Wide screen vs full screen

[The Disney Bunch]

I am asking this here because I don't know here else to ask! I am looking to buy the Harry Potter films for my parents on DVD - they own them on VHS but since we gave them a DVD player last Christmas, I thought I would start to change their favorite VHS films to DVD.

Then I get the selection of wide screen vs full screen. Can anyone explain the difference to me? I really don't know & I don't want to buy the wrong one! Thanks!!

 

[HayGan]

My understanding is that widescreen provides more of the picture on the sides therefore gving you more of the original look of the film (like in the theaters.) Full screen versions have to crop off part of the side images to properly fit the image on the entire screen.

I always buy the widescreen!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

IMHO I hate Wide Screen. I do not need to see the sides of the picture when at the top and bottom are wide black bands! The picture is smaller even though it is wider. I doubt you parents would like to deal with the annoying bands at the top and bottom. I bet about 1/3 to 2/3 of the screen are just wasted space!

I had Phantom of the Opera in Wide and I jsut bought it in full the other day and the difference in detail is unbelievable.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

wide screen is in proper aspect ration while full screen is "formatted to fit your screen". A television screen and movie theater screen are in 2 different aspect ratios. IIRC--tv is 4:3 and movies are shot in two standardized ratios: 1.85:1 or 2.33:1 ...HDTV (or widescreen tv's) are 16:9. (I googled. )

Essentially--with widescreen format--you will get most (if not all) of the image as it was originally presented. Full screen--the sides are chopped off. I saw Grease and Dirty Dancing on the re-release in theaters and WOW--so much was chopped of in the reformatting.

Some don't like the wide screen b/c they dont' want to watch the letter box (that is how the widescreen image is able to fit on a regular television). So if your parents wouldn't mind the letter box, widescreen is best IMHO.

Not too up on current technology--but supposedly the widescreen movies can be shown on a wide screen tv without the letterbox (we watched one movie this way and my BIL's house this weekend). But I am not sure how they did that--too many buttons were pushed and I lost track.

HTH

ETA: Just saw your post---on the weblink I looked up--they actually say that there is more detail and crispness in the wide screen...but I suppose if you don't have a large television--it woudl be difficult to discern b/c of the black box.

Films are shot with a movie screen in mind and not a television screen.

 

[Disneyglobegirl]

It really is a personal preference - I prefer widescreen and always buy widescreen. You lose some of your picture on the full screen because they crop the movie to fit the full screen. I think I would go by what size tv they have - if they have a smaller TV I would go with fullscreen, if they have a big screen or widescreen TV go with the wide screen version.

 

[nbodyhome]

I prefer widescreen because you see everything - that is what I buy when I have the choice. I don't notice the bars after a very short while of watching. I don't like to miss so much of the film, and full screen cuts out a lot.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

Thank you so much! This explains a lot! I think I am going to go with the wide screen- my parents have a pretty big tv. Thank you so much again! I knew I could depend upon DIS-ers to come through!

 

[RoyalCanadian]

There is a website out there, somewhere on the World Wide Web, which shows just how much of the picture is lost when "pan & scan" (a.k.a. "fullscreen") is the choice of preference. I wish I had the URL -- but it is amazing to see just what is cut out in "pan & scan." Indeed, Bella is correct -- the difference is unbelievable to see just how much of the movie is missed when pan & scan is the choice.

I am one of the parents who much prefers the widescreen aspect in which these movies were produced and intended to be viewed. Despite Bella's assertion that I probably wouldn't want to deal with the bars - I don't even notice the bars. The cabinet of my Toshiba CRT TV is black -- the bars are black -- there is nothing to see. DD (5 years old) doesn't seem to have an opinion on the matter -- she has never mentioned any problems with watching a widescreen movie vs. a full-screen movie.

There was another website I once saw in which the site owner was convinced that widescreen movies on full-screen TVs were actually censorship. "What is being blacked out by the black bars" was the essential question of the website. It would have been hilarious if the website owner wasn't so serious.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There was another website I once saw in which the site owner was convinced that widescreen movies on full-screen TVs were actually censorship. "What is being blacked out by the black bars" was the essential question of the website. It would have been hilarious if the website owner wasn't so serious.

So where was he in the "formatted to fit your screen days"? I mean-they chopped off part of Sandy's head in Grease a number of times. Was it a bad hair day? I mean--it is censorship to not really let us see how her hair really was at all points in the movie.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Was this the site (actually this link is an article about the site that i think you are talking about--they have an archival link to the site that I haven't checked, YET.)

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/15/004325.php

ETA: the guy is a certifiable loon.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

So where was he in the "formatted to fit your screen days"? I mean-they chopped off part of Sandy's head in Grease a number of times. Was it a bad hair day? I mean--it is censorship to not really let us see how her hair really was at all points in the movie.

Here is a website showing exactly what you have just mentioned.

Found another website that suggests 30% - 50% of the movie is lost in pan & scan. I have yet to find a "fullscreen" movie that costs 30% - 50% less than the anamorphic widescreen version.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thanks for that link---too funny!

I think the 30-50% is a bit high..but evidently--filmmakers can choose different filming formats--and perhaps that lends to the dispairity.

 

[SueM in MN]

That was funny to see 1/2 of Sandy.

Here's a site that has some other comparisons. They used actual screenshots from the widescreen versions and fullscreen versions.

 

[MAH4546]

Of note is that modern televisions are now being made in widescreen. The 4:3 television is going the way of the dinosaur in today's market. 16:9 televisions let you watch widescreen without the black bars.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

Wow What a difference! I am really glad I asked- I am going to get wide screen for everything - I like being able to see the entire picture.

 

[Debbie]

I used to think that I would hate the black bars, too. My DSs (teenagers) insisted that they were right. Watch this, Mom. And they were right. After about 22 seconds, I was so enthralled with the movie that I didn't notice the black bars. A lot of movies have both on them, and if they don't I choose wide screen. The link to Grease was great. NOW I know why the kids insisted.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

I am asking this here because I don't know here else to ask! I am looking to buy the Harry Potter films for my parents on DVD - they own them on VHS but since we gave them a DVD player last Christmas, I thought I would start to change their favorite VHS films to DVD. Then I get the selection of wide screen vs full screen. Can anyone explain the difference to me? I really don't know & I don't want to buy the wrong one! Thanks!

If you go and rent "The Interpreter" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373926/combined and look at the Extras, the director Sydney Pollack explains the difference and how most directors prefer Widescreen, it is very interesting to watch and helps reinforce why I only buy Widescreen.
Also, I feel that someday (soon?) all TV will be in the widescreen format.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Buy the widescreen. In the future all TVs will have the 16:9 aspect ratio. A full screen movie will have bars on the side on a 16:9 TV. If the TV is small then full looks better, but TVs are getting bigger all the time.

 

[BankBunny]

I always go widescreen when I can. I bought The Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets in a combo pack and didn't realize until later that one was full screen and one was wide screen. If I remeber correctly I did a search on Amazon.com and Sorcerer's Stone is only available in full screen. I"m sure that they will love them no matter which version you get them.

 

[Razor Roman]

the other benefit of widescreen DVDs (well, more specifically Anamorphic widescreen but thats basically any DVD thats widescreen made after 2000) is that when you buy a Widescreen TV in the future (they all will be) they will look great on the new set. If you get the fullscreen now, when you watch on a widescreen set you will get bars on the left and right of the image, or even worse you have to "zoom in" on the picture (chopping off the top and bottom) or stretch the picture to fill the screen which makes everybody look fat.

if you have the Sleeping Beauty DVD there is a great piece with Andreas Deja showing just how much artwork is cut out when a movie is transferred from Cinemascope Widescreen to Full Frame