I'm confused over widescreen picture....? (1 Viewer)

[Matthew Prince]

Hello!

I did read the FAQ on Widescreen Anamorphic DVDs and very helpful it was. But I just want to clear something up.

I have LIFEFORCE (1985) on R2 DVD (Don't laugh ;-) and unfortunately unlike most other MGM DVDs it's NOT anamorphic. It's in 2.35:1 basic widescreen. Although it's great to see the picture in it's OAR, the black bars are VERY high and objects are wider than normal.

So, what is the correct mode to watch a NON-anamorphic 2.35:1 (AND 1.85:1) widescreen movie in (on a Widescreen TV)?

I live in England and have a JVC Widescreen TV. It has several picture modes:

Auto (natural switching for anamorphic DVDs and 16:9 TV shows),
Regular (4:3 with bars at the sides),
Panoramic (stretches 4:3 TV shows to whole screen),
16:9 zoom (applies to the 16:9 TV shows),
16:9 subtiles (as above but with extra space below for subtitles) and
Full (similar to Panoramic)

Please help!

Also how do I lobby to get a film re-released with a new anamorphic transfer OR are they only re-released in conjuction with promotions and and anniversaries like The Thing (1982)?

 

[Jeff Gatie]

This will give you a uniform stretch and crop of non-anamorphic DVD's. After all, a non-anamorphic DVD is the same as a non-anamorphic TV broadcast.

 

[John S]

Does your DVD player offer vertical zoom?

If so, try that.. such a feature, makes non-anamorphic widescreen a total non-issue on widescreen TV's, but your still on your own as the best way to handle true 4:3 material.