Is there an easy way to learn whether a movie in the store is fixed or variable aspect ratio? I’m slowly gathering that formatting can be all over the map for individual titles based on Kaleidescape, disc or streaming platform releases. I’m probably in the minority here with a 16:9 display, so I actually prefer the VAR versions where available. If I’m not simply overlooking it, I would love for this info to be included somewhere in the description.
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VAR indicator— possible feature request
- Thread starter swarley
- Start date
ahard
Well-known member
I would love such a indication. Something like that could be placed on the movie's description page. Maybe they show the aspect ratio and then include the wording VAR next to the ratio that is listed. As of this moment K only shows one aspect ratio on the movie description page, doesn't matter if the movie is or isn't VAR. So what I resort to is going to Google and entering a question about the aspect ratio of a movie and letting Gemini provide me with the answer.
I pretty much do the same, which is generally easy enough to figure out. Except for Disney/Marvel I guess. They seem to operate with chaos as their only guiding principle.
ahard
Well-known member
hehe yeah. But I was able to get Gemini to tell me that the last Guardians of the Galaxy did have some VAR scenes.
This is something that we're looking to improve, but right now the best clue is that if you know that a movie has been released with variable aspect ratio alternating between 2.40 and some sort of taller frame typical of an IMAX film, then if you see it on Kaleidescape with 1.78 or 1.85 ratio, it's most likely the variable version.
One issue I have run into with this involves using the feature that keeps the subtitles within the content area. With regular 2.40:1 and similar movies, it works wonderfully.
But with these VAR movies, since Kaleidescape is basically treating these as a single aspect ratio, apparently, when there are subtitles during the 2.40:1 parts, the subtitles are seen within the black bar area, and are not moved into the content area. For those of us with a 2.40:1 screen, this is a problem.
Is it possible this can be fixed?
Thanks for this, Mike. If I were paying more attention I might’ve picked up on that. Good to know as a proxy going forward.
I'm not aware of a workaround for that at the moment, but I will make note of the use case.
Unfortunately, these VAR movies really are designed to be viewed on a tall screen. You can definitely zoom & crop to 2.40 and I've recommended that here for folks who have the 2.40 screens, as you've found, that does introduce other issues.
Thanks. I'd love to see this fixed.
And yes, these VAR movies are a real PITA. I had several posts on this topic in one of the AVS threads, making the point that since there is no physical way to even come close to simulating the IMAX experience available in designated theaters, with huge screens, the whole concept of implementing "IMAX" for home theater is fundamentally flawed.
As you indicate, in the home theater context, a 16:9 display is needed to use it the way it's intended. So big deal - now IMAX movie scenes are just as large and immersive as when you watch Family Feud!
And meanwhile, the 70% of movies that are 2.40:1 (and similar) are visually compromised on a 16:9 screen.It seems clearly designed for TV watching, and not a home theater with a scope screen.
I plan to make the switch at some point to a PJ/scope screen, and this is a key detractor for me. Agree that it doesn’t make much sense for home theaters, as it only serves to guarantee a compromise.
Motion to rebrand as “iPad Enhanced.”
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2023
- Messages
- 23
I find the variable aspect ratio works well, even on my 83" OLED i am currently using until i have the future cinema room built. You still get that sense of scale. One example is The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 1. The screen expands out for a sequence involving a Krayt dragon. It really does add to the impression of scale. Apparently the same will happen for the Galactus scenes in Fantastic Four.
We have F1 and How to Train Your Dragon 2025 confirmed to have variable aspect ratio switching for home release. More will follow.
I think the ideal solution is what Disney+ do. They offer a choice of the fixed scope or variable IMAX version. It would be great if we could have the same choice when purchasing from the K store.
We have F1 and How to Train Your Dragon 2025 confirmed to have variable aspect ratio switching for home release. More will follow.
I think the ideal solution is what Disney+ do. They offer a choice of the fixed scope or variable IMAX version. It would be great if we could have the same choice when purchasing from the K store.
Yeah, the problem is the rest of the movie is tiny compared.
Yep.
Does a MadVR/Panamorph lens on a 2.40 screen handle the variable aspect ratio correctly?
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- Nov 27, 2023
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Adding a video processor (MadVR or Lumagen) will address the VAR by effectively standardizing on the 2:40 screen and adjusting the 16:9 scenes within that window. There are usually a number of options including cropping, stretching, non-linear stretch, etc.
A lens will have no specific impact regarding the above behavior. Rather, settings on the video processor will distort the image to the projector so that it utilizes the entire 16:9 LCD panel, and the lens will distort it right back into the 2:40 image. This will both add resolution/sharpness and lost brightness from the prior "black bar" area of the LCD panel.
Given that each of the above can be $5k-$10k efforts, it would be worth starting with the processor and then adding a lens when you're ready for another step up. Or, if you're really pushing screen size and have the means, all at once.
With new data coming to light, I think this feature should be revisited, and potentially reprioritized and combined. As such I'm copying @MikeKobb for visibility.
Since we now know that the Kaleidescape system has the ability to display a file at an aspect ratio other than what is encoded into the file, it would seem like a reasonable request that the end user could choose what aspect ratio a file is displayed in their system, more specifically, a VAR title.
It seems reasonable that this field could be added to the Movie Details page of the my-kaleidescape.local panel where certain fields are customizable. This would keep it in a place where advanced users know exactly how to update it, but other "non-power users" wouldn't accidentally change the setting without knowing what they were changing.
While those of us with video processors have the ability to disable auto aspect ration changes, not everyone has a video processor in their system, and not everyone has the budget to add one. This would be a benefit/money saver for those users, and another selling point for those using constant image height screens.
An added benefit, and this is pure assumption, would be that if this were the piece of metadata that tells the Kaleidescape system where to position subtitles when a user has selected "always position subtitles within the image area", it could also solve the issue of subtitles displaying offscreen when users with a video processor watch a VAR title cropped to 2.40:1.
Since we now know that the Kaleidescape system has the ability to display a file at an aspect ratio other than what is encoded into the file, it would seem like a reasonable request that the end user could choose what aspect ratio a file is displayed in their system, more specifically, a VAR title.
It seems reasonable that this field could be added to the Movie Details page of the my-kaleidescape.local panel where certain fields are customizable. This would keep it in a place where advanced users know exactly how to update it, but other "non-power users" wouldn't accidentally change the setting without knowing what they were changing.
While those of us with video processors have the ability to disable auto aspect ration changes, not everyone has a video processor in their system, and not everyone has the budget to add one. This would be a benefit/money saver for those users, and another selling point for those using constant image height screens.
An added benefit, and this is pure assumption, would be that if this were the piece of metadata that tells the Kaleidescape system where to position subtitles when a user has selected "always position subtitles within the image area", it could also solve the issue of subtitles displaying offscreen when users with a video processor watch a VAR title cropped to 2.40:1.
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2023
- Messages
- 1,282
Perhaps there can be an "Advanced" portion of the Movie Details page that would also incorporate other requests like "Sort ID/Name" and "Display ID/Name". I can incorporate details from prior posts, but effectively these non-visible fields would allow things like properly displaying the Indiana Jones films in order while also displaying their proper names. Extra bonus points if they can also allow you to decide which version of a movie displays the artwork/details on the poster wall.