iPad 3 video playback format

Hello,

I resisted updating my iPad 3 to ios 7 because it streamed videos perfectly as it was (Netflix, Bloomberg TV, News, etc.). However, I recently bought ATV and I wanted to make use of AirPlay. That convinced me to (finally) update my iPad 3 to ios 7. Since updating, all videos are in the letterbox/cropped format. If I a full-screen zoom, it cuts off parts of the picture. My questions are:

Is this normal for this configuration of hardware and software?
Is the problem due to incompatible aspect ratio difference between iPad 3 and ios 7?
Finally, is there anyway to watch videos full screen without losing some of the picture? (Is the answer to this previous question to buy a new iPad???)

I find the letterbox annoying as there is so much screen space that is not being utilized. Has anyone else experienced this. It's a bit frustrating, and, honestly, I wish I had not updated just for this convenience.

Thank you for your input.

I'm going to resist giving you the long-winded lecture about HD video and aspect ratios and all that and simply tell you that when you were running your older OS version, the picture was already cut off (if it was in HD) or playing in standard def (which matches the 3:2 ratio of your iPad's screen). So the answer to your question is no, you can't watch HD video in fullscreen without either compressing the vertical resolution (hey, why is everyone so tall and skinny?) or cutting off the picture.

The iPad was designed to play as many resolutions as possible well. Some movies (almost all movies and TV shows now) are shot in 16:9, not the 3:2 standard of old TV shows. So, in order to see the entire frame as the filmmaker intended, you get black bars. You're not being cheated in any way; every pixel is there. Learn to ignore the bars and watch the picture, or make it fullscreen and watch only the center of the movie (which can lead to awkward moments in films shot in cinemascope) as you choose. Buying a new iPad won't help -- the Retina models look even better, but are still 3:2 in their aspect ratio.

One "solution" to this "problem" is to airplay the movie to your 16:9 HDTV where most HD videos should play with little or no "black bars" because the TV is in sync with the ratio the film was shot in. You'll still get black bars on things like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, which was shot at a different ratio, but its such a great movie who cares.

HD 101: Why there are black bars on HDTVs

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/why-you-should-embrace-black-bars/#!bqwtrm

Thank you, chas_m, for your very detailed and informative response. I also enjoyed reading the links you posted, especially the HD 101 article. Good stuff! Thanks, again.

I'm still left with my original question, though. Maybe I didn't word it correctly. Since I'm using my iPad to stream the same content as always, I'm assuming the change has to be in the ios update since it wasn't there previously. What has changed, if anything, that would affect video playback/streaming in the latest ios? And if it is an aspect-ratio issue, is there a way to manually adjust these settings (without "zooming" and losing a quarter of the frame)?

Thank you,

oceanSF said:

I'm still left with my original question, though. Maybe I didn't word it correctly. Since I'm using my iPad to stream the same content as always, I'm assuming the change has to be in the ios update since it wasn't there previously. What has changed, if anything, that would affect video playback/streaming in the latest ios?

Click to expand...

It's nothing whatsoever to do with iOS and everything to do with the fact that the iPad 3 and later have "Retina" displays that offer FAR higher pixel counts than the iPad 2 and earlier:

New iPad and iPad 2: The Quadruple Pixel Difference | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Your older iPad literally COULD NOT display the number of pixels in an HD file. The new one is actually HIGHER definition than "high definition." So, again, you are now getting the whole picture on HD files where before you were not.