DVSP 16x9 Display on Flat Screen

Question

I’ve read a few posts on this theme, but I want to confirm that I have explored all possible options.
Here’s the deal: I shoot HDV (16x9) > FCP>Compressor >MPG-2> DVDSP. On a SDTV, the DVD puts out a picture that is letterboxed and the quality is fine, no problems. However, when I play the same disk on a blu-ray player with a flat screen (wide), the system automatically gets rid of the letter-boxing and shows my footage in full-screen (wide). At this point, there is no problem with aspect ratio. But, the problem is that by getting rid of the letter-boxing it blows up the original 16x9 video and I start to see mosaic-like block pixels.
I’m aware of previous threads pointing to automatic player behavior.
So, two questions:
1) On a wide flat screen, I would rather have a smaller video frame, even if it is letter-boxed AND pillar boxed, so as to hang on to a better resolution/pixel quality. Any way I can do that?
2) For wide flat screen viewing ONLY, is there a way for me to squeeze the original 16x9 in DVDSP (or Compressor) in such a way that the player will un-squeeze it, hence not blowing up the 16x9 image?
Thanks,
mp

Answer 1

David,
Thanks for your post.
1) I have checked and there is not a single combination of Player/Monitor setting that prevents my DVD from being displayed in full-screen 16x9, which blows up the letter-boxed section of the video and magnifies the pixels to a level that is not acceptable. The Blu-ray player and the flat screen monitor are both brand new, so this is not the case of “outdated” gear.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not blaming Apple or anybody else. I’m just trying to find a solution to my problem. Maybe there is a script within DVDSP that would avert this automatic display?
2) I was just throwing in the idea of the old anamorphic system (squeezed in the media > un-squeezed by the player.)
mp