what does "matted" widescreen format mean?

[jjyiz28]

i've heard that some dvd's are a pseudo widescreen format by using a fullscreen format and adding black borders on the top and bottom, as opposed to a true widescreen format. so which one do i have?? its babylon5 dvd, season 2, and 3.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Matting a painting means putting it in a matt frame. Sounds like you got screwed.

 

[fr]

Matting is when they just cover the top and bottom.

So

Sounds like you got screwed.

 

[conjur]

http://www.dvdangle.com/dvd_tech/explanation/ar_comparison.html