My girlfriend's Jane-6Pack friend (1 Viewer)

[Jeremy Wadian]

My girlfriend's friend visits us once a week to watch dvds. Last night she brought with her "Gone in 60 Seconds", VHS! It was horrible (not the film) I kept on wondering what was missing from the picture and could even pick out some scanning. DPL2 made the sound tolerable but man did it suck. I talked to my girlfriend about it and she said as long as she sees the movie she doesn't care if it's on tape or dvd! Drives me crazy. Well,sorry for the rant.

BTY: This is my 1st post ever and I've been visiting since 1998.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

This is my 1st post ever and I've been visiting since 1998.

Wow, then that VHS must have bothered you a lot as you say!

 

[Tony_Faville]

I know the feeling....my wife and I were visiting friends a couple weeks back and we watched Shrek on VHS. Had a headache a few minutes into it from all the shimmering that nobody else saw.
Guess I'm a true DVD snob because it made me sick watching VHS.

 

[Malcolm R]

I ran into a Jane6P at Costco this weekend. We were both browsing the DVD's and she asked if I knew of any easy way to identify which discs were full screen. I didn't have the time to get into a full OAR debate so I just told her that you have to check the packages carefully and that I was "in the same boat because I only buy widescreen and constantly have to check the package to make sure I'm not getting the chopped up version." She just shot me this look that said she'd been reprimanded about OAR before. I walked away before I bust out laughing.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I thankfully saw Shrek on home video first in the form of the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer on the 2-disc DVD.
In the video production class I'm taking, we watched Shrek (on VHS...sigh) to look for camera techniques.
The VHS is blurry (and crops the sides, exposes too much on the top and bottom) and the sound is NOWHERE near the excellence that the DTS 5.1 track is on disc 2.
After that, I gave the teacher a list of films I'd be more than happy to bring in via DVD or OAR VHS (Since she was looking for movies to show anyways.)
I think Lawrence of Arabia would be a fine film to show on camera technique.

 

[Brian_Anderson]

Watching things on VHS now has become something of a nostalgic type of thing. Something like listening to records or tapes instead of the CD copy you have of it. It's kinda fuzzy, and warm sounding, you have a few fond memories of taking the tape to a friends house and enjoying it once, but you'd never ever give up your complete and perfectly crisp digital copy of it. Uh uh.

 

[Rob Robinson]

the easiest way out of this situation in the future- get rid of the VCR, at least in the main HT.

Ours has been unplugged for months...

Once I get the monitors for our avid, we're going to just move it over by the machine to spit quick and shitty dubs out to.

 

[Bob_L]

I suggest that we schedule screenings at movie theaters across the US and invite the "casual video viewers" to attend for free. (I really dislike the "J6P" appellation.)
When everybody is comfortably seated with their popcorn, we project a VHS pan-and-scan videotape onto the screen.
Then let's see what they prefer.

 

[Kevin Deacon]

Could somebody please help me! My wife and I sat down to watch the DVD "Blow". Well, about 2 minutes into the movie she starts ranting and raving about the black bars at the top and bottom and how we are missing the full screen experience. I try to calmly explain that this is the way the director intended us to see the movie. I go on to argue that the sides would be cut off if the image were full screen and we not see things that would help our minds interpret what the scenes intent was. She wouldn't hear any of it. I even went so far as to pause a scene with important (I thought so anyway) props at both sides of the screen. I tried to explain that one or both of the props would be cropped if the whole screen version were shown and our interpretation may be skewed. She just scoffed and went into the bedroom to watch TV. I don't get it and neither does she.

 

[Mick Wright]

You could show her the "why letterbox" feature on Die Hard. If that doesn't help maybe try divorce. j/k.

 

[Joseph Hoetzl]

She wouldn't hear any of it. I even went so far as to pause a scene with important (I thought so anyway) props at both sides of the screen.

I can't believe you didn't use this opportunity to offer to purchase a widescreen 16x9 television! I guess I can be thankful that my wife understands the concept...but still no widescreen for me...

 

[Kevin Deacon]

I did offer the widescreen, but then when she watched regular TV she would complain about the bars on the sides. I personally don't think I can win until everything is broadcast/recorded in the widescreen format.

She asked me last night why the old movies aren't widescreen. I choked and asked her if she'd ever seen the words "this movie has been formatted to fit your screen". I don't think she has noticed that the movie theatres have widescreens. Oh well...

 

[Christian Behrens]

She asked me last night why the old movies aren't widescreen.

Because they were created at a time when TV was no competition. One, if not the, major reason for widescreen films at the movies was to offer something that television didn't.

-Christian

 

[Eric S M]

Kevin,
Go to this website:
http://www.widescreen.org/widescreen.shtml
On the left side of the page, see the link for Examples. You can show her those examples. They clearly illustrate with selected scenes from P&S and Widescreen transfers how much of the picture is lost on the sides.
Also, the 'Aspect Ratios' link on the left side will explain about the different aspect ratios.
Hope this helps.
-Eric

 

[John Sparks]

One of my co-workers is just getting into DVD and I was trying to explain to him what OAR meant...and his response was..."I don't care what the director wants me to see, who is he to tell me what to see, I want my screen filled up"!
Oh well, it's going to be a tough assignment, but I WILL PREVAIL!!!!!

 

[Luke_Khuc]

Kevin,

Let your wife read this threat several times. Eventually she will get it. Good luck.

 

[Anders Englund]

I had one of those arguments with a friend a while ago when we were watching The Matrix. He was trying to decide weather to buy a DVD player.

After 45 minutes of him going "I don't like the black bars", and me going "directors intent, missing picture", I simply told him:

"This is all very simple: You are wrong. Get over it!"

He did.

--Anders

 

[Philip Hamm]

I think the term is "Jane Boxwine".

 

[KrisM]

Jane Boxwine

That is too funny! I guess you could also call her Jane White Zinfandel.
I hate to say it, but some people would rather have a full screen and miss some(to them) of the picture than to have the black bars and all of the movie. I don't let it bother me anymore. I know this though: in my theater if you show up with VHS you can either take it back and get the DVD or you can pick a movie out of my collection. VHS has a place in my equipment rack but it is not for watching movies that are available on DVD.
Regards
KrisM

 

[wally]

Let your wife read this threat several times. Eventually she will get it. Good luck.

Luke,
I'm sure this is a typo and you wanted to say "Thread". Although if all else fails, you can fall back to the "Threat"
No Sale for P&S!!