Trouble playing 4:3 video through HDMI cable

[johnlink]

This isn't about post production, but I'm hoping that some of you might be able to help me out.

I have a RDR-GX355 Sony video deck (Sony | RDR-GX355 DVD-Recorder | RDR-GX355 | B&H Photo Video) connected to a PT-AX100U Panasonic projector (Panasonic | PT-AX100U WXGA Projector | PT-AX100U | B&H Photo) with both a component video cable and an HDMI cable. If I use the component video cable as the input to the projector and use the Auto setting for the aspect ratio on the projector then the video appears correctly regardless of the aspect ratio of the DVD (i.e., 4:3 video appears as 4:3 and 16:9 video appears as 16:9, and the height of the 4:3 video is identical to that of the 16:9 video). If I use the HDMI cable as the input to the projector then 16:9 video appears correctly if I use the V-Fit setting for the aspect ratio on the projector, but with 4:3 video there is no setting for the aspect ratio on the projector that will show the video correctly. The best I can do is use the V-Fit setting which stretches the 4:3 video horizontally (giving the same result as when I would use the 16:9 setting with the component video cable).

Shouldn't I be able to play a 4:3 video through the HDMI cable and have the video appear correctly? Must I buy and install a component video cable as well as an HDMI cable in order to view all my video corrrectly? I'd like to avoid that since it is going to be a 50-foot run from the projector to the player.

One other puzzle: When playing 16:9 video through the HDMI cable and using the 16:9 setting for the aspect ratio on the projector the image does not appear correctly. Instead it is stretched horizontally, with the same width as when using the V-Fit but not as tall. The same thing occurs if I use the component video cable. Why doesn't using the 16:9 aspect ratio with 16:9 video show the video correctly?

Thanks in advance for your help,
John Link

[infopimpster]

John - this may not help you at all.... but in all cases when I've had problems like this, it was the driver in the device that was limiting my display options - not strictly the cable.

EG, I couldn't "mirror" my desktop to a large flat screen with the same resolution on my old mac (DVI -> HDMI)... then I upgraded to a new Mac and everything worked well, and plus I got more options for resolution... all because of the new graphics card in the new mac.

I know - not very helpful... I just hate to see a thread without a reply.

-steve

[johnlink]

Originally Posted by infopimpster

John - this may not help you at all.... but in all cases when I've had problems like this, it was the driver in the device that was limiting my display options - not strictly the cable.

I realize the problem could be with either the DVD player or the projector. I also think the problem might be due to an assumption that any video coming over an HDMI cable must be high-definition and therefore must not be 4:3, with the result that any 4:3 video coming over an HDMI cable is not handled properly.

Have any of you ever gotten a 4:3 video to look right when the player was connected to a projector with an HDMI cable? Although it seems to me that that ought to be possible, I wouldn't be surprised if it were not.

John Link