02-01-2010, 05:31 AM

Can the ipad play widescreen video?
I've had conflicting information on this topic and wanted to know the real answer.

02-01-2010, 06:31 AM

Yes, but they will be letterboxed as the device itself is approximately a 4:3 aspect.

02-01-2010, 08:10 AM

This makes me think. Why the device is not widescreen to begin with. I don't think that' be to hard for apple to do.

02-01-2010, 08:15 AM

I don't think it's quite 4:3. It actually seems closer to 16:9 than 4:3. Does anyone know the iPhone's aspect ratio? I imagine it must be the same to make existing apps fit correctly without any distortion. Plus you can always double-tap to fill the screen like the iPhone/Touch to fill the screen with little scene loss. Plus most videos are going beyond 16:9 anyway, which is annoying.

I don't mind it not being 16:9 as I think that ratio would be a bit more awkward for a tablet. I don't think any of the current tablets we know of have a 16:9 ratio.

02-01-2010, 09:20 AM

It is 4:3. They do not give the actual dimensions of the screen. But they do have the dimensions of the device and the border appears to me to be the same size all the way around.

9.56 inches divided by 4 = 2.39
7.47 inches divided by 3 = 2.49

And the resolution of the screen itself, 1024 x 768, is a typical 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you look through the keynote, you'll find one place where they played a short vid of the latest Start Trek. It was letterboxed in the horizontal position. Now that could very well change between now and it's release. It's also possible that there is a way to fill the screen. That's just something none of us will know for sure until we get them in our hands.

edit: I believe the Archos 9 is going to be 16:9 if you want a Windows device.

02-01-2010, 10:58 AM

Archos 9 is absolutely terrible from the reviews I've read.

I don't think the 16:9 is THAT big of a deal. It's not like it's going to be my primary device for watching movies, just while I'm on the go. I can deal with zooming in to get the full screen and losing the edges. I was doing that for years before anyways.

02-01-2010, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by the8thark

This makes me think. Why the device is not widescreen to begin with. I don't think that' be to hard for apple to do.

There is no shape they could make it that would be a perfect fit for all movies. Movies described as "widescreen" still vary quite a bit in their aspect ratio, so some would have black bars no matter what.

Of course there are other considerations. A more extreme aspect ratio on the device might make it less handy to carry and use, and would be less advantageous for the pad's intended uses other than watching movies. iBook/e-reader for example...

02-01-2010, 01:07 PM

here's a discussion on this topic

02-01-2010, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by bobtomay

It is 4:3. They do not give the actual dimensions of the screen. But they do have the dimensions of the device and the border appears to me to be the same size all the way around.

9.56 inches divided by 4 = 2.39
7.47 inches divided by 3 = 2.49

And the resolution of the screen itself, 1024 x 768, is a typical 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you look through the keynote, you'll find one place where they played a short vid of the latest Start Trek. It was letterboxed in the horizontal position. Now that could very well change between now and it's release. It's also possible that there is a way to fill the screen. That's just something none of us will know for sure until we get them in our hands.

edit: I believe the Archos 9 is going to be 16:9 if you want a Windows device.

Hmm, I just thought it was the same at the iPhone and Touch, which are definitely not 4:3, but not quite 16:9 either. 16:10 maybe? When I look at press shots it definitely looks wider than my 4:3 laptop screen (work laptop).

You can definitely do the double-tap to auto zoom and fill the screen with a video. That's on the iPhone/Touch and I'm pretty positive Jobs did it in the keynote.

I'm not too concerned about it not being 16:9 though. As someone said, most widescreen movies have a ratio wider than that anyway, so you'll always have letterbox or have to zoom to fill. Also, videos are only a small part of it's usability and most other functions appear better in the existing reatio, at least to me.

02-01-2010, 09:57 PM

Imagine this for a minute: imagine removing the lid of a MacBook, and carrying that around. That's roughly what a 16:9 iPad would be like.

I think most people would find it awkward for the same reason 17" MBP users (and PB owners before them) complain about their machines a lot even though they like them: long rectangular shapes don't carry well. Even light ones.

Square(ish) shapes "feel" better in our hands, under our arms, and being carried. Books are generally 4:3ish. Notebooks (the paper kind I mean) are too. So are most laptops. They have a certain eye-pleasing symmetry as well.

Next, think about this: if you DID have a 16:9 ratio screen and could find a way to overcome the problem above, you'd have a new challenge: if it can do 16:9, it should be able to do 1080i (at least) and perhaps play Blu-Ray movies. Oh, and MKV while you're at it ... oh and now we need surround sound support ...

Then consider that the extra processor power, storage needs, glass and screen needed to do 16:9 -- plus the optical drive people would now demand -- would add significantly to the bandwidth "footprint," weight and cost and size. At that point, frankly, it WOULD be a crippled laptop.

I know it's hard for the haters out there to believe, but I suspect that Apple really did think about this stuff, and think it through.