Video Output Settings Tab : CineMaster DVD Playback Card

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Video Output

> Any time you add or change video equipment connected to the CineMaster DVD player's external connections, you must reconfigure the controls in this panel:

> You will need to make three selections.

> Type of video equipment

> First, determine the type of equipment in use. This will be either a normal television (or VCR) with a 4:3 aspect ratio*, or a widescreen digital set with a 16:9 aspect ratio*. The default value for this setting is (none); that is, no external device is connected.

> TV standard supported

> Once the type of video device is selected, you need to tell theCineMaster DVD player which of the various international television standards the new equipment uses. These will be identified by name, as well as representative countries where those standards are used. For instance, the United States and Japan both use the NTSC standard. CineMaster supports two variants of the NTSC standard. The other major standard used throughout the world is called PAL. Different variations of the PAL standard are used in different countries. Select the setting from the drop-down list that is most appropriate to your location.

> Screen Formatting

> Finally, you must specify how the CineMaster DVD player will handle widescreen format DVD titles when playing them on a conventional (4:3) TV set. You have two choices:

> - Complete (letterbox) - displays the entire picture, using the full width of the video display, but masking the top and bottom of the screen, to approximate the original 16:9 aspect ratio of the picture.
> - Cropped (Pan & Scan) - displays a full-screen 4:3 aspect portion of the whole widescreen image. Typically, this portion will feature the most important action selected from the larger scene. This method of image selection is called Pan & Scan. Pan & Scan mode relies on the DVD title, itself, to provide the cropping information.

> NOTES: If the title does not contain Pan & Scan information, then this setting will have no effect and the title will be displayed in letterbox format as a default.

> Closed Captions

> You may also select closed captioning in this panel. Closed captions are the text of the words that are being spoken or description of music or sound effects. Not all content supports closed captions. When selected, and if the content supports it, closed captions will appear only on the video out screen.

> *Aspect Ratio: The shape of things to come

> Conventional television sets display an image that is only slightly wider than it is high. The relationship of these dimensions (or the ratio) is 4 to 3; or 4 units wide to 3 units high. Ratios are normally expressed by separating the numbers with a colon (:). So, 4:3 refers to a conventional video image.

> Example of a 4:3 aspect image.

> Next generation television — so-called HDTV — uses an aspect ratio more like widescreen movies. This widescreen format is referred to as 16:9, because it is 16 units wide by 9 units high.

> Example of a 16:9 aspect image.

> When you display DVD movies on your computer's screen, the image is automatically formatted to the aspect ratio as dictated by the DVD title. You are free, of course, to change this by manipulating the DVD playback window.

> How aspect ratio is handled on external video equipment is determined by the settings in the Video Output panel.

> Example of a 16:9 aspect image displayed as Letterbox on a 4:3 aspect TV set.

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