4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Let's say there was a low-budget film you liked & wanted to own on DVD. This particular film was shot full-frame either on MiniDV digital video or 8MM film stock. Would you rather the DVD transfer be:

A) Full-screen as the movie was shot?
B) Anamorphic Widescreen to enlarge the image to your widescreen television, even if it makes much more apparent the flaws in the image quality (think 28 Days Later)?

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I choose A.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Well to make it anamorphic widescreen you would have to chop some of the image off or distort the image by stretching it. Fuck that. I choose A.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I prefer chopped - I'll take B - anamorphic widescreen.

Also, because i'm more likely to watch an anamorphic DVD of a low-budget film than a Full screen one. I've almost bought or rented interesting looking low-budget indie films on dvd, but then I turned over the cover and saw "4:3 Full Screen" - and then I was like "fuck that", and put the dvd back. So I could be missing out on some Full screen indie low-budget masterpieces because of my DVD quality snobbery...

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Oar

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I second that! :thumbsup:

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Hear, hear!! 4:3, Academy, Cinemascope, I will not be constrained by the New Fullscreen.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

A of course

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

It's a tough call. I would choose "A" based on the example. Distorting the 4:3 image to fit 16:9 isn't an option, although it's amazing this is how many people watch regular 4:3 TV on their 16:9 sets and they don't seem to see anything wrong with it!

I cringe when I see "4:3 full screen" on the back of the box as well. In some cases it's sometimes an added benefit because rather than crop by panning and scanning, the full screen image actually adds extra footage at the top and bottom of the screen which you never see on the 16:9 version.

It's not "correct" as it was shown in theaters but sometimes it's interesting getting that extra footage. Except when the boom mic pops into the screen occasionally.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

O
A
R

baby!

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

OAR in the house.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

A. No question.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

" A-O, O-A " -- Tony Danza

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

OAR for sure. If it was filmed in full screen, I want to see full screen. If it was shot in widescreen I want to see widescreen. I'm going back and replacing some full screen movies I've gotten as gifts to widescreen.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

A! I want the movie as it was shot. So if it is a full screen movie then I want it in full screen. Just like I want anything shot widescreen to be widescreen.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Ughhhh! I hate that! I just wanna walk up to those idiots and punch them in the head! It take one press of a button to change it from full to wide. Hell you can choose a whole bunch in between that too. I refuse to watch TV at my parents or my wife's parents because they watch full screen in the widescreen setting. Stupid!

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

OAR, always. Every single time.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Yep.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Sounds like the Evil Dead DVD issue to me. It's choice A for me.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Just to throw down some snark: Another hypothetical, when you read a book, do you choose to read every word, or omit every 15th word?

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

Oar

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I skip any low budget indie books where I can't omit every 15th word. They just don't look as cool through my HD reading glasses.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I got some of those Blu-ray glasses, but I honestly can't tell any difference between them and my 10-year-old prescription ...

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

OAR I would say. However the director wants the movie to be seen is how I wanna see it.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I can't believe this is even up for debate. If you appreciate the film at all you must always get the intended aspect ratio.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

IAR.. intended aspect ratio.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I would like both versions. A+B

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

(I choose A, btw)

I recently started reassessing my assumptions on aspect ratios, and re-bought a 4:3 TV (on clearance at Target) on which I find it more satisfying to watch my old German Expressionist DVDs; and any other old films shot prior to the advent of widescreen.

What really made me consciously reassess my thoughts was when I thought to give Blair Witch another shot after 10 years, but had a cringe reaction to seeing that the DVD was 4:3. Then I became consciously aware of my cringe reaction & found it illogical in light of the fact that that's the aspect ratio it was filmed in. As with Evil Dead, Aguirre, The Wrath of God & some Kubrick films like The Shining and Full Metal Jacket.

I agree that the intended aspect ratio is what matters. If a filmmaker or cinematographer puts artistic effort into a 4:3 shot composition only to have letterbox bars plopped over it, this is as much a violation of artistic vision as those oft-mentioned 4:3 Lions Gate DVDs of films with a widescreen IAR (though whether one chooses to watch Repossessed for its shot composition is another debate entirely).

I also found it funny hearing (from a Val Guest audio commentary) that a common criticism during the advent of Cinemascope was "It's only useful for filming snakes and coffins."

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

I always go with the original aspect ratio, so based on the example, I'd pick A.

Re: 4:3 or Anamorphic Widescreen DVD? (A Hypothetical Scenario)
 

The intended aspect ratio, always. If the director approves a new transfer with an aspect ratio modified from the original-- Austin Powers and Star Trek VI are examples of that-- I will deem it acceptable, though I will still prefer the original.

--THX