YES!! MGM educates buyers of MAD MAX with an option page - Widescreen or P&S (1 Viewer)

[Keith Paynter]

Since the disc is a flipper, MGM went with the ability to house both versions of the film on the main side. The first thing you get to see is the option to select WS or P&S and you get pictures of the same frame in both versions.
See what you're missing?
Thanks MGM. The Aussie track is very cool, but the Toecutter's voice is a little wimpy compared to the dubbed version. Ah well. First time hearing it anyway, which deserves high praise after empty promises from Image for years on LD and DVD.

 

[Jeremy Conrad]

I think it's great that it pops up before you can watch the movie.

 

[Keith Paynter]

Thanks Jeremy - I couldn't show the picture because I have no way to host them for off site use.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I agree, the illustration on that selection screen was well-done. I'd like to see more of them.

The disc appears to be a DVD-14: two layers on the film side, one on the supplements side.

M.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

MGM used to do this a lot. All my early discs were like this.

 

[Sean Conklin]

MGM!!!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

There you go, right there in full color what you're missing. Well done MGM! As soon as I can #@$#@ find a copy this disc is mine. I also want to DEEPLY thank you for supporting OSL on this disc(Even though I guess it SHOULD be OSA(Original Spoken Accent)

 

[Sean Conklin]

Yes I just noticed that too, it looks like an open matte pan and scan combo.

 

[Frank Anderson]

Great news. Paramount use to do this on some of it's disc's. I just wish the studio's would give a little presentation on all disc's, even if they only have one version on the disc.

 

[David Lambert]

First of all, everyone here knows I'm an OAR advocate, and I DEFINATELY appreciate MGM's doing this.
But this deserves a bit of attention:

Hmm...I don't think those are accurate caps though...notice how the "standard" version has slightly more image on the top and bottom compared to the widescreen version...Mad Max is not open matte, so methinks that is inaccurate...I could be wrong.

I think he's right, although I too could be mistaken. I hope someone who knows can come in here and definatively correct us. It might be as simple as needing to actually watch the disc, which I hope to do this weekend (got mine the other day).
I took the screen cap above, played around with it a tad, and came up with the following variation, that more accurately depicts the differences between *MOST* WS vs P&S examples, on a normal 4x3 set (it might NOT be accurate for Mad Max, again I would like someone who knows for sure to come tell us):

Bigger picture, less image, more grain on the right, eh?
Edit: I see I kinda goofed with the red border. I thought there was a red border around both AR examples, with a thicker one around the "chosen" version (WS). I now see, looking at the original, that there was no red border at all around the non-chosen AR (FS). Oops. Flame away!

 

[Patrick Mirza]

They coulda used these instead also:

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Kudos to MGM!

The studios need to beef up their efforts to

do things like this in order to educate the public.

 

[bill lopez]

I know it's only Jan. but keep this in mind for Studio of 2002 in Dec.

 

[Conroy Tesa]

It's funny.

I've read alot of people complaining about toecutter's voice but I liked it because it was his own!

They all seemed effeminant but I think that was what this gang was like. Sorta asexual.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

They should have it so every time you pop in the disc and you see the selection for "widescreen" or "standard," one of three (or more) different stills are randomly selected to illustrate the difference.

It would be cooler still if the two shots were full-motion, particularly highlighting the dizzying effect of pan-and-scan presented next to the original, calm widescreen framing.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, I suppose I am pleased. But I would like to see brief tutorials incorporated as a standard-issue items on dual-format DVDs.

 

[Chris PC]

Geez, thats cool. I received my copy of Mad Max yesterday. I am looking forward to checking it out. I only wish I had a widescreen TV!

Jeremy, Dave and patrick, How did you guys do those screen captures? Did you just play the movie on your PC and press PRINT SCREEN? Looks cool anyways...

 

[Jeremy Conrad]

I use PowerDVD. In my opinion it's the best player software and well worth the money.

 

[MickeS]

Am I the only one who thinks that it looks like you're getting more picture on the open-matte P&S picture? Sure, I see that the WS includes some more picture on the sides, but the WS cuts out the sky and the arms, two significant elements on the other picture, whereas the head on the left side isn't as strikingly important.
I doubt this does much to convince people that the OAR is important.
And the "Widescreen" one should be labelled "Standard", and "Standard" should be labelled "Pan and scan" or "Full screen", IMO, but that's another fight...
/Mike

 

[Paul Bartlet]

For those who may not have seen MGM's site on "widescreen / pan&scam", here it is MGM WideScreen Page
Also, to see next page on that site, "link" to page 2,3,... is on bottom left of screen (normally on right for most web sites).