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force windows media player to display 16:9

Anonymous
2010-06-07T21:12:31+00:00

could you please add back the force aspect ratio settings for 4:3, 16:9 ... many videos from several of my video cameras were shot and encoded by different methods and compression settings, quite often i need to force the correct aspect ratio. i have noticed that many people are forced to use players such as vlc simply because they cannot force wmp 11 to display correctly i prefer using wmp 11 for playback as the decoders for audio and video appear to display and sound better than any of the other products such as vlc (poor with dolby encoded video)  so please include the force aspect ratio setting and many users will be grateful

Peter Higgins

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-06-08T16:41:02+00:00

    Hi Peter higgins,

    You can post your feedback and suggestions on Windows Media Player 11 on the website mentioned below:

    www.connect.microsoft.com

    In windows Media player, the standard video aspect ratio is 4:3. The other common aspect ratio is 16:9 for high definition television

    To change the display ratio in Windows Media player follow the steps below:

    1. Open Windows Media Player.
    2. Press Alt key on the keyboard and click on Tools and click on Options.
    3. Click on Devices tab and select Display in the list and click on Properties tab.
    4. Change the Pixel aspect ratio you desire to use for the best view on your widescreen.
    5. Click on Apply and Ok.

    Restart the computer for changes to take effect and try to view the downloaded video to verify if it’s working fine.

    However, you will have to change the settings frequently according to the type of video you are trying to play.

    You can also automatically adjust the size of a video or DVD you are watching in Windows Media Player. For example, you might want to adjust the Player

    so it will open to the correct aspect ratio, or screen shape, for a movie. To adjust the size of a video or DVD in Windows Media Player, do the following:

    1. Click the Start button, click All Programs, and then click Windows Media Player.

    If the Player is currently open and you’re in Now Playing mode, click the Switch to Library button in the upper-right corner of the Player.

    1. In the Player Library, click the View menu, point to Video size, and then click one or both of the following:

    · Fit video to Player on resize or a video size percentage.

    · Fit Player to video.

    If the View menu is not visible, you'll need to show the menu bar. To do so, click Organize, point to Layout, and then select Show menu bar.

    For further information, visit the below mentioned link:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Resize-Windows-Media-Player-to-fit-a-video

    Regards,

    Afzal-Microsoft Support.

    Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-10-14T20:07:05+00:00

    Just download VLC player.. Windows media player is still stuck on the 4:3 tv and dvd age it's behind the times and outdated. Just look up Cnet VLC on your browser. It plays every video format it kills all players combined.. It never has to search for plugins to play files it's all already there and it's all I use. And Cnets website explains it well and it's all they use. The only thing I use WMP for is to play Music because that's all it's good for. Microsoft if you want to stay ahead of the times and want everyone to use your pre-installed software then take note..

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2013-10-02T21:57:13+00:00

    Nowhere have I found a solution to this issue.  How is it that my $75 DVD player plays my commercial and home-made DVDs perfectly, with full 16/9 perspective (by default), and my $1000 computer with Windows 7 cannot?  Is there any way to resolve this?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2013-07-14T04:55:57+00:00

    Didn't work for me either. Does Microsoft actually test any of their theories out before they have us waste our time following their ill informed, useless, time wasting suggestions? Don't mean to be rude but, as the old saying goes,  if you can't help don't hinder.

    By the way, the DVD plays perfectly with the correct aspect ratio, on my TV.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2012-12-19T15:07:06+00:00

    This doesn't work for me. Changing the aspect ratio makes no difference... Why?

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