Why no option for 16:9 or 4:3 on recent TV show releases?
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Why no option for 16:9 or 4:3 on recent TV show releases?
So recently I was looking to buy the complete series of Buffy and deliberated over getting the R1 box which is all fullscreen or the R2 box which has later seasons in widescreen. I know the argument is that the fullscreen version is the true OAR, but it was still worthy considering. But I realized, how stupid is it that I have to make this decision? Why are shows that are originally shown in HDTV released on DVD in fullframe even when there is no real "official" OAR? Pretty much all of these shows are centercut from 16:9 to give us the 4:3 version. So what would be so difficult in releasing DVDs with the widescreen transfers and an option to present them in 4:3? Most widscreen DVDs come with a menu that is 16:9 on a widescreen TV and centercut for a 4:3 TV, so this is clearly an option thats just not being used. Is there a reason that studios are so clueless as to not take advantage of the format? I guess the argument can be made that maybe the creators only want the show seen a certain way, but if thats the case, why release it the other way in other regions, and why present it in widescreen at all if you dont like it?
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Originally Posted by Thunderball
because OAR is the right AR?
#7
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Originally Posted by critterdvd
Buffy wasn't filmed in HD
I've seen numerous examples from the unmatted R2 release where things were visible at the edges of the 16:9 screen that weren't meant to be seen --- equipment, matte boxes, crew members, etc.
Just because the mattes can be removed, doesn't mean they shoud be.
Originally Posted by ENDContra
Pretty much all of these shows are centercut from 16:9 to give us the 4:3 version. So what would be so difficult in releasing DVDs with the widescreen transfers and an option to present them in 4:3?
Add to that the expense of offering an entire TV series in both OAR and MAR, and the cost would be considerable. All the episodes would have to mastered twice --- that's a hundred and some episodes of Buffy. Why should the studio go to that expense on a TV show where the creator has made it clear which he prefers?
Widescreen isn't better just because it's widescreen. What matters is how the image was framed by the cinematographer.
Last edited by Mr. Salty; 04-08-06 at 01:30 AM.
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^No, they only need to be mastered once, then the DVD player either displays it widescreen or does a centercut on the fly to give you 4:3. This does not require any extra work other than adding an option to a menu screen.
How many 4:3 TVs would take advantage of this though? I imagine that if there is a difference, most people wouldnt even notice it.
As for whats the right image, although Buffy is what got me thinking about this, a show like the final season of Frasier or The King of Queens would be a perfect example of a show where the option should exist, since both were filmed in front of an audience and basically framed on the fly. Plus, the OAR to me is 16:9, since I saw both originally in widescreen.
Originally Posted by Drexl
It could be done, but the quality of the 4x3 option would suffer some due to the loss of horizontal resolution.
As for whats the right image, although Buffy is what got me thinking about this, a show like the final season of Frasier or The King of Queens would be a perfect example of a show where the option should exist, since both were filmed in front of an audience and basically framed on the fly. Plus, the OAR to me is 16:9, since I saw both originally in widescreen.
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No, they only need to be mastered once, then the DVD player either displays it widescreen or does a centercut on the fly to give you 4:3. This does not require any extra work other than adding an option to a menu screen.
It was attempted behind the scenes, but required too much programing and didn't work properly on all players.
For all intents and purposes, it was a delusional lame duck option that was created by engineers, that never worked in the practicle world.
fitrpod
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Originally Posted by fitprod
Ok... It's been nine years since DVD was introduced, please accept this fact... Even though the option was written into the specifications, Pan & Scan on the fly isn't going to happen.
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regardless...i'm annoyed at this as well.
Law and Order is being released 4:3...and I have a feeling Will & Grace (when and IF they ever get to the HD seasons) will also be full screen. Overseas they are which surprises me.
Law and Order is being released 4:3...and I have a feeling Will & Grace (when and IF they ever get to the HD seasons) will also be full screen. Overseas they are which surprises me.
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I'd love to live in a fantasy world where money is no object, unfortunately my bills always blow up the world.
I've seen the supplements for Incredibles, and even Blow from New Line, which do this, it's a cool deal. But for these projects your talking about about and hour or two of material at most. What studio is going to spend money on re-transfering 10 1/2 to 70 hours (depending on how long the show has run) of programing, for a limited retrun on investment.
Should Buena Vista start releasing Scrubs with masters including the black bars on the side for HD TV? Or should they save millions of dollars recycling the same 4 X 3 masters that are used for broadcast?
Then of course we have the fools at Universal that actually re-transfered House for letterboxed 4 X 3 masters, when anamorphic HD masters already exist.
fitrpod
I've seen the supplements for Incredibles, and even Blow from New Line, which do this, it's a cool deal. But for these projects your talking about about and hour or two of material at most. What studio is going to spend money on re-transfering 10 1/2 to 70 hours (depending on how long the show has run) of programing, for a limited retrun on investment.
Should Buena Vista start releasing Scrubs with masters including the black bars on the side for HD TV? Or should they save millions of dollars recycling the same 4 X 3 masters that are used for broadcast?
Then of course we have the fools at Universal that actually re-transfered House for letterboxed 4 X 3 masters, when anamorphic HD masters already exist.
fitrpod
Last edited by fitprod; 04-09-06 at 09:30 AM.
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I was under the impression that some US distributors were beginning to withdraw widescreen DVDs in order to push HD widescreen releases as an "upmarket" product to enthusiasts.
Here is a nice little example, I compiled, of a movie shot on 35mm and released on DVD in 4:3 (faded) by Momentum Pictures UK and widescreen (solid) by Blue Underground USA. I prefer the uncropped 4:3 UK version, as the USA release has a lot of heads cropped off.
Here is a nice little example, I compiled, of a movie shot on 35mm and released on DVD in 4:3 (faded) by Momentum Pictures UK and widescreen (solid) by Blue Underground USA. I prefer the uncropped 4:3 UK version, as the USA release has a lot of heads cropped off.
Last edited by sarah99; 04-09-06 at 04:35 AM.
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While I appreciate any offerings in HD, some older shows that were composed for 4:3 don't look good when redone at 16:9 such as Quantum Leap on UHD. I find myself preferring the DVD versions in 4:3 SD. HOWEVER, any of the new shows that were composed for HD/16:9 should absolutely be released in widescreen format on DVD. If someone doesn't want the "black bars" on their 4:3 TV, almost every DVD player available today has some sort of zoom feature.