Is full- and widescreen like this for you too?

[QueHuong]

I'm always hearing on AT how WS is so much better than fullscreen so whenever I buy DVDs, I would buy WS. One of my DVDs however, Drop Dead Gorgeous, offers both formats.

I've seen sites and pictures that compares WS and FS and shows how much of the sides FS crops out, so I decided to test this myself with my own copy of Drop Dead. Here is my results using PowerDVD 4.0 on a 19" Samsung 950p monitor @ 1280 x 1024:

Widescreen
Fullscreen

Using FS, the sides are cropped out, but just a teeny bit, barely noticeable if you weren't looking for it. However, WS doesn't show a signficant section of the top and bottom. For example, in WS, I can't see Kirsten Dunst's legs, but in FS I can.

Is this unique just to only my DVD or for all full vs widescreen DVDs?

 

[Viper GTS]

It is unique to that title.

If a title was originally shot in 4:3 (think made for TV), or was shot on 4:3 film and then cropped to fit the movie screen there may be additional image that falls outside the "widescreen" ratio. The DVD release of Willy Wonka was like this, which caused a lot of debate when it was released in 4:3.

The true debate is thus not WS vs P&S, it's OAR vs P&S.

We want to see movies the way the director intended them, not edited to fit our screens.

Better examples of WS vs P&S

Viper GTS

 

[Pooteh]

there are many formats. super 35 is where a full 4:3 image is on the film and is cropped for theaters. generally used for dramas and stuff that will go to tv. now if you have panavision or something, superwide, then its a different story all together. then you really lose out because the image was crammed into 4:3 on film using a lense then it gets unsqueezed. its not cropped for wide. anyways someone will post a website explaining it better then i.


either way, what matters is the original aspect ratio.

 

[yakko]

Viper GTS summed it up nicely. Also Drop Dead Gorgeous is a great movie.

 

[ObiDon]

For example, in WS, I can't see Kirsten Dunst's legs, but in FS I can.

IMO it looks a lot better cropped into WS. Her legs and the empty space under the table are irrelevant to the scene.
When they are left in, it comes off like an amateur photo from someone's parent's album.

 

[Pooteh]

not to mention most cheesy dvds that offer both versions on one disc basically shaft you quality wise. the ones i've seen do it by keeping two separate copies of the movie, thats redundancy eh? 4.5GB each max basically. so you end up with a low bitrate transfer unless your movie is kinda really short. less space for audiotracks/extras etc. not good anyway u cut it.

 

[ObiDon]

Originally posted by: Pooteh
not to mention most cheesy dvds that offer both versions on one disc basically shaft you quality wise. the ones i've seen do it by keeping two separate copies of the movie, thats redundancy eh? 4.5GB each max basically. so you end up with a low bitrate transfer unless your movie is kinda really short. less space for audiotracks/extras etc. not good anyway u cut it.

Doesn't a standard double-sided double-layered DVD hold quite a bit more than 4.5GB per side?

 

[BD2003]

Yep, it has about 8 and change GB a side.

 

[Ameesh]

MindStorm do you understand now?

 

[kami]

It's how it was shot, Super35 film stock. When they filmed it, it was always framed/cropped for the widescreen, but for films shot in Super35 they can just open up the top and bottom mattes for the "fullscreen" versions, effectively killing the cinematographers composition and ruining the movie.

 

[Pooteh]

Originally posted by: ObiDon

Originally posted by: Pooteh
not to mention most cheesy dvds that offer both versions on one disc basically shaft you quality wise. the ones i've seen do it by keeping two separate copies of the movie, thats redundancy eh? 4.5GB each max basically. so you end up with a low bitrate transfer unless your movie is kinda really short. less space for audiotracks/extras etc. not good anyway u cut it.

Doesn't a standard double-sided double-layered DVD hold quite a bit more than 4.5GB per side?

yes double layered double side would be the best way to do it. but i think they have far lower yields using that method so it is expensive.. they simply don't do it.

you could probably count the number of released dvd18's on one hand

so your left with either the cheesy early release two sided single layered dvd10's or a double layer single side dvd9

i have never seen a p/s +widescreen dvd on anything more then a dvd10.


btw i'm not sure about the naming system, it should be dvd9-10? i forget, but you get the picture.

one dvd with one double layered side and one single layered side was t2 se i think. pretty rare. but that was space for special features, not a p/s copy most of the time when you see a double sided dvd its because its very old.

 

[ObiDon]

I thought maybe single-sided DVDs became more common because people spoiled by CDs were bitching about having to look at those tiny "labels" in the DVD hubs. :Q

 

[Pooteh]

heh no. double sided single layer were far easier to make then dual layer at first, which is why the old ghetto releases are that way.

 

[mpitts]

Originally posted by: ObiDon
I thought maybe single-sided DVDs became more common because people spoiled by CDs were bitching about having to look at those tiny "labels" in the DVD hubs. :Q

I have a feeling that there are more single-sided DVDs due to the fact that the double-sided DVDs can be damaged very easily. I know I handle my two-siders with extra care.

 

[Pooteh]

hell, some movies were flippers. the movie wouldn't fit on one side alone so you had to flip half way through. sad eh?

and yea i hate double sided, easier to get dirty and damage i'd rather they split it into two double layered discs like they do with special eds theses days. it probably costs less anyhow.

 

[ObiDon]

hell, some movies were flippers. the movie wouldn't fit on one side alone so you had to flip half way through.

NOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!! LaserDisc flashbacks!

 

[Pooteh]

n/m i looked it up

dvd5 -one side one layer
dvd9 - one side two layers
dvd10 -two side one layer
dvd14 -two side 3 layers total
dvd18 -two side double layer

dvd 18 cost about the same as two dvd 9