DVD Talk review of 'Prime Suspect 6'

[DavidM]

I read Gil Jawetz's DVD review of Prime Suspect 6 at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=10907 and... your comment that the interview is in 'anamorphic widescreen, for some reason' belies the fact that the show itself should have been presented in widescreen. Pretty much all British terrestrial TV (bar a few exceptions) is now produced in widescreen, and this episode has been presented in its original aspect ratio on the UK region 2 DVD.

[Gil Jawetz]

I was wondering about that. The clips in the interview segment looked very nice but I wasn't sure if they were cropped or original. I didn't have a chance to A/B it. It's really a shame that they handled it like that. I'll add a note to the review.

Thanks for writing!

[Randy Miller III]

Gil,

I encountered the same problem when I reviewed Mr. Bean, The Animated Series (Vol. 1)...it's supposed to be 1.85:1, but Region 1 got the shaft. Luckily, a kind reader pointed it out almost immediately. :)

[DavidM]

I think that was me too :) sorry I changed my e-mail and couldn't get my old account details. So much British TV today is produced in widescreen and yet very little of it seems to translate to DVD that way overseas. Even in the UK, though, non-digital broadcasts (some viewers have yet to upgrade) are usually shown in a 14:9 compromise, and many digital broadcasts have the option to apply a pan-and-scan option for those bothered by the black bars. I would usually argue that the widescreen frame isn't used to its full potential in many broadcasts (although I cannot comment on this particular episode) but nonetheless the show is still primarily composed for widescreen and it's a shame that the original aspect ratio has not been maintained.