Widescreen vs Fullscreen. DvD vs. VHS

Notice that the movies that contain both P&S and widescreen on the same side tend to be short movies.

Also they tend to be older and not have the added audio tracks.

People need to accept widescreen as THE format for DVD and get on with their lives.

I actually thought thats how it was going to be for a while.

Then companies like Blockbuster and Universal had to go and screw it all up. Did you know that Universal is planning on phasing out all wide-screen DVDs? Blockbuster too, last time I went there they didn't have a single copy of the widescreen Minority Report (needless to say that really was "the last time" I went there). These are the people that should be trying to educated the public on what they are missing out on in the Full screen edition but instead they just don't care

 

I would say I'm 'lucky' enough to live in the UK, where widescreen TV's are more popular than they are in the US (in terms of percentage of population owning one). This means that there are very few fullscreen DVD's on the shelf. TPM and AOTC are only available in widescreen. I think Harry Potter is the only "big" film to be released in both a Pan & Scan and Widescreen format, but the fullscreen sold quite poor.

I'm not trying to say Americans are dumb, but it would seem that in this area at least, the UK DVD owning public know more about aspect ratio's and their importance to maximise your film viewing pleasure.

Although I didn't actually buy AOTC from UK shops because its missing the headbutt. I had to import it from Australia because its PAL and uncut.

I just don't understand why you would watch a fullscreen DVD when the widescreen is out there. In Star Wars its not just "a few bits at the side of the screen" that you are missing, you lose the complete composition of the picture and thus the film loses quality.

I love DVD, simply because I can buy DVD's in widescreen. In the old days before DVD, I sometimes had to search for the crappy VHS widescreen that would be dearer than the pan & scan version. I'm just glad these days are over.

 

Pan-n-scan is the thing that I hate the most. I can't stand it! It makes me so mad, I want to just shoot the morons who are trying to promote it, and ONLY it. *coughdisneycough* *coughwal-martcough*
I bought the widescreen DVD, and have no plans to buy any other version.
You are looking at the guy who bought the widescreen OT tapes after he realized that he bought the wrong one. I had thim long before I was educated on the matter, and have since bought the widescreen versions. My fullscreen copies can burn in Heck.

 

W I D E S C R E E N.


Part of the problem with a lot of older movies being released in Widescreen format is that the original transfers from film to video were made during the reign of videotape (i.e. at a time when widescreen on television was a new concept). Pan and scan was the norm, so new releases of old movies are typically cleaned up versions of the original pan and scan transfers. It costs the studios LOTS of money to order a new transfer, especially when there's actual picture and sound clean up involved.

MGM/UA is pretty lousy at this. For example, horror films like Child's Play and Pumpkinhead are older transfers esentially copied to DVD. (don't laugh - I liked them) Another one of my favorites, Miracle Mile, which is FINALLY coming to DVD, will be the same way.

Stop the pan and scan - it both sucks and blows.

 

Well I bought it on DVD in Widescreen though here in Australia we don't get a choice. Most DVD's are released in Widescreen(except Harry Potter which until about 3 months ago was only available in pan and scam) not that I am complaining.
I also got a widescreen TV for my 18th Birthday/Xmas so I now enjoy LOTR and The SW films the way they were meant to be watched Large and in widescreen.
Maybe they should run a 60 Minutes story or something to educate people about Widescreen and why it is so much better than fullscreen, so people would finally come over to the good side.
Stop releasing fullscreen movies let them die with dignity.

 

Widescreen DVD. No regrets

 

You are looking at the guy who bought the fullscreen OT tapes after he realized that he bought the wrong one. I had them long before I was educated on the matter, and have since bought the widescreen versions. My fullscreen copies can burn in Heck.

It REALLY pisses me off that so many people WANT pan'n scam movies: if more people were educated on widescreen, then there would have been more widescreen VHS in the past as well. I can't find widescreen OT tapes ANYWHERE, except on Amazon.co, where a set costs $60! I'd KILL for a widescreen OT set, SE of original, I don't care, as long as its widescreen. Sure, VHS is really crap, but it does help if its at least in widescreen.

-JDR.

 

I bought widescreen dvd for the big tv and the pc and the full screen vhs for my 16 inch tv in my room.

 

my entire family likes fullscreen. I like Widescreen. This is a major conflict when my family buys dvds. It makes me sick to watch a movie in fullscreen most of the time.

 

I have the widescreen DVD! I wish I had a widescreen TV!! I watch the DVDs at night with all the lights off. Your eyes will focus in on the picture and not the black bars.

Disney is probably doing Pan & Scan because their movies are aimed at young kids, who need their WHOLE screen filled to keep their attention. Hopefully they will remember their adult fans as well!!

 

JDR -

"I can't find widescreen OT tapes ANYWHERE, except on Amazon.co, where a set costs $60!"

At that price, you'd better buy them. That's about what they cost when they were still being made.

I should know. I love my set (though I use my LD's for repeated viewing now.)

"This is a major conflict when my family buys dvds. It makes me sick to watch a movie in fullscreen most of the time."

You should tell them it's actually "foolscreen".

 

"Apparently in some Wal-Marts now they are promoting fullscreen DVD's with stickers saying "no black bars" or something stupid like that."

They need to start putting stickers on Widescreen DVD's that say, "for the complete movie".

I'm glad I learned about the benefits of widescreen. Its the only way I get my DVDs if I can help it.

"Did you know that Universal is planning on phasing out all wide-screen DVDs?"

That's bull. I guess they figure it would be a shame to give people the whole movie.

 

widescreen dvd.

 

Last night I saw a commercial where someone said Blockbuster was the best place to buy DVDs. I couldn't help laughing. Maybe its the best if you have a thing for only having half the film.

 

"Did you know that Universal is planning on phasing out all wide-screen DVDs?"

Surely you don't mean Universal as in the studio Universal?

Phasing out widescreen DVD's would be suicide for any company, epecially as widescreen TV's are being phased in at the moment. As soon as anyone plays a pan'n scam DVD on a widescreen TV, they'll get black bars on the sides! They'll have the same problem ALL OVER AGAIN!

It is ludicrous. To paraphrase Jurassic Park II: "Phasing out widescreen DVD's is the worst idea in the long sad history of bad ideas."

-JDR.

 

It occurs to me that the people who run these studios are full of idiots

Phasing out wide-screen DVD's is not going to help their sales at all. So why do it? Surley it can't be because they don't know what they are doing. A movie studio not knowing the propor way to run and handle things, how could that possibly happen?

*cough*

 

Dont worry, gang. If I know GL, he'll get all SW movies released on widescreen, one way or another. As for fullscreen vs. widescreen, "normal" movies are okay in fullscreen for me, but for SW, with all its detail and aliens in the backround, only widescreen will do. We had to drive to like 8 different stores to find AOTC on widescreen when it came out. And if you want both, just use the "zoom" button on your DVD player. Go in one level, and its just like watching fullscreen.

 

widescreen for 25 inches or more. fullscrean for less than twentyfive

 

I hated widescreen for the longest time, but when I got my DVD player 2 years back, I learned to love it...and now I can't go back. That's why we need the OT so badly on DVD...I have them in fullscreen. Can't stand it.

 

Here's what it's like to look at fullscreen as opposed to widescreen:

Widescreen:

S T A R W A R S

Fullscreen:

A R W A

What's could possibly be bad about fullscreen?

 

I almost can't stand widescreen. Seeing all that black above and below the picture. Just annoying.

 

The black bars are well worth it, especially since you actually get to see the entire picture.

 

I almost can't stand widescreen. Seeing all that black above and below the picture. Just annoying.

What's so annoying about a little black above and below the picture? Does it annoy you in the cinema, having all that black around the screen when the lights are down?

Why people think they are being cheated by widescreen, that they are losing part of the picture, I really don't know. Especially when it is blindingly obvious (and easily provable) that the reverse is true.

I'll illustrate it again, as others have done:

W I D E S C R E E N

* * * L S C R * * *

-JDR.

 

The biggest difference is definitely in the opening crawl. In the Widescreen format, you can actually read the entire line as soon as it shows up. With the fullscreen version, you have to wait until the text is at least 3 quarters of the way up. That is definitely not how you are supposed to see the crawl.

 

[image=http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/feature/20020925/img/66647_sm.jpg]

What the fudge?!?!?!

[image=http://www.dvdreview.net/system/images/dvdreview/news/7801.4650638495-1033120417_11015.jpg]

Nooo!!! It's horrible, don't look at it!!!