disc recorded in the 4 x 3 aspect ratio will appear in the wide-screen as a boxed image in the center, with black columns on the left and right side of the screen. NOTE: If the wide-screen option is chosen and a wide-screen movie is played on a conventional 4 x 3 aspect ratio set, the image will be distorted due to vertical compression. When you have made your selection using the ⁄/ ¤ Navigation Buttons e to highlight the desired option, press the Enter Button d and note that the circle next to your choice will fill in. The menu system will then automatically return to the status listing. If you have no other changes to make after setting this default, press the Menu Button ` to remove the Setup Menu from the screen, or press the Play Button g/@ to begin or resume playback. 19 SETUP MENU