"Nightmare Before Christmas" DTS format WOW! (1 Viewer)

[John Sparks]

Anything other than anamorphic(when played thru a progressive scan DVD player) looks like crap on any 16x9 monitor ...and that's a fact!!!
I'm selling my entire LD collection...because they look like crap.
I'm selling all my non-anamorphic DVD's because they look like crap.
Once you see how great they can look, you'll never want to go back...and that's a fact!!!

 

[David Tolsky]

You should hear the DTS LD version if you think the DTS on the DVD is good. The DTS laser sound is awesome.

 

[greg_t]

Stretch modes or Zoom modes on DVD's ain't much sense... stick to the picture... it isn't that important to fill the damn TV tube up with a distorted picture now is it?

If you play a non-anamaphoric disc on a 16x9 set, you cannot use your normal full, or 16x9 mode, you must use a stretch mode. It has nothing to do with filling the screen, it has to do with displaying the image in it's proper aspect ratio. I think you are confusing what I said with the Zoom function in some dvd players.

For those of you who don't know, "stretch" modes is just a generic term for the various modes of a widescreen TV. The purpose of these modes is to take a 4x3 image, be it either 1.33 or letterbox ratio, and display it in it's proper aspect ratio. For example, the Pioneers have natural wide, cinema wide, Zoom, 4x3, and full. Stretch or zoom is just a generic term for the various modes.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

If you play a non-anamaphoric disc on a 16x9 set, you cannot use your normal full, or 16x9 mode, you must use a stretch mode. It has nothing to do with filling the screen, it has to do with displaying the image in it's proper aspect ratio.

Those are what everyone else in this thread is referring to as a zoom mode. Yes, my Toshiba 16x9 monitor also has a zoom-only mode that does not distort the image (called Theaterwide 2). However, it is designed for a 1.85:1 or wider image, which means it will crop the top/bottom of a 1.66:1 image. My Panasonic RP-91 also has a zoom/scale function, but it also zooms in too much for a 1.66:1 image. Are you certain your Pioneer Elite monitor is not also cropping the top/bottom of a 1.66:1 non-anamophic image?

Very few monitors or DVD players have a variable zoom/scale feature that supports multiple aspect ratios.

 

[CraigF]

I watched this last night, found no modes with my Sony RPTV and RP82 that didn't distort, except of course the natural mode. However, watching this in the TV's "full" mode looked pretty fine, I mean these are not "natural" looking characters so a bit of improper stretching doesn't hurt *this* movie much. The only time you really notice something isn't right is in shots with the moon. I happened to watch 1.66 anamorphic Barton Fink earlier in the week, and of course that works out much better for a "realistic" movie.

My verdict: from a purist POV it would be nice to have NBC in anamorphic form, the little more resolution wouldn't hurt and more is always nice. But for this movie, I think you can easily live without it if you have a reasonably capable TV and DVD player. The print is pretty good, so is the sound. Generally I don't buy non-anamorphic discs (I think I have 4), but sometimes you get tired of waiting for an update, or the movie is sufficiently good that the desire to watch it overcomes the transfer shortcomings.