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Posted by Bob on 10/04/75 11:32
On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 11:55:55 +0000, Mike O'Sullivan wrote:
> Bratboy wrote:
>
>> "Walter Traprock" <wetraprock@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:wetraprock-4D683B.22095618112005@comcast.dca.giganews.com...
>>
>>>i feel guilty about continuing to prefer renting and buying widescreen
>>>movies, as i support the fullscreen cause.
>>
>>
>> Why feel guilty? I mean if ppl really want movies with bits missing its
>> their choice.
>
> Don't "widescreen" movies have bits missing at the top and bottom?
Not sure if this is a troll, but in case it isn't it is time to correct
some serious misinformation.
To answer the question: No (at least not typically). If the original
source material is widescreen (as nearly all recent and even not-so-recent
movies are), when it is shown on a "fullscreen" (a misnomer) TV, parts of
the screen (top and bottom) are simply not used (nor needed) to show the
*full* (widescreen) content of the original material. This is called
letter-boxing.
What you do loose is size and some resolution.
It is when a widescreen movie is put on DVD as a "fullscreen" version that
"bits" are missing. If this is done crudely, the left and right edges are
simply chopped off. Slightly better is "pan and scan" where some editor
attempts to keep the 4x3 viewport centered on the most important action.
As to the "misnomer" I mentioned above. On my TV (a widescreen TV)
fullscreen DVDs do use the "full screen". It is the misnamed "fullscreen"
versions that leave black bars (left and right).
Now there are some details not addressed above. Not all fullscreen source
material is the same aspect ratio most widescreen TVs (9x14) so some
source material leaves black bars at the top and bottom of even widescreen
TVs. Also, I think some material is clipped a little to fit.
Also, many (most? all?) widescreen TVs can be configured to stretch 4x3
material to fit into the 9x14 screen. This can be done cleverly so that
the stretching is done more at the edges than the center in an attempt to
make it look more natural. Personally, I find this disorienting,
especially in an action-packed movie. Almost makes me seasick!
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