Full screen is the same as saying 4:3 (squarish picture), relating to the original Academy standard for film and analog television.
Shows like 24 (one of my personal favorites) are shot in a cinema like widescreen ratio, which means that the width to height proportion of the image is far wider than a square TV. This leaves black bars at the top and bottom of the screen on a square TV, but will perfectly fit one of the newer widescreen TVs.
The full screen editions of movies and shows like 24 are ran through a process known as "pan and scan". This process chops off the sides in certain proportions, resulting in a 4:3 image when complete. While this is favorable for those who wish to eliminate black bars from their lives, it also a great deal of the image and destroys the cinematic effect of the show.
Which one you should be using depends on your situation. If you are an owner of a widescreen (rectangle shaped) TV set, the widescreen edition is really what you want to have. If you own a 4:3 (square shaped) TV, the choice is ultimately yours... full screen if you don't want to see black bars, widescreen if you want to see the show as created.
TechLore has some articles and quicktips related to this subject. You may want to read them for more information:
My personal opinion is that no matter what kind of TV you have, if the original source was shot in a widescreen aspect ratio, that's the way you should watch it because you're seeing what the director/cinematographer intended you to see.
Of course, I can't convince my parents of this, so like Matt said, it's up to you.
My wife and I totally disagree on this, but I'd rather watch all of the movie on some of the screen than some of the movie on all of the screen. As you can imagine, Christmas DVD's from the in-laws sometimes get back-shelf treatment. :-/
Pan 'n scan really doesn't get you what was intended and once you're aware of it, you can't get it out of your mind. 16:9 if possible and let 4x3 fall in the middle . . . easier to deal with black/gray curtains when you get a full image on widescreen - IMHO
Although watching Pan 'n scan can be fun if you want to laugh at some really bad 'fake' pans. If you watch closly, you can see some very unnatural pans when the original was shot to take full advantage of the wide screen and the pan 'n scan version has to pan back and forth across the wide screen image.
Sooo if I'm still in the stone age of TV's like my 36" XBR 300lb tank... but I still buy DVD's that are 16:9 widescreen, this makes sence right!?!... cause some day I'll get a TV like the...
With any type of tv, I still would prefer the widescreen version. The fake pans are terrible.
One cool thing though, is the movie A Bug's Life. On one disc, they put out both versions. The cool tech part is that since the movie was completely digital, they recomposited the entire movie to fit a 4x3 screen size.
That's okay. You can actually edit your posting. Click "Edit Post" in the blue header and make your adjustment. This is a great feature if you wish to fix a tiny error you may have missed in your posts.
Rotab, that could probably be a thread all by itself. I'd be willing to bet you'd get all sorts of...interesting...responses. Just tell everyone to be nice. :-)
I just don't understand why 16:9 movies do not fill the entire 16:9 screen. This frustrates me and is why I still sometimes purchase fullscreen dvd's. I didn't pay $3500 for a t.v. with an outstanding picture to have black bars at the top and bottom. I prefer the full plasma screen in all its glory as opposed to part of it. If I were using a projector it probably would not matter but the picture would not be as good.
Derrick said:
I just don't understand why 16:9 movies do not fill the entire 16:9 screen. This frustrates me and is why I still sometimes purchase fullscreen dvd's. I didn't pay $3500 for a t.v. with an outstanding picture to have black bars at the top and bottom. I prefer the full plasma screen in all its glory as opposed to part of it. If I were using a projector it probably would not matter but the picture would not be as good.
Hi Derrick, welcome to TechLore! Glad to have you as a part of the Community!
Double check the specs on the widescreen movie you have. It's possible that the movies that don't fill the entire screen are actually Cinemascope movies. These have a ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.4:1, which is actually wider than widescreen TVs. Small black bars at the top and bottom of the screen is normal for these types of movies. Movies filmed in the 1.85:1 ratio should fit a widescreen TV perfectly. To learn more about the various aspect ratios and what they should look like on your set read: How various DVD aspect ratios will appear on your TV screen
What's more confusing, is often studios add the words "enhanced for 16x9 TVs". This doesn't mean the movie will fit perfectly on a widescreen set, but that the video is "anamorphic". Another confusing tech term to say the least, so rather than getting into the full technical details about what it actually means, it basically means that it uses the maximum amount of resolution for picture quality when displayed on widescreen TVs.
Why Anamorphic? As Matt said, If you've looked at the back of a DVD case these days, you've probably seen all the bewildering terminology: 16x9, anamorphic widescreen, enhanced for widescreen TVs… the list goes on and on. They're all referring to the same thing. Simply put, anamorphic widescreen is a special feature of DVD, that means that the video on the disc packs the most resolution possible by the TV standards of today and the near future. Mind you, we're not talking about high-definition television-like resolution. While there have been technology demonstrations of HD-DVD (High-Definition DVD), most industry experts believe that such a format is more than a decade away, at the very best case. There are several reasons for this. First of all, it will likely be years before the DVD Consortium (the industry alliance that oversees the DVD format) agrees to an official HD-DVD standard. Second, bringing HD-DVD to the consumer marketplace at affordable levels will require breakthroughs in blue-laser technology, which are only now beginning to happen in the laboratories of the major electronics manufacturers. Finally there are VERY serious digital piracy and copyright concerns that must be addressed on behalf of the Hollywood studios and other content providers before they'll feel comfortable releasing movies on disc in high-definition. This has become a particular concern in light of the recent hacking of DVD's current CSS encryption scheme. But here's the cool thing about current DVD technology: by mastering widescreen movies on DVD using the format's anamorphic feature, content providers can ensure that today's DVDs will look great even on tomorrow's Digital TVs (which are starting to become available now). So in the same way that consumers will enjoy even greater audio quality from their DVDs by upgrading to Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-capable audio equipment, And even if you don't have a new widescreen TV, you can still enjoy some of the quality benefits of anamorphic right now on your current TV. To knowledgeable DVD fans, seeing the terms "16x9" or "anamorphic" on a disc is like having the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It tells them that in today's blistering consumer electronics marketplace, where change and obsolescence can happen in the blink of an eye, the DVD they're spending their hard-earned cash on is at least a little future-proof.
Full screen is the same as saying 4:3 (squarish picture), relating to the original Academy standard for film and analog television.
Shows like 24 (one of my personal favorites) are shot in a cinema like widescreen ratio, which means that the width to height proportion of the image is far wider than a square TV. This leaves black bars at the top and bottom of the screen on a square TV, but will perfectly fit one of the newer widescreen TVs.
The full screen editions of movies and shows like 24 are ran through a process known as "pan and scan". This process chops off the sides in certain proportions, resulting in a 4:3 image when complete. While this is favorable for those who wish to eliminate black bars from their lives, it also a great deal of the image and destroys the cinematic effect of the show.
Which one you should be using depends on your situation. If you are an owner of a widescreen (rectangle shaped) TV set, the widescreen edition is really what you want to have. If you own a 4:3 (square shaped) TV, the choice is ultimately yours... full screen if you don't want to see black bars, widescreen if you want to see the show as created.
TechLore has some articles and quicktips related to this subject. You may want to read them for more information:
How To Configure Your DVD Player For a Widescreen TV
Should I purchase a 'Full Screen' or 'Widescreen' DVDs?
How various DVD aspect ratios will appear on your TV screen
Make the Black Bars on Widescreen DVDs Less Annoying
My personal opinion is that no matter what kind of TV you have, if the original source was shot in a widescreen aspect ratio, that's the way you should watch it because you're seeing what the director/cinematographer intended you to see.
Of course, I can't convince my parents of this, so like Matt said, it's up to you.
My wife and I totally disagree on this, but I'd rather watch all of the movie on some of the screen than some of the movie on all of the screen. As you can imagine, Christmas DVD's from the in-laws sometimes get back-shelf treatment. :-/
Pan 'n scan really doesn't get you what was intended and once you're aware of it, you can't get it out of your mind. 16:9 if possible and let 4x3 fall in the middle . . . easier to deal with black/gray curtains when you get a full image on widescreen - IMHO
Although watching Pan 'n scan can be fun if you want to laugh at some really bad 'fake' pans. If you watch closly, you can see some very unnatural pans when the original was shot to take full advantage of the wide screen and the pan 'n scan version has to pan back and forth across the wide screen image.
Sooo if I'm still in the stone age of TV's like my 36" XBR 300lb tank... but I still buy DVD's that are 16:9 widescreen, this makes sence right!?!... cause some day I'll get a TV like the...
Yes, I would say don't ever buy a non-widescreen DVD if you can avoid it.
With any type of tv, I still would prefer the widescreen version. The fake pans are terrible.
One cool thing though, is the movie A Bug's Life. On one disc, they put out both versions. The cool tech part is that since the movie was completely digital, they recomposited the entire movie to fit a 4x3 screen size.
Patrick, I think you mean that you would still prefer the widescreen version, since those are the ones without the fake pans.
Whoops. Maybe I should read my post before hitting "GO".
That's okay. You can actually edit your posting. Click "Edit Post" in the blue header and make your adjustment. This is a great feature if you wish to fix a tiny error you may have missed in your posts.
Wow... that Matt guy is sure helpful... it's almost like he's on this great site all-day! I think we need a nick name for the big guy.
Rotab, that could probably be a thread all by itself. I'd be willing to bet you'd get all sorts of...interesting...responses. Just tell everyone to be nice. :-)
You can call him anything you want, just dont call him late for dinner!
I just don't understand why 16:9 movies do not fill the entire 16:9 screen. This frustrates me and is why I still sometimes purchase fullscreen dvd's. I didn't pay $3500 for a t.v. with an outstanding picture to have black bars at the top and bottom. I prefer the full plasma screen in all its glory as opposed to part of it. If I were using a projector it probably would not matter but the picture would not be as good.
Hi Derrick, welcome to TechLore! Glad to have you as a part of the Community!
Double check the specs on the widescreen movie you have. It's possible that the movies that don't fill the entire screen are actually Cinemascope movies. These have a ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.4:1, which is actually wider than widescreen TVs. Small black bars at the top and bottom of the screen is normal for these types of movies. Movies filmed in the 1.85:1 ratio should fit a widescreen TV perfectly. To learn more about the various aspect ratios and what they should look like on your set read: How various DVD aspect ratios will appear on your TV screen
What's more confusing, is often studios add the words "enhanced for 16x9 TVs". This doesn't mean the movie will fit perfectly on a widescreen set, but that the video is "anamorphic". Another confusing tech term to say the least, so rather than getting into the full technical details about what it actually means, it basically means that it uses the maximum amount of resolution for picture quality when displayed on widescreen TVs.
Why Anamorphic? As Matt said, If you've looked at the back of a DVD case these days, you've probably seen all the bewildering terminology: 16x9, anamorphic widescreen, enhanced for widescreen TVs… the list goes on and on. They're all referring to the same thing. Simply put, anamorphic widescreen is a special feature of DVD, that means that the video on the disc packs the most resolution possible by the TV standards of today and the near future. Mind you, we're not talking about high-definition television-like resolution. While there have been technology demonstrations of HD-DVD (High-Definition DVD), most industry experts believe that such a format is more than a decade away, at the very best case. There are several reasons for this. First of all, it will likely be years before the DVD Consortium (the industry alliance that oversees the DVD format) agrees to an official HD-DVD standard. Second, bringing HD-DVD to the consumer marketplace at affordable levels will require breakthroughs in blue-laser technology, which are only now beginning to happen in the laboratories of the major electronics manufacturers. Finally there are VERY serious digital piracy and copyright concerns that must be addressed on behalf of the Hollywood studios and other content providers before they'll feel comfortable releasing movies on disc in high-definition. This has become a particular concern in light of the recent hacking of DVD's current CSS encryption scheme. But here's the cool thing about current DVD technology: by mastering widescreen movies on DVD using the format's anamorphic feature, content providers can ensure that today's DVDs will look great even on tomorrow's Digital TVs (which are starting to become available now). So in the same way that consumers will enjoy even greater audio quality from their DVDs by upgrading to Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-capable audio equipment, And even if you don't have a new widescreen TV, you can still enjoy some of the quality benefits of anamorphic right now on your current TV. To knowledgeable DVD fans, seeing the terms "16x9" or "anamorphic" on a disc is like having the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It tells them that in today's blistering consumer electronics marketplace, where change and obsolescence can happen in the blink of an eye, the DVD they're spending their hard-earned cash on is at least a little future-proof.