Widescreen vs. Enhanced
 

I was reviewing my movies this morning and was shocked at how many Widescreen movies I owned.Some I didnt even relize for instance The Abyss which is not Enhanced but the case says it is, The Roch, Snake Eyes and some more. And was really shocked to find my 3pc Die Hard with Die Hard Enhanced but not the other two movies. I have not double dipped yet but it looks like I may in the future with Titanic,Enemy of the State and Crimson Tide coming this year.

What are your thoughts?

yes, some movies are still not Anamorphic, its a shame and a travesty, but it happens...

Non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs piss me off... Since I bought my 16X9 (two years ago) I've pretty much dumped most of my non-anamorphic discs... They'll be released again, in the future, with a proper transfer.

Now, there are a few essential titles that I've kept - Vertigo, Psycho - since I don't see a new transfer coming for those any time soon (and before anyone says it, I'm not region free - yet - I know the R4 discs are 16X9). Ditto Witness For The Prosecution which is 1.66:1 and Yellow Submarine... Kubrick's Lolita... Barry Lyndon... Robocop CC... Dead Ringers CC... Sid & Nancy CC (but I also have the MGM which is anamorphic). But for the most part, I've gotten rid of the non-anamorphic titles... A couple that I would rebuy in a heartbeat with a 16X9 transfer... JC's The Thing... The Wild Bunch (which is thankfully coming).

I do have a Panny player that does a fair job with scaling on films up to 1.85:1... But anything over that, 2.35:1, looks pretty crappy on my display... You might look into a Panny RP-91 if you want a great scaling player for your non-anamorphic DVDs... A little pricey, but they're quite nice...

(As for 4X3 / 1.33:1 material, I watch those on a 36" 4X3 tube)

I fully expect the "if you love a film, it doesn't matter if it's anamorphic" comments from some... I agree to a point, but I'll no longer support non-anamorphic transfers and <i>most</i> of the older non-anamorphic discs WILL be released again... I can wait. In the meantime, I have plenty of anamorphic DVDs to keep me occupied...

Thanks for the comments thus far but what to do with all those movies, none of my friends have dvd and stores like Gamestop will only give store credit.

You know what really ticks me off is when they issue new releases that are not anamorphic and even re-release films that are not anamorphic. What is the point? Any widescreen movie that is released today non-anamorphic, there is just no excuse for that. I finally was able to dump my "Planet of the Apes" (1968) when the new anamorphic transfer came out, and now I'm looking to replace:

The Apostle
The Color of Money
Psycho
Robocop (I have the Criterion, but want the commentary, so I've been waiting on the upcoming re-release)
Vertigo
Titanic
The Wild Bunch

Ive just looked at my list again filterd thru DVD Profiler and Ive got 56 titles non-anamorphic or full or pan and scan that will need replaced evetually.

P.S. Whats the differance between pan and full?

Generally speaking, nothing. Both formats are in 1.33:1 or 4:3 ratio. But technically speaking, pan & sca(m) versions are taken from widescreen sources that have been cropped on the sides and centered on the most important scene. Full (or as I like to call it 'fool') screen is also basically pan & scan, but it could also be used to describe sources that were originally in 4:3 ratio to begin with.

There is a lot more to this than what was said the digital bits has an excellent FAQ about widescreen and anamorphic. Check it out.

You could try eBay... I sold the OOP non-anamorphic Dawn Of The Dead for $75 there a year or so ago... (and the new AB theatrical cut has a <u>stunning</u> anamorphic transfer) But that's an exception, not the rule... Most discs these days go for so-so $$$ but they usually sell... Other options would be try a local used CD store, most buy DVDs now, but you're not going to get much there... You could also try the DVD exchange here to sell or trade. Some Talk members may not care if they are anamorphic or not (no 16X9 display I would venture to guess). Another option would be useddvdempire... But again, they don't pay much although they do offer store credit.

Pan & scam transfers are - more or less - "pan & scanned" from a letterboxed transfer for the most "important part" -rolleyes- of the scene and zoomed to fit a 4X3 display. Garbage. Full (fool) screen is a term that studios now use for pan & scam transfers... HOWEVER full screen can also mean an older pre-widescreen "academy ratio" (1.37:1) film or a modern TV ratio (1.33:1) film or show. Those are OAR and are the correct video transfer for the film/show.

Simple rule here... Pan & scam / fool screen = shit :down: but OAR full screen = :up:

Is the New edition of Ransom thats coming out Anamorphic, DVD empire says it is, the box does not mention anything about enhanced for 16X9 and DVD review.com shows its not. Why would the rerelease ransom as non anamorphic WTF?