What's a quick, simple way to explain "anamorphic" to the uninformed?
 

Whenever I explain what anamorphic means to someone who knows little about DVD, I usually go into too much detail and end up confusing them even more. This is expecially true when the person doesn't understand aspect ratios. If it takes too long to get the idea across, they tune out. So what is the easiest, quickest way to make "J6P" (or whatever other names you have for them) understand the concept of anamorphic DVD? Can it be done in 2 or 3 sentences?

I have always thought that if a disc is anamorphic you won't get the bars on the top or bottom on a widescreen TV, if it is non-anamorphic you get the bars like on a normal tv but the picture will be smaller. It only affects widescreen tvs. Thats how i've always understood it.

The best way I find is to show them on a WS set. Show them an anamorphic DVD on WS set then show them a non anamorphic DVD on the WS set. Seeing is believing.

Fyi,

This is incorrect! movies shot in 2:35 OAR (which are most films) still have the black bars on a widescreen set but don`t take away from the overall enjoyment..

Lawrence Of Arabia is a perfect example why ALL movies should be viewed on a widescreen set it looks great and uses the entire screen..

There are hundreds of other of course but that one always stands out for me everytime I watch it

I use to have a 43 inch set b4 and it doesn`t even compare..The only down side is now I`m stuck with having to watch my tv box sets (Buffy,STNG) with the grey bars on the side..It`s a bit odd at first but you get use to it..

Once you buy a widescreen set you really only want to watch 16X9 anamorphic content as much as possible

Cheers!

Just say something like, it allows for a better quality picture and if you have a Widescreen TV then it should be able to take full advantage of this. If they don't have a Widescreen then they may have the option of reducing the amount of the black space that appears on-screen without buying a special copy - thereby future proofing the purchase in case they upgrade.

How's this:
 

Anamorphic video encodes only the portion of the picture that would be viewed on a widescreen set, thereby taking full advantage of the vertical resolution of widescreen sets by not encoding (or encoding less of) the "black bars". When an anamorphic widescreen movie is played back on a standard TV, the DVD player puts the "black bars" back in.

If they're still interested, send them here: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...hic/index.html

Malticor hits the nail on the head. Even without a WS TV, anamorphic is still superior as it uses all efforts in making the picture and none in creating black bars. No waste, better picture.

Welcome, Malticor, cool new member(?). Here a year and still new, eh? Anyway, GOOD ANSWER !

It doesn't affect just widescreen TVs. Many Sony (and some other brands) 4:3 sets have an anamorphic squeeze mode. So you can have a standard TV set and still gain the higher-quality resolution of an anamorphic transfer.

Exactly what I was thinking because I have a 4:3 50" Toshiba that does "the squeeze".

Your statement is a bit misleading. To benefit from an anamorphic transfer you must use a WS TV or a 4:3 set that supports <i>anamporphic squeeze</i>. On a conventional 4:3 there is zero additional resolution over a non-anamorphic transfer.

You can always just direct them to this link:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...c/welcome.html

Actually, there would be LESS resolution with an anamorphic on a conventional set since you're combining every 4 lines of vertical resolution into 3 until the correct aspect ratio is achieved.

Non-anamorphics have every line intact.

True. But assuming a 2.35:1 movie, on a conventional TV the downconverted image is still composed of 360 vertical lines--the same as non-anamorphic.

There is less resolution than the same disc played on a widescreen set.

An anamorphic DVD downconverted to 4:3 letterbox winds up with the exact same amount of resolution as if it had been a non-anamorphic transfer.

If LOA fills your entire 1.78:1 viewing area (without zooming) then you have some serious overscan going on with your set and you need to have it adjusted correctly (~ 5% on all sides). The LOA transfer is ~ 2.20:1, you should still be seeing some black bars. Or maybe I'm just reading this statement wrong.

Other than that, I agree with ya, mostly. A good 16X9 is the only way to view anamorphic DVDs. I still have a 36" tube for my 4X3 material but my 16X9 looks outstanding on anamorphic discs. However, I wouldn't personally use LOA as a demo type disc to show off a 16X9. The cinematography is, no doubt, stunning but the transfer is still hit and miss with me... It's possible that the (supposed) upcoming Superbit of LOA could improve on some of the shortcomings, but I doubt it.

Now that I've gotten <i>waaaaaaaaaaay</i> off topic here... Um... I agree with everyone else on the short answer for the term anamorphic. ;)

My J6P quick explanation (what do you think?):

When TV began to compete with film, films went widescreen.

To achieve a superwide image a special lens is used on the camera that distorts a wide image by compresing space horizontically to fit it on non-wide size film strips. When the non-wide film strip is projected in a theater, a similar lens is used to uncompress the image on the screen.

All of this is done digitally with DVD mastering of the image.

Right. I was being self centered, thinking of my Sony. Sorry.

Anamorphic lenses used during photography have nothing to do with anamorphic enhancement on DVD. Two separate processes. Similar in concept, but not the same thing.

Any movie with an aspect ratio 1.66:1 or greater can be anamorphically enhanced on DVD, regardless of its original photographic process. See the link I posted above for a full explanation.

Like Josh Z said, this is not the same thing as "enhanced for 16:9 sets" (the kind of anamorphic we're talking about). I don’t know who the hell decided to use the term anamorphic to mean enhanced for 16:9 tvs, but they should be shot. The concepts are so similar that confusion is inevitable.

On the rare occasions when this topic comes up, I just say the process makes DVDs look better on WS TV’s and leave it at that. If they want to know more then I explain it in detail—but the simple answer seems to satisfy most of the people I’ve encountered.

If I got a 4x3 hdtv, would I get the black bars on the top and bottom for shows in hdtv widescreen?
Also can't the grey bars distroy the tv over time.

Just want everyone to know that I have a 27 inch Sony Vega and I do the anamorphic squeeze and the difference is VERY noticeable. Much more detailed picture! Very nice!

Take a bag of pennies to Best Buy. Grab all the Fox Demo DVD's you can find. Hand them out.

Seriously, they've got a great explanation and demonstration of anamorphic and such on the disk.

We've got a 32" and a 36" Sony WEGA with 16x9 Enhanced Mode and I always use that mode. There's just a huge difference in the resolution between the matted versions and the anamorphic versions.

Yes. Your TV has an apect ratio of 1.33:1. HDTV content has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. You may notice that these two are not the same number.

The process is called burn-in. It is a concern with rear projection televisions, but if you properly calibrate your Brightness and Contrast settings using a disc like Avia or Video Essentials you should be OK. Most people who get burn-in have their Contrast set way too high.