Video Monitors and Televisions
Why is the playback of my DVD split into two side-by-side
B&W; images?
Cause: Your DVD player is set to playback in progressive
scan mode, but you are using a TV that cannot display progressive
scan video. Older, and less expensive televisions are only capable
of displaying video in what is called interlaced mode. When a
progressive scan signal is applied to them, they will either display
no image, a distorted image, or a double image side by side in
black and white with a black vertical bar down the center between
them.
Solution: Buy a new TV that is capable of displaying
progressive scanning. (Okay, that's not the answer anyone was
looking for so here's the real answer.) In some cases the solution
is as simple as turning off progressive scan mode by pressing
a button labeled as such on the front panel. (On some Sony DVD/VCR
combo units the button on the left front panel, and is lit blue
when progressive scan is enabled.). With many other DVD and combo
units you must get into the on-screen menu and select the type
of output as Interlaced, rather than progressive. This can be
very difficult without being able to see the picture properly,
so it's easiest to find a TV compatible with progressive scan
and use that temporarily to switch back to Interlaced scanning.
Some basic details: Progressive scanning simply means
all the lines of video displayed are shown in order from top to
bottom. Normal TV has classically been done using interlace scanning,
which means every other line is displayed (evens) and then the
scan starts at the top again displaying the missing lines (odds).
The advantage of progressive scanning is that things line up better,
and the entire image is displayed at once because a higher scanning
frequency is used. The apparent resolution of the progressive
scan images in increased, giving a much crisper picture.

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