Recently I've been thinking about the whole widescreen/fullscreen thing, and a question came to mind. Why aren't studios trying to educate people about the benefits of widescreen? Isn't it in their best interest to draw people toward widescreen? I say this because I assume it is expensive to produce both a widescreen and fullscreen version of a DVD.

This is where I need someone to correct me if I'm wrong, since I really don't know much about the costs of DVD production and such. But to me, it seems that the cost of producing two separate releases would be MUCH more expensive than coming up with some sort of educational clip or logo of some kind illustrating the difference between WS/FS. It could be something common to every fullscreen DVD release. Maybe just a short 30 second (unskipable?) clip that shows some examples of widescreen vs fullscreen.

And if not a clip, then why not just a poster type of thing to hang around stores? It can't be hard. Hell, since I was bored tonight, I came up with this. It took all of 25 seconds, and fully gets the point across: http://romshack.us/up/images/wideVSfull.jpg

It couldn't be simpler. So why don't studios do something like this? Is it really easier (cheaper) to make multi-releases than to educate people?

Yeah, but if they can resell widescreen discs when people have an HDTV they stand to make more money...

People are stuborn to learn, many people never will understand the concept of widescreen. They just don't get that you see more picture. You can show them pictures, but they'll not see it. "But those black bars cover up picture... how can there be less information?"

If someone is dumb enough to see the above-linked image, and still say "How can there be less information with fullscreen?" then they don't deserve to live on this planet, let alone buy DVDs.

EDIT: My point being that I really believe that all it would take is something simple. For many, it's not due to stubberness or idiocy, it's simply due to the fact that no one is showing them the facts.

well disney's trying to by putting a bit of info about it and the advantages of it in their inserts.

I would think, that in the eyes of the people running the studios, the very people who currently consume the full screen movies, are considered "unreachable" when it comes to matters of education, but it sure doesn't stop them from editing/chopping films into full screen so they can rake in the money.

i have seen some blurbs on some DVD covers .. so, they are trying ...

it is just that certain regions of the world grew up on different things .. the US had TV very early .. so they got very much used to everything 4:3 .. europe got it later .. and people were more ok with watching movies with black bars on top and bottom ...

why are widescreen TVs so much easier and cheaper available in europe and movies are more shown in WS there ... because joe sixpack is still not getting it ..

i agree that there needs to be more education on this ...

heck i did not even know 5 years ago that there are different forms of widescreen

But it's also not accurate. Both images should be framed in a 4:3 screen to show how they would really look on the vast majority of TV sets in the U.S. The implication would still be clear, as you can see from these images, which still get the point across.

The Mask of Zorro: widescreen vs. P&S
(actual screen captures of the same freeze-frame from both versions on the special edition)

But this is a quibble. You still have a valid point, of course. I always thought Fox should license out its "Why widescreen?" feature from Die Hard to other studios to put on every DVD--or at least on its own titles.

The reality is that the studios, in general, don't really care. Most of the people who actually produce the DVDs do, but they often answer to higher-ups who are more concerned with sales and marketing. They will produce whatever sells. And pan-and-scan still sells. And when the P&S people all buy widescreen TV sets in the next several years, why the studios will be more than happy to sell them the widescreen version, too.

It's tough to take, but that's the reality of the business.

they just want your money

You know, some people around here always assume that people that buy fullscreen dvd's aren't educated about the differences but the truth is, a lot of people with 4:3 TV's know the differences but still prefer fullscreen so their entire screen is filled and a lot of people simply don't care.

Not caring will come back and bite them in the ass when they get a widescreen TV (and everyone will eventually) but until then, there's going to be plenty of these people who simply could care less about the differences between OAR and P&S as long as their screen is filled.

Trust me, most people who like FS have absolutely no idea what the difference is. The general misconception is that FS is for a "normal" tv, and WS is for widescreen tvs. You wouldn't believe how many people think this.

But I do realize there are some who prefer FS even tho they understand the process. These people, however, are the minority.

I think the answer is the average Joe doesn't care. Most people see black bars because they don't have a widescreen TV. They want "whatever" filled their screen all of their lives. Perhaps this will change when high def televisions drop to a price that most Americans can afford. I would think that most of us here own an HDTV (at least I'd hope so) and that America in general will catch up in 3 to 4 years when affordability becomes a reality.

Because in the end, it's about choice. Some folks can't stand to watch a wide screen film on a smaller tv. It's just not there choice because they have the screen that they want filled up. without being filled up they feel cheated. this is just the way things go. Disney and other studios have spent a lot of money trying to educate when that education is not doing any good. So why bother doing it?

I don't think it is cheaper (although like you I don't have the figures). The costs of developing, producing, and distributing any type of widescreen education systems seems high. Hell, they'd probably spend millions of dollars just trying to figure out what to put on a damn poster.

Producing a separate fullscreen DVD seems not too bad. Most of the material remains the same, only chnaging the transfer of the movie and the DVD cover. They're going to produce X amount of discs anyways, so splitting into two types doesn't seem too bad.

Plus you'd assume that people would actually learn from the attempts to educate. Some people will still probably want fullscreen, so producing two types increases sales.

In the end, it just likely isn't cost-effective

If the director's don't really care, then why should the studios?

I ran a few video stores for some years (1998-2002) and was there for the birth of DVD into the rental market. Now being into Laser Discs for years before DVDs I was always telling people about WS over FS, I even went so far as to stock a WS copy of a lot of the lager releases in VHS right beside the FS ones. But it wasn't until DVDs became big that I started posting signs much like the two linked ubove (mine used True Lies as the example) all over the store... And wouldn't you know it the WS rentals and sales began to increase in the store. It wasn't big enough for the compay to reformat, but I felt as if a personal goal had been reached.

So for those store owners out there, the signs do work in letting people know the difference.

The whole widescreen versus fullscreen debate is moot anyway. Fullscreen will go away simply because 4:3 TV's will be going away. The DTV/HDTV standard is 16x9 and in time this will cause the extinction of 4:3 televisions.


Of course, then we'll have to deal with 2:35:1 being converted to 1:78 which I believe has already started happening.

Working in a video store, I try and explain the difference to people who don't seem to understand. Some people seem to get what I am talking about and others just seem more confused. I have actually had a couple of people get angry with me and tell me that I am wrong and don't know what I am talking about.

People will just use the zoom/stretch functions to deal with those issues.

Yeah, but they're not going to look at your image and understand. They'll see a long rectangle, and a short one. The long one has more image at the sides. What does that have to do with black bars on the tops and bottoms?

Many director's do care, but the studios have a lot of power in this area and they want more money (especially in the future when people are replacing their FF's with WS's for their new WS TV's), so the director's lose out and a FF is released anyway.

Yes, but we can try to make them go away faster.

Ok guys, maybe this would be better?

http://romshack.us/up/images/wideVSfull2.jpg

I would like to point out,that I am doubtful that those who purchase P&S dvds,will 'upgrade' whenever they happen to own an WS tv. Look at the cost of rebuying all your dvds to get a proper correct version? Doubtful anyone will do that. Maybe they will buy WS dvds for movies they don't already own. Yet for the ones they do. They will just zoom,stretch & crop the picture even more so it 'fills' their screen.

So the logix that they will rebuy is pretty much foolish.

Then again,since they think 'fullscreen' gives you more picture. What is going to stop them from purchasing 'fullscreen' dvds for their widescreen sets? Afterall "full' means "fill' right? It does to them.


Basically they are beyond hope,unless they come to terms with it themselves,since they are too stubborn to listen to those who know the facts.

Whenever I'm in a store I've explained it to people that it's like when you go to see and want to take a picture of the Grand Canyon. And you need a widescreen camera.
And that's the way they shoot movies with that type of camera.
And then they understand.

I think besides film studios, network and cable stations should play a role on showing movies in OAR. Alas, they do that on some of their original series but rarely show movies in OAR.

My 8 year old son was sitting here with me while I was reading this thread. I showed him the ws vs. fs pictures and you know what he said?

He said: "Only weirdos pay for fullscreen."

God, I'm so PROUD of that kid! (sniff!)