Quick question for anyone with a DVD player please!

[#1 Disney Fan]

I'm looking to buy a DVD for a present and I found the "widescreen" version online, but it won't be played on a big screen/widescreen tv, just a regular sized one. I don't really want the widescreen feature but it's a good deal on the DVD and I can order online so I just want to know if I *shouldn't* get this one. Will this widescreen DVD also play the regular 4x3 type pan and scan or do you have to buy the right DVD for the right tv??? In otherwords, would a regular edition just play pan and scan and a widescreen play both that *plus* widescreen, or only widescreen? (I'm new to all this DVD stuff )

Thanks!

 

[wvjules]

"widescreen" dvd's work on any tv. I think that answers part of your question. But I hate widescreen. I want the full screen version.

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

So will the widescreen edition still play the full screen version that fills the whole tv?

 

[Ricola]

a "widescreen" version of a DVD will play on all TVs, but in a regular TV it will play with the black bars at the top and the bottom, in "letterbox" format.

I prefer widescreen versions because you see ALL of the picture.

SOME DVDs give you the option of viewing either widescreen or pan and scan.

 

[newmousecateer]

Originally posted by #1 Disney Fan
So will the widescreen edition still play the full screen version that fills the whole tv?

Usually not. There are some DVD's out there that when played on one side it is widescreen, when played on the other side it is full screen. Most are just one or the other though.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Widescreen will play what used to be referred to as "Letterbox", it's set at a 16:9 ratio, so you will have the black bands above and below the picture. I LOVE widescreen, it's so much better than the pan and scan full picture, you get to see MORE with widescreen just as if you were seeing it in the movie theatre.

 

[helenabear]

Lynne a widescreen DVD will have two black bars (one at the top & one at the bottom) so you see the wide screen version. It does look "smaller" on the TV though since the movie itself doesn't take up the whole screen. With a big enough TV, I don't notice the difference too much anymore.

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

Thanks everyone! I was hoping it would play both formats, but looks not probable. Thanks for the quick input everyone!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Our DVD(not opened yet) has a feature that lets you switch a widescreen to a fullscreen or something like that? It is called variable zoon function and is said to eliminate the black lines. Does this work ok? Does it distort?

 

[mickey65]

I'll act real surprised when that DVD player arrives Lynne! However did you know that that is just what I wanted

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

Thanks everyone. And interesting question, BibbidiBobbidiBoo. I'd be curious to the answer of that myself. Hopefully somebody else will pop in with an answer to that.

And Val... I said I was buying a DVD not a DVD player so looks like you're out of luck, sorry. UNLESS of course you win that PS2 which plays DVD's!

 

[mickey65]

Oh well, one can always hope eh!

Didn't win the PS2....one of the kids in grade 4 won it. You should of heard the cheering when they called his name!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I never heard of a DVD player that would not play and show either wide-screnn (my favorite) or the pan and scan. Normally it is a software selection on the DVD movie menu that comes on each DVD. And until recently, all the movies I had seen were (most of them) were selectable, only a few of the old classics were only pan and scan. However, recently, I have noticed, like Spiderman, that the DVD's themselves were sold in seperate formats. Not sure of the logic on that, I am sure it somehow is more profitable. I prefer widescreen, so as to not lose about 1/3 the picture to pan and scan.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

When you have more than one format on the DVD it can cause distortion problems because of the compression of the files to fit it all on the DVD. That's why some opt to release the DVD in two different formats instead of on one DVD.