RE: Matrix Reloaded Disappointment/Confusion
 

I received my copy of R1 Matrix Reloaded (widescreen) version after a long wait here in England and it's Letterbox and not Anamorphic 16:9.

I am totally confused as I've checked Play.Com and Amazon.Com and thought that there was only one widescreen version out! I can't believe this!!

What is going on??


Sohail.

Are you sure? Nobody else has complained. There is even a thread here that states it's anamorphic.

The disc is anamorphic, and there are no other versions. What makes you think it isn't? Is your player set to 16X9?

And a little off topic, but is anyone else getting tired of people using the term "letterbox" to mean "non-anamorphic"?

Well, on the reverse of my case it says "presented in letterbox" widescreen format preserving the scope aspect ratio..."

What does is say on the back of yours? The barcode for the product is: 085392864829

Can you confirm this?


To answer caiman, I've been following the DVD format for a very long time and us old folk use "Letterbox" and since the industry still uses it, what's the problem, and why are you tired of it's use?

Maybe that's what is confusing Sohail. Letterbox is the correct term for a nonanamorphic disc since it really is letterboxed in a 4:3 frame. Did you try the disc with your player set to 16:9 to make sure it's anamorphic?

So yes widescreen can either be anamorphic or not but letterboxed means that masking was applied to a 4:3 frame to achieve the widescreen AR which is done to nonanamorphic DVDs.

R1 specs from Amazon:

DVD Features:
Preload: Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew

The Freeway Chase: Anatomy of the mind-blowing scene

Enter the Matrix: Making of the ground-breaking video game

The Matrix Unfolds: A look at the Matrix phenomenon

"The Animatrix" trailer

The MTV Movie Awards Reloaded

* The Matrix Reloaded. Program Content, Artwork and Photography, Package Design and Summary (c) 2003 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Widescreen anamorphic format

Number of discs: 2

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...976892-3082214

Explanation of Anamorphic

http://polisci.wisc.edu/~jtgayton/anamorphic/what1.html

Thank you Chipmac, that is correct. Masking has been applied. Glad that someone's on the ball. I was wondering what the Barcode number that your copy has is so that I can be sure it is the same product.

The player is outputting 16:9 but there is a black band above and below the picture.

Does your copy not say "presented in a "letterbox" widescreen format" at the bottom of your case inlay on the back????

I disagree. Letterbox is a term which means that "black bars" have been added to an image to allow it to fit the aspect ratio of its intended display device.

Matrix Reloaded was presented in a Scope aspect ratio, which is 2.35:1. This means that the DVD, even if it is anamorphic, will have black bars as part of the image stored on the disc. It would be impossible to properly display it on any television if that were not the case. It is, therefore, correct to say that the Reloaded DVD is both anamorphic and letterboxed.

Yes, and it also says that on every other Warner DVD that is 2.35:1, most of which are anamorphic too.

Mine says, "Widescreen Version presented in "letterbox" widescreen format preserving the scope aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition. Enhanced for widescreen TVs."

Your copy is anamorphic. This disc seems to be the source of a lot of confusion: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=324776

People, the term letterbox has nothing to do with whether or not a disc is anamorphic. Like someone already pointed out, letterbox simply means that there is a portion of the viewing area left black in order to keep the film in its proper aspect ratio. It's a very general term, but people often make it too specific.

The most important thing is that "letterbox" and "widescreen" both mean that it's NOT "full frame" or "pan & scan". :D

So basically, I have the same version that you guys have, am i correct??

It is widescreen anamorphic, but letterbox, i.e. masking has been applied (hence my black bars at the top and bottom).

However, i've got discs that have an aspect ratio of 2:35:1 anamorphic but fill my screen fully with no masking. so I am interested to know why Robodad said that it would be impossible to view Reloaded without black bars/masking since it's in Scope.

Thank you.

Yes you're right. I forgot to consider that on a 16:9 set that letterboxing also is needed for films that are wider than 1.78:1.

Sohail the other movies you have that are 2.35:1 must not be labeled correctly. There are a few discs like that. Castaway is the first that comes to mind. It's labeled as 2.35:1 but is really 1.85:1 which still as thin black bars but they're probably hidden by your TV's overscan.

Ok, I understand. So we all have the same disc?

I don't think any of the major studios release dvds nowadays that aren't anamorphic.

yes

You can't view a 2.35:1 anamorphic image on any screen without black bars. They are part of the image, plain and simple.

Here is a screenshot, just taken from the DVD on my PC (PC DVD players never add or remove bars from the image of any DVD):

http://home.earthlink.net/~cseaman30...s/reloaded.jpg

The bars you see are part of the image, and nothing (short of zooming an image to hide them) can make them disappear.

When you do notice an anamorphic DVD that "fills your screen", it is because it is not a 2.35:1 disc, but a 1.85:1 disc. Even if the packaging claims the wider aspect ratio, if you don't see black bars in 16:9 mode, then the packaging is incorrect.

I wish that were true. Several of the major DVD Studios such as Warner still don't anamorphically enhance films that are in 1.66:1 such as the recent Giant dvd for example. This creates trouble for viewers with a widescreen set, with getting the zoom right on it. :(

The very fact the movie is 2.35:1, should have solved this debate rather quickly. If it was 1.66:1, I would understand the problem, but it's 2.35:1. A 2.35:1 movie is not going to take up the entire screen on any television, unless you have a television that is made for 2.35:1 tv's. :D

I think your DVD is just fine.

Seems as though a few people should review their terminology. For a fine definition of "letterboxing" go to Jim Taylor's Official DVD FAQ. Here is one source click here

here is what he says:

Letterbox (often abbreviated to LBX) means the video is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio, which is wider than standard or widescreen TV. Black bars, called mattes, are used to cover the gaps at the top and bottom. A 1.85 movie that has been letterboxed for 1.33 display has thinner mattes than a 2.4 movie letterboxed to 1.33 (28% of display height vs. 44%), although the former are about the same thickness as those of a 2.4 movie letterboxed to 1.78 (26% of display height). The mattes used to letterbox a 1.85 movie for 1.78 display are so thin (2%) that they're hidden by the overscan of most widescreen TVs. Some movies, especially animated features and European films, have an aspect ratio of 1.66, which can be letterboxed for 1.33 display or sideboxed (windowboxed) for 1.78 display.