Oh no...my co-worker is a J6P! (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

i'm laughin' my butt off right now.

i've got a buddy who works in colorado (i'm in sacramento). anyway, we've become pretty good friends - we talk all the time throughout the day (both business and goofing off).
anyway...he just bought a new 32" tv and a dvd player. i was asking him what he thought of his gear and he mentioned how he has to keep changing the picture when he watches dvd's. i asked for further clarification and it turns out he's using the zoom feature to get rid of the black bars!

needless to say i almost had a cow! i immediately espoused (sp?) the virtues of OAR, blah, blah, blah. i even sent him the digital bits articles - especially the widescreen-o-rama one (my buddy's definitely not ready for the anamorphic speech yet).
i have a new mission in life! does anyone have any other suggestions on how to convert this guy?
puh-leez no dissin' the guy - he is a good hearted soul. let's keep this friendly...
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"The ship of death has a new captain." - nosferatu (1922)

 

[LukeB]

Well I guess this means you have to look for a new job AND a new friend?

 

[Tom Rhea]

>>does anyone have any other suggestions on how to convert this guy?

 

[Ken Seeber]

Ask him if he knows the difference between a square* and a rectangle. If he does, ask him what his problem is with OAR. If he doesn't, do you really need a friend that dense?

This is exactly the kind of attitude that makes it so easy for people to dismiss home theater enthusiasts like us as a bunch of arrogant wonks.
I would recommend a slightly more helpful and friendly approach.

 

[Ted Lee]

ken - i agree with you totally. i knew this would get out of hand...that's why i bolded my request to not dis' the guy, but so much for that.
anyway...he read the article and agreed that it was the way to go.

looks like my job here is done! another j6p converted!

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"The ship of death has a new captain." - nosferatu (1922)

 

[Rusty Ray]

wow, maybe you should talk to the Warners!!!!!

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Ted, even though your freind has read the articles and said he understands, I have found that it's good if you don't stop giving him information. Keep giving him examples, I have successfully converted my boss to our side by constantly bombarding him with info, just shy of becoming a pain in the ass. Also, and this will be hard, eventually you'll have to explain to him the difference between Panavision anamorphic and Super 35.
Man i'll tell ya, trying to explain to newcomers the difference between these two, is the equivelent of sitting your teenage son down to explain the birds and the bees!
If you want to educate him, educate him completly.
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To the men and women of the N.Y. police and fire department
God bless you.
To the victims and their families
God keep you.
To the dirtbags who caused all this
God help you!!!
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 08, 2001 at 03:20 PM]

 

[Nate Anderson]

I always recommend having them watch a movie they REALLY know in widescreen. It worked on me when I bought the widescreen version of Jaws. (I bought it because it was the anniversary version, and I wanted the behind the scenes stuff) and when I watched it that night, I could immediately tell what I was missing. It was amazing. There are certain scenes that really worked for me, notably the scene where Brody is looking through the books, and it's showing the pages he's flipping through.
That's the part I most vividly remember.
And it works too...
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"This is my verse, hello?"
Link Removed

 

[Chris PC]

I was aware of the OAR arguement and have seen bad P & S. The problem is, I can't watch a VHS movie without watching the Pan & Scan. You know, sensing how the person was composing the 16:9 shot to fit onto 4:3. Always aware of the effort to keep the actors on the screen. I have seen movies now where the actors who are speaking to one another are so far apart, that they are both cut in half and hanging off the 4:3 set. its annoying and all this AFTER I bought a 32" 4:3 set. It's my fault and yet its not.
You can't knock people for wanting to fill the screen though. they are used to watching television. When you rent a movie and you have those "stupid black bars", it pisses people off because the picture is a lot SMALLER than what they are used to. If you REALLY LOVE OAR, which I am beginning to, then you must push for WIDESCREEN TV's and DISPLAYS, otherwise, we're all squashing these 16:9 pictures onto a 4:3 set.
Give people a break and tell them to get a 16:9 set.

 

[David Lambert]

Give people a break and tell them to get a 16:9 set.

Aha. Give 'em $2000-$3000 while you're at it.
I enjoy OAR on my 4:3 set. It doesn't take expensive equipment, just understanding.
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DAVE/Memphis

MORE TV ON DVD, PLEASE!
Do you like TV on DVD? Then check THIS out!
.....http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/.....

 

[Yoshi Sugawara]

You know, the organization that sets the standard for DVDs should have a rule that first-time buyers of DVD players have to attend a mandatory seminar covering:
1. OAR
2. Pan and Scan vs. Widescreen (or why you should not use the ZOOM button)
3. Benefits of Anamorphic enhancement

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[Patrick Sun]

A co-worker asked me if those black bars were normal on her laptop DVD player. I reassured her that it preserved the way the film was shown in the theaters, and they seemed to satisfy her.
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PatCave ; HT Pix ; Gear ; DIY Mains ; DIY CC ; Sunosub I + II + III ; DVDs ; Link Removed
[Edited last by Patrick Sun on November 08, 2001 at 08:45 PM]

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I always refer J6Ps to that "editing room" feature on the Die Hard DVD. That usually does the trick.
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Scott Weinberg
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[SteveBjr]

I carry a little booklet i printed out of the anamorphic pdf article from http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/index.html
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Steve,
DVD Collection

 

[Ted Lee]

I have a couple of copies. One stays at work and one is in my car

now that's what i call determination and focus!
i'd say my only stance on OAR vs. J6P is that we give him the opportunity to know what OAR is all about. after that, if he still prefers pan & scan, then i chalk that up to personal preference.
to me, it's most important to educate...after that it's out of our hands.
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"The ship of death has a new captain." - nosferatu (1922)

 

[Shane Gralaw]

How to convince him...hmmmmm...
Ever see A Clockwork Orange? Just set up a screening room and feed him something that makes him sick while playing pan-and-scan versions of films over and over.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Take a dollar from your friend and show that it represents a widescreen image.
Rip it in half and tell your friend that that's what happens to widescreen movies on TV when P&S. Give the dollar back and smile.
If they start a "super-35" argument, Show the s-35 demo on the t-2 DVD.
Someone wanting me to watch a non-OAR presentation of a movie is an insult to me. There's a reason why the P&S sides of my "dual-format" titles and P&S only titles look like they don't get played often.
[Edited last by PatrickMcCart on November 09, 2001 at 12:27 PM]

 

[Jim A. Banville]

I've explained OAR to several Joe Sixpack's. They recognize that they are missing parts of the picture, but with the (usual) small size of their TV's, they prefer to see the "main action" of the movie utilizing their whole TV screen. As I have stated in threads like this before, Joe Sixpack "likes" to watch movies, but isn't a "film fan" like we are. Although watching the OAR doesn't require spending more money, I think of it like mass-market audio equipment vs. high-end gear. Joe Sixpack would still be PERFECTLY happy listening to his music on his $200 rack stereo system even after hearing it through a revealing mega-buck high-end system.
My point is there is nothing wrong with informing Joe Sixpack about OAR, but obsessing over it and doing it with some sense that you are on a mission to "convert" him is going overboard. Explain it and move on.

 

[David_N]

Hey I just converted a coworker to the wonders of widescreen. I just pointed him to the website: http://www.widescreen.org/examples.html
Many, many examples from a wide variety of movies. Even some select pics with examples of how they look on a TV.
That and I let him borrow a few of my movies(like Men in Black) that have both versions and see for himself on his own TV. He never knew what he was missing and was happy to be educated on the benefits.

 

[Chris PC]

I agree with the widescreen OAR argument. What I am saying is that, instead of just insisting that the film is made that way and you are looking at the film in its original aspect ratio, remind the person that its the fault of the Television that you see the black bars. If they had insisted on making TV's 16:9 when they first made TV's, then we would have far less problems. I have told people about the difference and they still notice how much smaller the image is on the TV, especially a 27" or smaller TV. I remind them that it is the fault of the TV, not their un-refined knowledge of film vs TV formats. At least this tends to get them thinking that the solution is a 16:9 TV set.
I know not everyone can afford a WIDESCREEN TV, but the argument you should tell your friend is:
Films are 16:9 so they can't fill a 4:3 TV. You see the black bars, but you see the entire picture and don't miss anything that was in the original film. If you don't like the black bars, don't go for Pan & Scan, save up for a 16:9 TV set.
[Edited last by Chris PC on November 10, 2001 at 08:40 PM]