[cbvinh]

It would be nice if for non-square video, the extra space could be used for media controls or perhaps resizable subtitles.

[BCGrog]

My son has a iPhone 6, wife has iPhone 4s, I have the Passport.

We all played the same Youtube video at the same time.

16 x 9 vid aspect ratio on the 6 made for a bigger picture, but oddly enough, both ended up watching my Passport because the picture is smoother, sweeter, sharper and not much smaller than the 6, in their words.

Neither had a problem with the overall size of the video.

The black bars are standard whenever you play a 16 x 9 pic on a square screen. You don't even notice them.

Another thing to consider, the sound of the Passport was better than both the other devices. And that added to the experience.

Posted via CB10

[redlightblinking]

It's a legitimate question and I bought a Passport so I'm entitled to ask hard questions while I wait to ensure the purchase was the right one for me??

Posted via CB10

Were you asking a question there? (because you put a question mark at the end)

If that was simply a statement, then I would ask you if why.....if you already bought a Passport....why you need to ask others what watching videos is like. You need to ask others if the purchase was the right one for you?

[zed_10]

Another funny thing about aspect ratio is that most phones and video cameras shoot in 4:3 native to start with. If someone is recording a YouTube video, home movies, or taking in 16:9, then they have actually reduced the amount of recordable 'information'

Easy to verify, just turn your camera on, look at the image and toggle thru the different ratios.

After figuring that out a few years ago I now only take pictures and videos in 4:3.

That said, I'm not sure how the Passport works, but would like to know if someone would check. Mathematically wise, 4:3 is similar to 16:12, thus more area than a 16:9 ratio. With this reasoning I would have expected a1:1 ratio to actually contain more 'info'. However that is not the case. Doing the test above yields a reduced viewing image on my phone and cameras which is why I say that they record in 4:3 native.

Would be interested to hear from a Passport user how this works on their phones.

Posted via CB10

[redlightblinking]

Another funny thing about aspect ratio is that most phones and video cameras shoot in 4:3 native to start with. If someone is recording a YouTube video, home movies, or taking in 16:9, then they have actually reduced the amount of recordable 'information'

Easy to verify, just turn your camera on, look at the image and toggle thru the different ratios.

After figuring that out a few years ago I now only take pictures and videos in 4:3.

That said, I'm not sure how the Passport works, but would like to know if someone would check. Mathematically wise, 4:3 is similar to 16:12, thus more area than a 16:9 ratio. With this reasoning I would have expected a1:1 ratio to actually contain more 'info'. However that is not the case. Doing the test above yields a reduced viewing image on my phone and cameras which is why I say that they record in 4:3 native.

Would be interested to hear from a Passport user how this works on their phones.

Posted via CB10

It's possible some phones, that contain very cheap sensors, are actually 4:3 sensors and they are just cropping the image to make a 16:9 cut. Video cameras though for the most part have 16:9 native chips.

[southlander]

It's a legitimate question and I bought a Passport so I'm entitled to ask hard questions while I wait to ensure the purchase was the right one for me??

Posted via CB10

Once you use the Passport I doubt you'll even think about this. It is so good. I think. It's a phone blackberry should have made a long time ago IMO.

PassportSQW100-1/10.3.0.1418

[dracolnyte]

i did the calculations and while viewing a video in 16:9 format, it comes down to 3.65" diagonal. still larger than an iphone 4/4s screen

[canadian nick]

Also worth mentioning that BlackBerry plays more files out of the box, it's also easier to play them. I have videos on my device, on my SD card and I even travel with a flash drive that I can connect. I'll take that over a little extra screen size any day

Posted via CB10

[dmateo]

I agree, I don't get it, especially when home. I suppose its when the majority are out of the house that they use their phone. For me, the laptop still reigns supreme!


For the life of me, I don't get the desire to use a phone instead of a tablet or big TV for the majority of video consumption.

[/QUOTE]



Posted via CB10

[gogogadgets]

It's funny, because 4:3 aspect ratio videos (most YouTube, for example) look way better on the Passport than anything else I've tried. 16:9 looks marginally better on the big iPhone, but are you really watching full HD cinematic films on your phone screen? The whole point of that aspect ratio is to optimize for the big screen which a phone screen, by definition, is not. Videos look good enough for me on the Passport, and if I'm playing a film via my phone, I'm probably within range of a bigger screen. If not, I'd rather read for a while and wait until I can see the film as it was intended to be seen.

[robert_in_la]

While I wait for my Passport in the mail, I hear viewing videos on the Passport is really bad due to black bars. Is this true? Is it as bad as some reviews have stated?

Posted via CB10

The aspect ratio is 1:1 and not 16:9, so unless what your watching if formatted correct you'll get the "bars". In the end it will be a slightly smaller image - unless of course the material your viewing has been reformatted to 1:1... which still could lead to a "squeezed" image.

In the end watching a clip or something on the Passport is totally fine. I just wouldn't watch a film or Netflix on it, then again I don't do that with any phone I have.

[crazy mazy]

Have you ever watched movies on a flat screen TV. Did you notice the black bars above and below the picture. Does that bother you? If not then you answered your question