masetodd

I just read the review and it brought up a sore subject:

Why the hell do Widescreen Edition DVDs present their Bonus Material in Fullscreen??

Probably 99% of the DVDs on the market do this. Is it because its just easier to film in 4:3? Or do the studios actually think that people who buy the widescreen versions are watching them on 4:3 screens?

But hey, all this will be fixed when High Def DVD comes out in a year or two, right? [assuming the upcoming format war doesn't kill the market]

Signed,
-a frustrated consumer

PixyJunket

Bonus features are shown in their OAR.

Romerojpg

I guess yes most will be old stuff and was filmed fullscreen, so thats ok. But I am sure a few things are new, but again maybe they did it for consistency?

I would rather have it fullscreen, rather than badly cropped for widesceen mind you

Groucho

I thought you were going to complain "Not enough discs."

Jackskeleton

because perhaps that is their OAR.

another one of these threads already this week? NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE IN WS. WIDE SCREEN DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE ANYTHING BETTER. ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO is what you need to pay attention to!

GAAAAAH!


signed
-guy going through murderous rage

Groucho

You know what would sooth that rage? More discs.

Romerojpg

yeah 3 more at least, the CD's for each film?

Artman

I always prefer 16:9 bonus materials. Lucasfilm crops it's vintage footage for it's documentaries, even though it's probably all 4:3.

Mr. Salty

Most bonus material footage is shot with standard-def 4:3 video cameras. Although many consumer-level camcorders offer a 16:9 ration, it's usually just a cropped 4:3 image, resulting in lower resolution. Professional HD cameras with a native 16:9 aspect ratio are still expensive and hard to come by, so I doubt most studios are willing to fork over the bucks for bonus material.

Jason Bovberg

At least the two new documentaries on Disc 8 ("The Roots of the Matrix") are presented in anamorphic widescreen. I don't really mind that just about all the other supplements are fullscreen (my player automatically adjusts aspect ratio), but I like when the effort is made to create widescreen supplements.

Jackskeleton

20 disc Matrix UE 2.5 on its way in 2006?

cross

While we're at it .. why isn't all bonus material in DTS sound?

RyoHazuki

No alternate angles on the interviews = No sale

Duder

I prefer it too. Granted, I don't have a widescreen TV (yet), but there's just something about that ratio that's inherently more aesthetic and pleasing to the eye. The LOTR:EE documentaries are also all in 16:9, and somehow this just makes them look that much more polished and professional. Now don't get me wrong--if we're talking about an old, pre-existing documentary, it should remain in its OAR; but in the current age, when making new bonus materials, all else being equal, 16:9 simply looks better. (Plus it's planning for the future, when everyone will have 16:9 displays floating in the centers of their chrome-walled living rooms.)

Mike Lowrey

No auto "audio button" switches to commentary tracks from 5.1 tracks = No sale.

Qui Gon Jim

Yup! OAR is the key. Wanna know what bugs me though? Widescreen extras that are not Anamorphic. I was watching Fahrenheit 9/11 and some of the trailers were anamorphic, but most weren't, including the trailer for the film itself.

Adrenaline

No commentaries on the bonus content = No Sale

But seriously, I don't mind having the extra content in full screen. I'm in a different mind set when I watch extra content, I'm not watching it for entertainment, but to learn.