Wide Screen or Full Screen

[DJT]

When I was at Wal-Mart last night buying Polar Express for $13.77, I discovered some of them said "Wide Screen" and some said "Full Screen." What's the difference?

Donna

 

[SEAlla]

"Full screen" fills up the whole TV screen. The picture quality isn't as good but it is better for smaller TV's where screen space is an issue.

"Wide screen" has the best picture quality but is better for larger TV's. It doesn't utilize the top 1/4th or so of the screen and the botton 1/4th or so of the screen. It stretches all the way across the screen though.

We prefer "Wide screen" (better picture quality) but that is also because we have a 56" TV.

Hope that helps...

 

[pyrxtc]

wide screen is just that, for wide screen TV's. If you buy it for a regular TV, the show will have a black bar on top and bottom. Full screen will fill your whole TV.

 

[DianaPrincessofWales]

Our whole family always prefers full screen. Ocassionaly the wide screen veiwing is irritating. Don't know why, that's just our opinion.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

We prefer the Widescreen versions. It shows more of the picture.

 

[crisi]

To get full screen, the movie goes back into edit where it is edited using "pan and scan" - if you are lucky. Otherwise, they just chop off the edges so the aspect ratio of the film fits your TV - sometimes they do funny compacting. In some movies, important information happens at the edges of the screen, so you can lose information. You are also paying full price for 2/3s of the movie. As a former film student, I have a definate preference for widescreen - that was how the director intended his film to be shown (but for a lot of movies made today, the director knows it will eventually be adapted for TV, so not much happens on the edges. Wouldn't by a Robert Rodrieguez film in anything other than widescreen though - he uses the edges of his frame).

However, a lot of people find the black bars on the TV distracting or want to use their whole TV (particularly if your TV is smaller). On the same TV, the center part of the image will be larger in full screen and smaller in widescreen.

This site goes into aspect ratios:

http://www.thelooniverse.com/movies/west/aspectratio/aspectratio.html

 

[KarenAylwood]

Thanks for the info Crisi!

I always buy widescreen - and we only have a 20'' TV! It's also not necessarily the bottom 1/4th and the top 1/4th (that'd leave a 10'' high picture!!! ). It's definitely much less than that.

I'd say go for widescreen- foolscreen cuts off a lot of the picture.

 

[Az Pirates]

Thanks for the info Crisi!

I always buy widescreen - and we only have a 20'' TV! It's also not necessarily the bottom 1/4th and the top 1/4th (that'd leave a 10'' high picture!!! ). It's definitely much less than that.

I'd say go for widescreen- foolscreen cuts off a lot of the picture.

DH and I always get into discussions about this one... I prefer widescreen. Next time I'm using the "foolscreen" thing on him!

 

[SueM in MN]

As the others said, Fullscreen fills up your whole screen if you have a regular TV, but there is a price. In order to fill the screen, they cut off the sides, so even though your screen is "full", you are not seeing the whole picture. You are usually only seeing 54% of the picture (46% is removed to fit the screen)

Widescreen may not fill the whole screen unless you have a widescreen TV, but you are able to see the whole picture the way the movie was filmed.

Here's another site that shows the difference with comparison pictures to show what you are missing by viewing a fullscreen movie:
http://www.widescreen.org/widescreen.shtml

 

[melmel]

One thing you can do if you find the bars distracting is watch the movie with the lights off it'll make it so you don't see the bars at all. After you start watching widescreen regularly you wont notice them at all it's just temporary while you get used to it.

Melissa

 

[disneysteve]

We much prefer widescreen and we have a regular 25" TV. As others have said, you see the whole picture that way. I've been aware of many times when watching a fullscreen movie that I had seen in the theater that something was missing. For example, one character is talking and you don't see who he is talking to even though both characters were on the screen in the theater.

I don't think it matters what size TV you have. At my treadmill, I've got a 19" TV and prefer widescreen there too.

Best option is when they release DVDs with both versions on the same disc. Then you can choose at home rather than having to decide before you purchase it. I hate when the store only stocks one version and its fullscreen.

 

[dturner]

We always buy widescreen!!

 

[DJT]

This has been very enlightening. Thanks everyone for your help!

Donna

 

[Tissa]

Fullscreen only in this house. Widescreen really bothers me.

 

[Aryn]

We have a widescreen TV so we only buy widescreen dvd's. I have noticed that we still have black bars on the top and bottom, but they are very small, and hardly noticable.


Aryn

 

[Nicolepa]

One thing you can do if you find the bars distracting is watch the movie with the lights off it'll make it so you don't see the bars at all. After you start watching widescreen regularly you wont notice them at all it's just temporary while you get used to it.

Melissa

Not necessarily. My dh will only buy widescreen and after 10 years it still bothers me. We had TV's in our house that range from 32 inches to 100+ inches (projector) 4x3 and widescreen. I don't like the black bars, they drive me nuts. I think if you try it and it doesn't bother you great, but don't assume you will get used to it.

 

[becky7953]

Widescreen! My DH insists on only watching widescreen, in fact he won't watch a movie from the library that is full screen! We do have a big screen TV and also watch movies in the dark, with candles.....

 

[Imzadi]

(but for a lot of movies made today, the director knows it will eventually be adapted for TV, so not much happens on the edges...

So true. Very few directors nowadays utilize the widescreen format to it's fullest.

When you see a lot of old movies editted for TV, you'll see a character halfway off the screen or completely missing from the shot, but is talking.

I love the original the Star Wars films when they released it in widescreen. Laurence Of Arabia was meant to only be seen in widescreen verzion. The magnificence of the way the desert looks so vast, endless & desolate.

 

[SueM in MN]

So true. Very few directors nowadays utilize the widescreen format to it's fullest.

When you see a lot of old movies editted for TV, you'll see a character halfway off the screen or completely missing from the shot, but is talking.

I love the original the Star Wars films when they released it in widescreen. Laurence Of Arabia was meant to only be seen in widescreen verzion. The magnificence of the way the desert looks so vast, endless & desolate.

They do put the action into the middle of the screen (sort of), but the effec t is still very different even with new movies watching them fullscreen or widescreen.
Here's a
link to a page that has links that show the difference in screen shots of real movies.
The ones they show from The Lord of the Rings movies are pretty dramatic differences.