Why do people like Widescreen Anamorphic DVDs?

Techie333

Platinum Member
Jan 20, 2001
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well....the title says it all. I just recently bought a 32" wega and I hate it when I see a dvd with the sides at the top cut off. Even 16x9 enhanced versions do this? Is there anyway to get a widescreen dvd to a full screen since most dvds are presented in this format..?
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,200
765
126
Nope. That's why VHS tapes have the little note at the beginning saying "This film has been modified to fit your screen."

The only way to get a widescreen video to play full screen is to get a 'widescreen' TV or cut the sides off.
Either that or stretch the image vertically so that everything looks unnaturally tall...
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0
Check out Widescreen.org

For anamorphic info: click here

In a nutshell, anamorphic releases allow people with 16:9 TVs (or 4:3 TVs with a 16:9 mode) to take full advantage of DVD's resolution capabilities.
 

ThaGrandCow

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
7,956
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You can get DVD players that will do "pan-and-scan"
Thats what you want if you want your widescreen to be full screen. What you're going to be losing is exactly what you lose when you watch the same movie on the fullscreen released by the publisher.

They literally chop off about 1/3 of the picture in order to make that a square that will fit on your screen. Try not to think too much about it now, because it will all change next time you buy a new tv. People are starting to move to widescreen TV's, and when you play a DVD on them then it will be full screen. The current DVD's now that are fullscreen are going to have black bars on the left and right side of the screen to make up for that extra space that an older tv didn't have. When you make that change over and still have a good collection of widescreen DVD's you'll be glad that you bought them in that format and the industry started changing over to it before the 16x9 tv's really caught on.

Like I said before, until then you can buy a DVD that will do hardware pan-and-scan, which will make up the difference until your next tv purchase
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81
Guys, he isn't talking about resolution, but letterboxing.

THIS is why it's worth it to have black bars...
picture says a thousand words

Widescreen does not cut from the top and bottom, it adds to the sides!!!!!!!! When I die, this will still be one of the things in life I will never get: Why can't people understand the concept of widescreen, and how it needs to be letterboxed to fit on a squareish television set.
 

ThaGrandCow

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
7,956
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<< n a nutshell, anamorphic releases allow people with 16:9 TVs (or 4:3 TVs with a 16:9 mode) to take full advantage of DVD's resolution capabilities. >>



Bah, you beat me to it by just a few minutes, I should have written less:)
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0


<< You can get DVD players that will do "pan-and-scan"
Thats what you want if you want your widescreen to be full screen. What you're going to be losing is exactly what you lose when you watch the same movie on the fullscreen released by the publisher.

They literally chop off about 1/3 of the picture in order to make that a square that will fit on your screen. Try not to think too much about it now, because it will all change next time you buy a new tv. People are starting to move to widescreen TV's, and when you play a DVD on them then it will be full screen. The current DVD's now that are fullscreen are going to have black bars on the left and right side of the screen to make up for that extra space that an older tv didn't have. When you make that change over and still have a good collection of widescreen DVD's you'll be glad that you bought them in that format and the industry started changing over to it before the 16x9 tv's really caught on.

Like I said before, until then you can buy a DVD that will do hardware pan-and-scan, which will make up the difference until your next tv purchase
>>



I believe all DVD players actually have the ability to do on-the-fly 4:3 centering but no DVDs have been encoded with that feature as it's very difficult to attain.
 

Fatdog

Golden Member
Nov 10, 2000
1,001
0
76
When you watch a widescreen presentation, you're seeing what the director wanted you to see.

When you watch a fullscreen movie, you're watching what some flunky in the editing room decided will keep you amused and in front of your tv to watch the commercials during the breaks.

Fullscreen blows baboon butts.
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81
When you go to a movie theater, don't you notice the the screen is WIDE?!?! A television set is SQUAREISH. To play the wide movie on a square television, you must put black bars on the top and bottom and shrink the video. This is a concept I have had to drive into the heads of many people, and some still do not get it. I have now given up..and if they want to watch their moveis butchered with 40%+ of the original picture missing, let them...

-kami the lover of widescreen
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0


<< Guys, he isn't talking about resolution, but letterboxing. >>



That's why I posted a link to widescreen.org. There are several examples of the butchery of Puke-n-Slash.
 

Sugadaddy

Banned
May 12, 2000
6,495
0
0
And you have a Wega? Why not set your DVD player to 16x9 output and use the vertical compression on your TV to get best image quality?
 

Sluggo

Lifer
Jun 12, 2000
15,488
5
81
The wife and I were looking at widescreen TVs the other day, I am a movie fan and think we need one, she is a TV fan, and doesnt see the point. One thing she did point out to me was that on a widescreen TV showing broadcast TV, the people were squashed down, so the square image would fill the widescreen TV. A long, lean skier on ESPN, took on the look of a linebacker, it was actually pretty humorous.

Is there a setting on a widescreen TV to put black bars on the side when watching broadcast TV at least for a few years, till broadcast TV starts shooting in widescreen?
 

tweakmm

Lifer
May 28, 2001
18,436
4
0


<< Fullscreen blows baboon butts. >>


???
are you implying that fullscreen is good or bad?
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0


<< Is there a setting on a widescreen TV to put black bars on the side when watching broadcast TV at least for a few years, till broadcast TV starts shooting in widescreen? >>



Yep. I posted in another thread a few days ago the various options mine has and one of them is called Narrow (where the sides are gray and the 4:3 image is in the middle of the screen)
 

Sugadaddy

Banned
May 12, 2000
6,495
0
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<< Is there a setting on a widescreen TV to put black bars on the side when watching broadcast TV at least for a few years, till broadcast TV starts shooting in widescreen? >>



yep
 

LethalWolfe

Diamond Member
Apr 14, 2001
3,679
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<< When you watch a widescreen presentation, you're seeing what the director wanted you to see.

When you watch a fullscreen movie, you're watching what some flunky in the editing room decided will keep you amused and in front of your tv to watch the commercials during the breaks.

Fullscreen blows baboon butts.
>>



[hijack]
When yer watching widescreen you're seeing what the editor wants you to see. The director has final say, but the director does not go "cut here, and here, and put this shot here then fade out" (unless the dir is an ego maniac like James Cameron).
[/hijack]


Lethal<--- "some flunky in the editing room" :)
 

Fatdog

Golden Member
Nov 10, 2000
1,001
0
76
Your point is well taken Lethal.

Widescreen is the way everyone involved with the production of the film, intended for the film to be viewed.

Fullscreen is for the movie of the week crowd to kill a few minutes before bed time.

;)


Fullscreen still blows baboon butt.
 

Flashram

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2000
3,968
0
76
Why even bother with dvd if you don't like watching movies the way they were intended to be seen?
 
Oct 16, 1999
10,490
4
0


<< Widescreen does not cut from the top and bottom, it adds to the sides!!!!!!!! When I die, this will still be one of the things in life I will never get: Why can't people understand the concept of widescreen, and how it needs to be letterboxed to fit on a squareish television set. >>



When I die I think I'll have that put on my tombstone. Hello people, movie rectangle, TV square, think about it.
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81


<< When I die I think I'll have that put on my tombstone. Hello people, movie rectangle, TV square, think about it.
>>


LMAO!!!!! Exactly! :D
 

Maetryx

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2001
4,849
1
81
I have this neighbor that buys expensive electronics, but doesn't really know anything. He calls Pan and Scan "big", as in "I like big DVD movies, not squashed."

Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgh! The agony!