I think this is just pure speculation & most likely will not happen.

For one,I have a new laptop with a 15inch WS display. I have'nt watched any films on it yet...but have tested out a few dvds to see how they look & sound. I can easily watch a 2:35 film on it with no problem(btw,black bars are heavily prevalent just like on my 4.3 screen btw & don't appear '1:85' like some claim though I don't mind,i love the bars).

Meanwhile I have also watched Pink Floyd:The Wall from about 3-5 feet away on a 13 inch screen at a friends house. Had no trouble at all viewing the WS image. Of course sitting closer is the prefered option in this case...& I think anything can do that. So no need to get P&S just because you have a smaller screen.

I regularly watch dvds on a 25 inch screen at my house,or a 20 inch at a friends & am not sitting an inch away from the screen,but at a nice distance & can see the image perfectly. just look at it,as being in a theater,really simple actually.


Now if WS tvs become the norm. With the lack of education from the P&S lovers. They will most likely continue to purchase P&S dvds(mislabled fullscreen) since they will assume FS means it will fill there WS display..........& most likely since they wills ee it does not do that,they will put the zoom,stretch & other cropping features to 'good' use & destroy the already destroyed image even more,so that it fills their WS display. Besides I doubt they will repurchase all the dvds they own once they get a WS tv. Afterall price is an issue & it would cost far to much to rebuy everything.

So I think the they will come to WS once WS tv is the norm is a flawed theory.

Since HDTV is 16:9 by standard and the government is mandating that all TV be broadcast HDTV by 2006 . . .

Eventually when those with 4:3 display devices go to upgrade/replace they will be sold or will decide to buy a 16:9 display.

It will happen but it will take some time, IMHO far past 2006.

I prefer widescreen, but have a question. What does a full screen movie look like on a widescreen tv? Is it still playable?

Of course it's speculation. My Delorean is in the shop.
Maybe it's just me but, I'm spoiled because I have a 36" in my living room where I watch my DVD's. If I had to watch movies on my 15" or 19" TV in my spare bedrooms I'd have to get uncomfortably close to the TV in order to see a 2.35:1 image. Most of the people I worked with (average blue collar working folk) didn't have TVs larger than 25" and they were not likely to buy anything larger until they bought a widescreen TV. ( I took a poll of 100+ co-workers as part of a research paper on luxury for a sociology class) I don't think the average person would rebuy all their DVD's because of Aspect Ratio (leave the rebuying to us DVDTalkers)

I think the growing number of letterboxed tv commericals, popular shows, and music videos probably gets the most people used to widescreen, although it still doesn't help people understand the concept of OAR.

Gray bars on the left and right. There are stretch modes that fill the screen.

I feel that the Fullscreen VS Widescreen thing will only be over when all DVDs come with both versions. All releases should be 2 disc-ers (like Nemo, other Disney movies). I love this idea. Everyone gets what they want out of the same set. Plus, I can finally get my dad to watch some of the really good movies out there without him bitching about black bars.

i upgraded to a 27" toshiba before i had a 13" tv vcr combo and i still only watched widescreen

Until the sales of 16:9 display devices reach a critical mass, the studios are going to continue to appease the majority who own conventional TVs (just try to watch a letterboxed 2.35:1 film on a 25" conventional set from 8-10 feet away sometime--it can certainly be done, but it's painful). As long as 4:3 is the norm, it will be nearly impossible to convert the average American to the OAR cause.

Just as VHS is being slowly phased out, I think the studios will start to phase out MAR releases--but that may take another five years or so (as the 16:9's become more affordable).

For now, the best we can do is peacefully co-exist.

I'm wondering if the whole cropping trend will continue even when widescreen becomes the norm. That is, will they crop the movies down to 1.77:1 (or whatever the AR of a widescreen TV is)? There's already been numerous stories of people who are annoyed with black bars on their widescreen TVs.

"...will they crop the movies down to 1.77:1..."

Yes.

. . . . . .

Yeah! And I hate those LARGE TYPE BOOKS! If you cant see the type the way the author intended than dont bother to read it Grandma!!!!


I wonder if people in book forums argue about that?




Only kidding! As long as I can get my widescreen movies, I don't care if other people prefer to watch a butchered Full Frame edition.

Word

ban fool screen and imprison anyone who asks for foolscreen discs. problem solved.

j

try 2012

...erm... and what about all such 'classic' movies as Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Singin' In The Rain, Laura, etc. etc. ad nauseam...?...

. . . . . .

I think you mean DTV instead of HDTV

DTV (Digital TV):a suite of television broadcasting standards using digital signals for improved image quality, sound, and efficiency. Many times when someone uses the term HDTV, he/she actually should use DTV.

HDTV (High Definition TV):the high definition standard of DTV. HDTV includes the 1080i and 720p resolutions. The lower DTV resolutions (480i and 480p) are part of SDTV (Standard Definition TV). Analog TV broadcasts can also display 480i, but those signals are not transmitted digitally.

If I'm correct, I believe it will be the standard that all signal will be broadcast digitaly as opposed to the analog broascasts that we generally recieve today. It doesn't HAVE to be HDTV but I sure hope it will be.

Umm no it wouldn't, working in retail has let me see some strange things, people seriously will skip over a brand new release 14.99 dvd if its widescreen only and get something full screen that cost more. So should full screen just disappear one day I imagine a lot more folks will watch t.v or write studios complaining about the horrible black bars

There are just some people in this world who are just plain stupid and ignorant and will not get with the times. To even hear about someone using the ZOOM option on a WS TV is just sickening.

I can guarantee you that if LOTR, Star Wars, or any other big series came out in WS only it would sell regardless. Joe Six Packs, while the most ignorant mass on the planet still like big movie productions just like the rest of us.

It's also getting to the point where some of the older titles are Full Screen only (ie. Can't Buy Me Love, possibly Just One Of The Guys) and that is hurting the widescreen lovers who would probably get those films before the Joe Six Packs would. That hurts and something should be done.

In the end, as long as they're in WS I could care less. My home is WS only and that's what counts.

doc

i wouldnt watch any of those... but considering some films I like are 4:3 in the OAR, Im willing to allow old flicks to be grandfathered in. better?

j

No, they must buy the widescreen version and butcher it at home so there is only one version to buy.

I think this is accurate. Broadcasters don't have to send out 1080i signals, they just have to send out digital signals. The idea is to be able to pack more data onto the bandwidth of the broadcast.

The part that is always left out is this: Many stations are now sending out DTV signals. The are ALSO still broadcasting analog signals. The day that the analog signals stop is the day JSP needs to upgrade his set. This "conversion" was originally supposed to happen a couple years ago, and keeps getting delayed. I would expect a couple more delays. 2012 sounds realistic.

Won't buy a 2.35 to 1 widescreen version, ever. If they stop making full screen, I will no longer buy DVD's. I'll just get a DVD recorder and record the movies off of TV (PPV, HBO, etc).

A VCR would be alot cheaper in your case!

I'm not cheap, but until I get a Widescreen TV, which won't be for a few years, I don't want widescreen movies.

There are alot of people that have the same opinion as me. They would be crazy to not offer a full screen version. That is lost sales.

BTW. Isn't the VHS version of Pirates in full screen? Then why no DVD? I'm sure it's cheaper to make a DVD than it is to make a VHS tape.