I know everybody here buys widescreen dvd but I only have a 20 inch tv and I hate having half my screen cut off. I can't get a bigger set since I am a college student and live in the dorm. I am open to any other suggestions.

Well you know, it's always personal preference. With a smaller TV it's almost understandable, but even when I had my 20" screen I personally still bought widescreen. If your relatively close to the TV, i think widescreen. If not, go with fullscreen if youd like. But in the future when your getting out of college youll have to remember that these fullscreen dvd's are going to stay with you and when you have a bigger TV you may wish you would have your dvd's purchased in widescreen instead. You could get a DVD player that has a zoom feature and kind of simulate fullscreen and put up with buying widescreen dvd's in the meantime, although I don't suggest that either as I found it zooming in takes away a little bit of quality, and some places where the picture would pan in a fullscreen feature, you won't have with your DVD just being zoomed in. There's a million different angles to take on this question, and it all boils down to just one thing ultimate: personal preference. If you're really itching to buy full screen, it's your personal decision, don't let us keep you As long as you know the difference and that you already know that you could be missing 33% of the actual picture of the film, and as long as you're decision is an educated one (meaning that at least you know the diff b/w what youd be buying) then it's your call. I can understand some people not wanting to watch wide on a smaller tv if they're especially not very close to it. My opinion is always widescreen, but you have my insight

Only if you say please.

mzupeman2 has some nice suggestions and observations. Before I read his post the first thing I thought was once you're out of college, you'll have this stack of fullscreen and then depression sets in.

If you don't want to sit closer to the TV here's a couple thoughts: Although it will limit your selections, maybe buy more DVDs that have both wide and fullscreen versions. Or just rent (Blockbuster, Netflix) fullscreen movies for now.

Tom had another good idea by just renting your films for now if you have access to. In college you may not have enough time to sit down and really watch a movie all that often anyway and if you're not working during college im sure your mom and dad won't mind hooking you up with a few bux every now and then just to rent movies. And I believe blockbuster has a big selection of fullscreen dvd's.

Bite the bullet.

I watched Lawrence of Arabia in widescreen on a 14" TV.

buy a dvd player with a Zoom feature and buy the Widescreen edition, then just zoom in... I used to have a 14" TV in my dorm and would watch all my widescreen discs on it... you just have to sit slightly closer... nothing like watching a movie in 5.1DD on the smallest screen ever....

MATT

Smaller TVs have much more overscan....which means...

when watching a (full screen) movie with a 2:35 aspect ratio, you are probably losing at least 55% of picture information. Are you sure you still want to watch fullscreen on there? I would much rather deal with a smaller image instead.

Blerg. When I was a struggling college student, I had a used laserdisc player plugged into a 19" GE, and never watched anything but widescreen. Stay with OAR, you're always bettter off.

Here's the deal, you're eventually going to graduate (one would hope). At this point what happens to all of those P&S movies, when you go out and buy a widescreen TV with your first work check?

Your movies are going to look like crap on that bad boy.

And The Graduate looks great in widescreen!

Just think how impressed your frat buddies will be when they see you watching the widescreen version of Animal House.

Yep. Eventually you will probably get a bigger TV (not even a widescreen, necessarily) on which you might want to watch widescreen movies. It's okay for you to buy Fullscreen, but it might result in you doing some selling and rebuying down the road, though.

No.

Heh, as you can clearly see as I said in my first post, it's all about personal preference, hehee

I watch DVDs on my 15" LCD screen and don't have a problem. Of course, 15" means 15", as opposed to CRT where 15" is really 13", and then overscan. And i guess it's a littler sharper at 1024x768...

I started collecting DVDs in August 1998, and for the next year and a half I watched them almost exclusively on a 13" computer monitor. And all that time, I bought nothing but OAR. Although in fairness, that was back when we didn't have dual WS and P&S releases(God I miss those days).

i have 20" TV in my bedroom...
don't have any problem at all with widescreen

just sit abit closer

I have a 20" TV, and I buy all Widescreen, when possible.

Sit closer, use the Zoom (a very cool feature I must add). But once you start watching in WS, you get used to it and don't even notice the black bars.

Either way, down the road, you're gonna want all your DVDs in widescreen anyways....no way I'm buying a bunch of DVDs I already own again just 'cause I had FS. That's the way I look at it.

Im suprised at the informational approach to the thread rather than "**** you *******! You j6P ruin my life!!! I have cancer because of you! Fullscreen has nuclear weapons pointed at the US!!!!!"

Most fullscreen DVDs can be directly traced back to Saddam Hussein.

I agree that an educated decision is the key.

Renting is actually a pretty good recomendation in your situation as a student. I also think it's important to remember that you will eventually be getting a widescreen TV. Do you want to deal with the bars for a few years now if you buy wide, or forever later if you buy full?

While you may hate losing part of the screen watching widescreen, you lose even more of the actual movie image by watching fullscreen. For some examples of full vs wide, check this page out.

As long as you know the consequences either way, it's your decision to make. My personal recommendation would be to never buy fullscreen movies, but to each their own...

I say rent bro or buy flicks with both OAR and FS,when you get a widescreen TV someday them FS DVDs will be fertilizer since you will have grey bars on the sides of your set instead of the black bars on WS now,it will be a mess if your collection is big.

Not to be harsh but...Be a man and make your own decisions. It won't affect anyone on this board, so why should they have any say in it? Buy the fullscreen, it will be better for YOU, not us.

Dude, Seantn is Don Corleone and highlinder is Johnny Fontaine... can I be Moe Green?