16x9 Mode in CD-i Player Shells
There is an option in some CD-i player to activate a 16x9 aspect video mode.
16x9 describes the horizontal versus vertical ratio of the screen. Standard
NTSC televisions are 4x3, which means the picture width is somewhat more
than the height. Many Cinema movies are filmed at, and now many PAL televisions
support, an extra "wide" viewing mode. The PAL televsion tubes
are almost twice as wide as they are high, which permits unaltered viewing
of most movies. Unfortuneately, the 16x9 standard is not supported for
NTSC systems, and therefore unavailable in North America. The 16x9 mode
has the following stipulations:
- Works ONLY with TV's that are capable of 16x9 -- at this time only
PAL TV has a 16x9 format. NTSC (American TV) is fixed at 4:3.
- The CD-i player must be a European type with the funky Euro AV connector
on the back.
- Regular video assets may be letterboxed or be prepared with a 16x9
aspect (dimensions not given).
- MPEG assets must be encoded as 16x9 (a provision in some encoders).
- The player must be set to 16x9 mode via the shell. This option, although
appearing in ALL CD-i players, does not alter the video aspect of NTSC CD-i
players sold in North America.
- The source code for a MediaMogul plugin to play 16x9 can be found
in the July/August 1995 issue of Interactive Engineer -- useful only to
PAL developers using PAL players and TV's, with PAL MPEG encoded movies
or video.
Home Page · Up 1 Level · Site Map · Send Us Mail · ICDIA Main