Shrek cover warning!
 

Again, as with Eternal Sunshine, the word Widescreen is almost disguised on the cover. What's up with this? Hmmmmm.

I still find it hard to believe that people have a hard time with these sorts of things.

It's easy to mistake if you're running into best buy on your lunch break, or on your way to work and are in a rush.

Or mistakenly think they are including both versions in one package. They do tend to do that with animated releases, and did so with the first Shrek release.

I did not grab the wrong one, and noticed the words, but I agree they shouldn't be in barely visable letters on the bottom. Paramount does the best job, I think, with their "WIDESCREEN COLLECTION" right at the top.

Thats why you always check the back specs... never the front.

Yes if you are indeed running into best buy and out and don't have the 15 seconds it takes to look at the back of the DVD.

Every single thread that is ever made with a warning about the widescreen/fullscreen listing, the exact same people have to come in and shame the others by saying "How can you not tell the difference"....

We get it. You NEVER make mistakes when buying DVD's. This thread is not meant for you. Not everyone is as thorough when in a rush to get back to their busy jobs and lives. Sheesh.

Ha, well if your that freaking busy then I hope you don't trip over people on the way out of the store. Take your change from the clerk before sprinting out of the store. And don't get into a car accident in your rush to and from BB. It takes a few seconds to look at the specs. "Sheesh" indeed.

Full Screen:
http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/622234h.jpg

Widescreen:
http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/622239h.jpg

There. Now, I have to agree with Mopower here (although not about egg physics ;) ). If your life is so rushed that you can't take two seconds to read the packaging, I don't think I want you out on the road with me.

They shouldnt even put the fullscreen or widescreen labels on the covers or spines. It ruins the artwork. Leave the specs for the back.

I almost picked up Full Screen myself because I thought it was a 2 discer with bouth.

It would be cool if packaging could correlate with the version. For instance a Square box for Full screen and a rectangular box for Widescreen.

Man, I should be in marketing.

It's not thát hard, is it?

And: if you have screwed up and bought the wrong version of any movie in the past you might have learned from that? I even check the eggs in the box that I want to buy before I purchase them ( I hate to have a broken one in there)

Pathetic..

Yep, you surely are.

Not really because the cost of the DVD would increase because of having to make different boxes for each kind of DVD. Other than just changing some printing on the existing box.

No. I should be in marketing

http://img127.exs.cx/img127/2788/SHREKwidescreen.jpg

:D


When I read a "warning" about a dvd cover I usually think that something is wrong with it or may cause problems. Like if some artist at dreamworks just went crazy and the wrong cover art was on the dvd... say like this.

http://img127.exs.cx/img127/4808/shrekunrated.jpg

So when I read about the text of widescreen/fullscreen. it's a little bit of a let down.

:lol: great edits Jack :up:

Not only is it marked on the front of the case, it is also on the security sticker on the TOP of the case. Seems pretty clearly marked to me.

You need to talk louder. I don't think they heard you way up their on their high horses.

I wouldn't look for too many more releases (especially family films) with both WS and FF in the same package . . . video stores have been battling with Disney for a few years now, and this has been one of their most recent weapons. I speak from Hollywood Video experience, but have found that the other chains have fought this fight as well: Disney wants to people to buy their movies, not rent them (we all know that). However, one of the tools that Disney had employed was limiting the quantity of product that they would sell to the majors. Of course, the majors could buy Disney product elsewhere (as HV did with Bringing Down the House) and pay more for it . . . so instead they started renting out the WS and FF versions seperately even when they came in the same package. Twice as much product for the same price! Of course, Disney is not too tickled with this, so look for the practice to end.

As for the covers, why don't they just make the cover in widescreen with black bars over the top and bottom? :brickwl:

It's more being rushed, stressed out, and not thinking to take the 15 seconds to look.

Excuse us for thinking that its ridiculous for seasoned DVDTalk members to still not look at the packages carefully when buying movies. If you're new to DVD and the whole widescreen/fullscreen thing i can imagine making a mistake, but honestly, it takes a few seconds to take a look at the box.

Well put Fu.

Wow quite a few "fiery" messeges here. I too had to scan closely to see what version it was. Funny how they can slap a "#1 comedy of all time!" banner on the top so yellow it hurts the eyes and yet make an important fact (widescreen/fullscreen) so small. I think they should have atleast stipped it along the bottom...and put an insert in!!!! ahhh I've now dispensed my 10 cents. Have a good day everyone.

Sweet jeebus, I'm sick of you "I never make a mistake" people.

I went to the store Saturday night after putting in a 10 hour day at my business, spending most of that working on 700 new titles that came into the store.

I hit Meijer's and went to grab a copy of Shrek 2. I grabbed one off the display right next to a tag that listed the sale price and said "Wide Screen."

I got to the shop on Sunday, and went to tear off the wrapping... and then I noticed the white sealing stripe at the top said Full Frame.

According to some of you people, apparently I have the I.Q. of a turnip. It couldn't just be that in my exhausted state, and being in a hurry to get home, I made a simple mistake.


And for the record - if it wasn't for Puss In Boots, Shrek 2 would have really sucked.

What they really should do is stop making full screen releases altogether.

That would certainly solve the problem.

There wasn't a "#1 comedy of all time" banner on mine.

Everyone makes mistakes. That's not the point. The point is that its silly to issue "warnings" about this when it should be a given these days to check for seperate Widescreen/Fullscreen copies. Like i said before, its one thing if you're new to DVD. It's another if you have a collection 50+ large and have yet to realize that there are seperate full screen and widescreen releases for most new releases these days. Needing to warn someone about something specifically mentioned on the box of a product just seems silly to me. Especially when, in this case, "Widescreen" is noted in numerous places. It's on the front cover. It's on the spine. It's on the bottom of the back cover. It's on the security sticker. The copy i bought at Best Buy had a WS noted on the price tag. If you don't notice 5 different indications of Widescreen, you have no one to blame but yourself.

What's the problem with the Full Screen version anyway? It's not a film. It's a computer composition. It's probably better as a full screen. I think they reformat these Dreamworks animations, so you wouldn't lose any details when played in full screen format.

Regardless, I'm not buying the DVD in any version, so I don't really care. I just wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

And after all of that you couldn't take 10 seconds of your time to check and make sure it was the widescreen version? Sounds like you just set yourself up for it. Yes people make mistakes but grabing the fullscreen instead of the widescreen because you were too lazy or "rushed" to check is your own fault.

A better point would be that a thread giving people a friendly warning hurts absolutely nothing. Clicking into them to complain about them is little more than a thinly disguised thread crap.

As is the case with every thread here at DVD Talk, if warning threads don't interest you, don't read them and move along to the next thread. Some of us appreciate the heads-up.

What? So because it's all CGI means it wasn't ment to be seen in it's correct aspect ratio? That makes about as much sense as being to "rushed" to check and see if you got the widescreen version. Sorry but if it's fullscreen they are still formatting it to fit 4x3 therefore taking the sides out of the picture.

When I go to in&out and I ask for a doouble double with no onions, I take a look at the burger when they give it to me. If it looks right, I eat it. If it doesn't, I take it back. The point is you have to take it upon yourself to make sure you are getting the product you want.

If you want widescreen, I find it extremely hard to believe that you can run into a store, grab a copy, rub to the register, toss money in the clerks face and run out without looking at the product at all.

We aren't talking about mistakes made or mistakes we never make. We are talking about being an informed consumer on the product you are about to purchase.

You do not go to a car dealer and toss money into their face and drive away with a car without looking under the hood and checking out the tires.

Take a few seconds, have it be in line as you wait for your turn to pay to make sure you have the right product.

It's stupid to think that there is a real need to have a HUGE warning for something you should already be doing.


Was that really needed?


I think the main point to this is the title seems like it's more serious than it really is. It seems like there has been a thread for where the "widescreen" text is on the box more and more lately. While I don't mind them, but if you play it off as if it's the end of the world or some serious issue like "warning!" than you will have people not sure what the subject is about or if it's more serious than it is, clicking on them which leads to this sort of discussion.

I'm not saying people are dumb. I just figure that can be a little more interested on what their hard earned cash is going into and be an informed consumer when making their purchases. I don't by the in and out in 15 seconds idea for buying anything.

Isn't it possible that some people might FORGET to look and see if it's the Widescreen version? It only take a few seconds to look, but it also only takes a few seconds to pull you keys out of the ignition, but I know I've locked them in the car more than once. I mean, I doubt very many people buy a DVD saying "I better look and see if this is the Widescreen version...oh nevermind, I'm too lazy so I'll just grab one and hope for the best." If the Widescreen/Fullscreen label isn't obvious, then I could see how it would be possible to get one and forget to check. All this thread does is remind people to look, and I don't really see why anyone would be as vehemently opposed to it as some people seem to be here. I'd think apathy would be the most negative feeling a thread like this would provoke. :hscratch:

Ah yes, because the descriptive thread title obviously should have prevented me from clicking and seeing what it was about. A warning about a DVD i just purchased and was highly anticipating means i check it out.

Telling people they should always check what they buy hurts absolutely nothing as well.

No I don't see how it would be possible to FORGET to check and see if it was widescreen if you really wanted widescreen and it was a DVD you wanted so badly that you "rushed" into a store to get it. Seems like it would be the first thing you'd do.

In this case, it isn't hard to find the label because it is the text in the lower third of the cover and on the sticker.

This is not one of those cases. It's obvious to where it says it. This is like having a thread to remind us all to breath. Cause you know... we aren't always paying attention to when we are doing it during our daily events. :p

So, you people who have difficulty differentiating between widescreen and fullscreen in the store must REALLY have problems ordering from an internet site - you do a search for a title and then click on the very first choice on a page without even reading whether you are ordering the widescreen or fool-screen version. I mean, if you can't check in the store by looking at the case, then how can you possibly spend the necssary time to make a CHOICE between Star Wars WIDESCREEN or FOOL-Screen when purchasing from Amazon.com, DVDPlanet.com or etc?!?!?!?

Nah, if you hold your breath for too long you just pass out and then start breathing regularly again so no real harm there. But if you buy a Fullscreen DVD, you're stuck with it's Fullscreeniness...forever. :( (Or, you know, at least a few hours)

I'm disappointed that they didn't have it listed in braile. I'm not sure which version I've got. But it sounds good.

You made me laugh.

Also, this thread didn't get ugly because of those asking why you couldn't see it. It got ugly when it became a "You never make mistakes" thread. No reason to go to an extreme on this. Just doesn't seem like much of a need for a warning.