Anamorphic and aspect ratio DVD on 16:9 display (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Thorne]

I recently purchased a 16:9 display and now I see why everyone wants DVD's released in anamorphic widescreen....or at least I think. My question is when a 2.35:1 movie is nonanamorhpic will it appear like it would on a standard TV? All of the 2.35 movies I have watched from this point have alot less letterbox however I popped in Deer Hunter last night only to find the screen appeared just like I had been used to on my old 4:3 set. It almost looked streched and was horrible compared to other movies I had viewed.

 

[Scott Temple]

Yes, non-anamorphic transfers will look about the same (in terms of letterboxing) on a 16:9 TV, however, the image will be streched horizontally. With 16:9 enhanced transfers, you don't have the problem of streching. The image is presented perfectly on your TV. A 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced) transfer will have no letterboxing bars visible on a 16:9 TV. A 2.35:1 (16:9 enhanced) transfer will have letterboxing bars on a 16:9 TV, but they will appear much smaller than they do on a 4:3 TV.

 

[Jose Martinez]

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...c/welcome.html

 

[GlennH]

You shouldn't watch a non-anamorphic DVD in the "Full" mode on your 16:9 TV, unless your DVD player does the proper scaling. If you do everything will be squat and horizontally stretched. Put it in the "Zoom" mode (or whatever your TV calls it) to preserve the proper aspect ratio and picture proportions. Note, this may require you to turn off the progressive scan mode in you player and go with interlaced, as some TVs will only allow Full mode with a progressive input. (But most newer 16:9 TVs don't have this "feature").

 

[Aaron Thorne]

Thanks for the replies guys. That link was quite helpful as well. I went through my DVD collection of about 200 and only about 10-15 were nonanamorphic. While that is a very good ratio I was sad to see the following titles were non: Godfather trilogy, Mission Impossible, True Lies, and Titanic.

 

[Chet_F]

Just wait till you find one(non anamorphic) that is flagged improperly. Every widescreen DVD that is flagged as a pan&scan displays with black bars around the entire picture. An example would be Deep Impact.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Unless you have bootlegs, Godfather Trilogy is anamorphic.

 

[Aaron Thorne]

I have the retail version box set of the Godfather trilogy. I did not see anywhere on the packaging that indicated anamorphic so I just assumed it wasn't. Thanks for the info.
A bootleg would never make it into my collection!

 

[Malcolm R]

Other labels/terms that also mean "anamorphic" without actually saying it:

"Enhanced for widescreen TV's" (mostly on Warner/New Line titles)

"Enhanced for 16x9 TV's" (Paramount)

"16:9 Widescreen" or "16:9 Enhanced" or just "16:9"

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Of late Lion's Gate releases have had absolutely no indication on the packaging as to whether or not they are anamorphic (Cabin Fever, 28 Days Later). Every one I've tried has been anamorphic, however.

 

[Andy Kim]

Non-Anamorphic can still look really great though. I have Criterion's Armageddon and it looks spectacular on my 50".

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

That's true, and a perfect example of is The Abyss

Conversely, anamorphic DVDs can occasionally look sub-par. Check out the old DVD for Unforgiven (not the more recent 2-disc SD).

 

[Matt Butler]

For 2:35:1 non anamorphic titles I use Zoom on my 47 Panny 16x9. But for 1:85:1 I use normal. It is slightly stretched but not too bad. I cant stand the grain and cropping that occurs when I zoom 1:85 titles.
For some reason 1:33 works fine normal. Minimal stretching. My player doesnt have the flag for non-anamorpic titles.

 

[Jonathan_Clarke]

'Zoom' is what you need for these discs. It also works for widescreen tv shows that aren't simulcast in HD.

I got my 16:9 Panny just a month or so ago and went into a panic, selling off my non-anamorphic dvds. I rebought the X Files movie and still need to get Planet of the Apes. It does make a big difference.

I do feel like a hypocrite though. With all my support of AOR, when I watch a 4:3 picture on my 16:9, I admit I set it to 'just' so I can use more of that big beautiful picture.

I feel dirty inside. :b