Regarding the discussions of "full screen vs. wide screen", if widescreen is the way any given movie was intended to be filmed, preserving the aspect ration and whatnot...why...in only recent years....have Wide Screen TV's been available to the general public? TV isn't exactly a new invention... Why didn't the TV manufacturers back then just make the "wide screen" format of the TV available to begin with? I try to see points from both "full screen dvd" supporters, and "wide screen" supporters, and try to understand arguments/issues from both sides. I do, however, feel that nowadays, DVD's should be available in both formats so that both FS and WS comsumers remain satisfied with the products they buy..."Air Force One" is a dvd that comes to my mind that has both formats...you just flip the disc over....
Should I purchase a 'Full Screen' or 'Widescreen' DVD?
Categories: Televisions and Projectors Video Playback / Recording Devices
While many DVDs are now shipped with both "Full Screen" or "Widescreen" formats on a single DVD, there are still several DVDs that are sold with only one or the other in the box. This forces the consumer to make a decision of which format to buy which can be confusing to the average person.
Types of DVD Editions
"Full Screen" DVDs are intended to be played on traditional TVs - those that are more square in shape. This format fits perfectly on this TV as they have the same 4:3 aspect ratio. Since almost all theatrical releases are filmed in a widescreen format, a full screen edition DVD must be 'formatted' (or cut) to fit a full screen TV. This is similar to cutting a 4x6 inch photograph to fit in a 3x5 frame - some of the image is lost."Widescreen" DVDs are intended to be played on widescreen TVs - those that are more rectangular in shape. A widescreen DVD will fit close to the full size of a widescreen TV (16:9 aspect ratio), but since widescreen aspect ratios vary, the picture might not fit exactly. A widescreen DVD contains the original unformatted movie as it was released in theaters.
Playing DVDs on TVs
Both types of DVDs will play on either type of TV.If you play a full screen DVD on a widescreen TV, the picture can either be stretched to fit the screen (making people look fatter than they are), or it can be shown with in the full screen format with 2 black bars on the right and the left of the screen.
If you play a widescreen DVD on a full screen TV, the picture will be shown with black bars on the top and the bottom of the screen. The size of the bars will vary based on the aspect ratio of the DVD.
Purchasing Tips
When choosing a format to purchase, consider the type of TV on which the DVD will be played. Obviously, if you own all traditional TVs, the full screen edition fits perfectly on them. However, you must realize that you are not seeing the picture the way it was originally produced and that might be important to you.If you already own or intend to own a widescreen TV, there is really little downside to purchasing the widescreen edition. As all TVs made in the future will be widescreen, if you purchase a widescreen DVD today, you can still enjoy it on your full screen TV and yet be able to watch it the way it was intended (in widescreen) when you purchase your widescreen TV.
Before purchasing, be sure that you look at the top, bottom, or back of the DVD case to make sure that you are purchasing the right format/edition for your needs. If you are purchasing online, usually the format is displayed at the end of the title. If it is not there, look at the detail and make sure that they DVD specifically says widescreen or full screen.
For more information on how aspect ratios display on different TVs, see Matt Whitlock's article
Read more in: Televisions and Projectors Video Playback / Recording Devices
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An excellent question djfran76.
Television as we know it has been based on the same standard since the very beginning, known as the NTSC standard. The original NTSC standard for television was developed and finalized long before the first widescreen movie ever hit the silver screen. In fact, the shape of TV was determined by the shape of movies playing in theaters at the time. Except in the 20s and 30s, movies were produced using the Academy Standard, which was the aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (also known as 4x3).
Widescreen movies didn't see reality until the 50s, and it was mostly a move by Hollywood to keep people coming to the theaters. Regardless, nobody really cared until the late 70s and early 80s, when VHS and BETA gave consumers the ability to buy and watch commercial films at home.
Widescreen TVs (in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1) have been available since the new television standard has been adopted in the United States. Also known as Digital TV, the ATSC standard is poised to replace NTSC in the next few years.
I agree there are many advocates of providing both the original widescreen, and a "pan and scan" version to consumers. In fact, most new commercial releases of blockbuster hits have been available in both formats, but packaged seperately (which I believe is a disservice to consumers). However, having both formats on one disc normally means it must be a flipper, and making dual-sided, dual-layered DVDs is significantly more expensive than making a single-sided, dual-layered DVD. Air Force One, if I remember correctly, is a dual-sided, single-layer disc.
So it comes back to the same question...
Which you purchase when you are forced to make a decision?
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Something that should be added to this discussion: anamorphic DVDs. Older "letterbox" movies played on a widescreen TV result in a tiny image in the center, with black bars on the top, bottom, and sides. An example of this would be the non-DTS version of The X-Files: Fight the Future. Anamorphic DVDs (they may also say "Enhanced for widescreen TVs) have extra vertical lines in them, and are stretched by the player so they fill more of the screen of a 16x9 TV.
Another important factor: the screen setting of a DVD player. Players attached to a 4x3 TV should be set properly, as should ones attached to a 16x9 TV. If the 16x9 setting is used on a 4x3 TV, movies will look like the "Kung Fu Theater." Conversely, a 4x3 setting on a 16x9 TV will make the movies look "squished."
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