Widescreen or Fullscreen?

[TickTockMan]

How do you like to watch movies?

 

[Beachguyj]

I prefer widescreen. On my computer (connected to a 42"LCD TV) I usually will watch fullscreen and change the aspect ratio so if there is a bar at the bottom or top I'm fine. What bugs me more is if the ratio is off and the people are stretched out.

Today I watched a movie at a friends house on his VCR and I had to make the screen smaller because the subtitles didn't show up otherwise. It was a burned DVD.

I like to watch the movie as the director intended without any of the side areas cut off.

 

[Kabluey]

Widescreen - prefer it just as the filmmakers intended it to look

 

[morgaes]

Original aspect ratio.

 

[AbnormalDann]

Full-screen.

 

[GamerBear]

I remember I always got pissed off when I bought a DVD and it turned out to be Fullscreen. I am glad that all my Blu-Ray movies are widescreen and they don't play that widescreen / fullscreen bullshit like they did with DVD.

 

[fetaby]

What I really wish would happen is that a widescreen movie fit my TV screen. It's rectangular, the movie is rectangular... Why are there black bars still on the screen? Why is the TV called a wide screen?

As far as what the director intended? Unless they have final cut you're not seeing what the director intended, whatever ratio you choose.

 

[looseliam]

Todd-AO please.

 

[fetaby]

Basically, the rectangle of our hi-def TVs are not as long as movies. A rectangle is not a fixed ratio.

In movie theaters the wider screen looks better. But in our living rooms the not-so-side screen of our hi-def TVs actually looks better for watching TV. The problem occurs when we want to enjoy the wider movie theater aspect ratio in our homes on our TVs that are mostly used for regular TV programming.

Imagine how much worse the problem was on the older TVs that were more square-like with a much smaller resolution. That's why movies used to be all full-screen because widescreen would have been too low res and just a relatively narrow strip across the screen.

Hang with me on this one ok?

IF the people who make movies, and the people who make TV's could for just a minute get together and talk about this shit amongst themselves I wouldn't have a problem.

I remember when widescreen movies became a popular home viewing format and the extra viewable space on either side was supposed to give a truer idea of how the movie was made. Blech...

But I'm not buying that the ratios can't be synched up.

They can put satellites in space and split the atom but they can't make the black bars on the movie go away? Bullshit.

 

[Jayden]

Widescreen for sure.

 

[Soilwork]

Considering they haven't sold TVs in the aspect ratio of "full screen" in years, what used to be called "Full screen" is now an almost square picture with two black bars on either side of the screen.

This question stopped making sense in about 2008.

Since it's now the "wide screen" movies that take up the "full screen."

 

[fetaby]

Considering they haven't sold TVs in the aspect ratio of "full screen" in years, what used to be called "Full screen" is now an almost square picture with two black bars on either side of the screen.

This question stopped making sense in about 2008.

Since it's now the "wide screen" movies that take up the "full screen."

Which still do not take up the full screen.

 

[fetaby]

You have to. It's kind of like saying you're not buying that a square can't fit into a circular hole of the same length/diameter. You can if you shave some off the sides, or squish it, but that's about it.

Fine, other direction.

I'm not buying that a tv that can produce the same ratio as a movie can't be manufactured.

 

[morgaes]

Fine, other direction.

I'm not buying that a tv that can produce the same ratio as a movie can't be manufactured.

They can. That's the whole point of the black parts above and below/right and left of the film!

A film/TV show should always be watched in the original intended aspect ratio whether it is 4:3, 16:9 or whatever. I'd rather have some blackness surrounding the video than having it stretched into awkward proportions or having parts of the video never intended for viewing visible.

 

[fetaby]

There are TVs like that.

But when you watch regular TV you run into the same problem. There's now black bars on the each side, instead of top or bottom. Or, some of the top or bottom are cut out and you're not seeing the full picture.

I know it's annoying but that's the way they do it.

Cool. Know any good brands?

I won't have to worry about the black bars while watching television shows because I don't watch them.

 

[fetaby]

You're awesome.

 

[Soilwork]

Which still do not take up the full screen.

Well no, they do. Unless they're letterbox movies in which case, yes, there are still black fields at the top and bottom.

but standard HD ratio... that takes up the full screen.

 

[roadtripboy]

^This

I don't like the format they picked for HDTV. It was picked because of wide spread lobbying from Zenith who invented it. (Now owned by LG).

I'm afraid were stuck with a format that has many problems. This just being one.

 

[Beachguyj]

Fine, other direction.

I'm not buying that a tv that can produce the same ratio as a movie can't be manufactured.

TV is mostly for TV shows and they are filmed in the old TV format. A TV for widescreen theatrical release (2.31:1 CinemaScope) movies can be made, but it would be a waste of extra space on the side when watching regular TV.

 

[Paws]

1920x1200 pixels.