DVDs In The Full Frame

[dazuk1972]

Has anybody else noticed there's a lot of DVDs coming out now that are not wide screen? I get sick of seeing a title that I want and it's only available in the full frame. I believe this is a scam to have more DVDs in the full frame and more DVD HDs in wide screen to make us all jump to DVD HD so that they sell more DVD HDs and Blu-Rays. This sort of thing happens a lot when something new comes out. The same as the top best-selling games coming out on the PSP first so that other console users have to wait nearly a year to buy them. That scam is to make more people buy the PSP because nobody wants to wait a year.

Anyway, with the DVDs, this is happening with films that have been made recently as well as old titles that have just been released. MGM/UA are messing about the most.

Darren.

[katzdvd]

Has anybody else noticed there's a lot of DVDs coming out now that are not wide screen?

No, I surely have not noticed that; where can I purchase these nasty "full-screen" dvd's, so I can once again enjoy movie watching on my old "square box"? lol

In my area, most people complain about the opposite! But then again, a lot of folks here have not upgraded to a new W/S yet...

[Dan]

I know if both are available (ws and fs) some stores will only carry one or the other. Large stores usually have ws or both around here.

[Derree]

Nothing would make me happier then the death of fs I was so happy that years ago I was able to help the Mrs see the light on WS and now she insists on it as well. However when I help her sister back up her dvds it drives me nuts since she always gets fullscreen..sigh..can only change the world one at a time...

[volfann]

I don't recall any new releases lately that were only available in full screen. I've done wide screen only for years, unless it was an older movie with no WS available.

[dazuk1972]

No, I surely have not noticed that; where can I purchase these nasty "full-screen" dvd's, so I can once again enjoy movie watching on my old "square box"? lol

In my area, most people complain about the opposite! But then again, a lot of folks here have not upgraded to a new W/S yet...

Sorry to ask. Are you joking. Why want to watch movies in the small screen? It's like doing a five hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle and findng out two hundred and fifty pieces are missing. Each film should be released and seen in its wide screen all the time it was made in wide screen of course. Why are so many people put off with the black bars and wide screen TVs? It makes me laugh with confusion. HELP PLEASE. I know what you mean about them complaining where they need upgrading.

Darren.

[dazuk1972]

I know if both are available (ws and fs) some stores will only carry one or the other. Large stores usually have ws or both around here.

I'm from England and I ordered the Region 1 versions of White Lightning, Gator and 52 Pick Up and they were all in the ful frame but they are all wide screen in the Region 2 versions. I send the DVDs back and I'm ordering them from Play.com. Anyway, more titles have appeared as the full frame on all Regions such as Raise The Titanic and The Wild Geese. This is so annoying. I wonder what other great films are going to be buggered. At the moment, I have a lot to complain to with MGM/UA because they are more than dicking around.

Darren.

[dazuk1972]

Nothing would make me happier then the death of fs I was so happy that years ago I was able to help the Mrs see the light on WS and now she insists on it as well. However when I help her sister back up her dvds it drives me nuts since she always gets fullscreen..sigh..can only change the world one at a time...

That's it. Well spoken. WIDE SCREEN RULES. Bollocks to the full frame. By the way, I bought The Good The, Bad And The Ugly yesterday as an extended version and in Dolby Surround Stereo. It's brilliant. I know that brilliant western has been released in wide screen since late VHS but I just thought I should advertise the new and improved version of that brilliant westen on DVD.

My favoutire western, though is Once Upon A Time In The West.

Darren.

[dazuk1972]

I don't recall any new releases lately that were only available in full screen. I've done wide screen only for years, unless it was an older movie with no WS available.

You might be the lucky one that has a lot of your films on DVD coming out in wide screen but believe me, there are a some coming out in the full frame as in old titles that have just been released. New film releases have gone the same with some titles. I mentioned in another message abought me buying the NTSC versions of White Lightning, Gator and 52 Pick Up that are all in the full frame under Region 1 that are all MGM/UA and MGM/UA have some explaining to do. However, they are all wide screen under Region 2. I chose Region 1 because the prices are cheaper. I've found many more films listed as the full frame instead of wide screen.

Darren.

[admin]

I'm happy to say that in Australia, we don't get many dual releases anymore (DVDs released with both wide and full frame versions) - we usually only get the widescreen version (most likely due to lazy distributors). I used to work in my parent's electronic store, and you wouldn't believe the number of people who came in complaining that there was something wrong with their DVD player because they are missing the top and bottom of the picture.

[katzdvd]

Sorry to ask. Are you joking. Why want to watch movies in the small screen?

Not joking... Well, for me, it's like this; I had just spent $700 on a new "square" tv after lightening hit the old one...

shortly after that, W/S started making its' appearance in a big way, & since I already just spent bucks on a tv, I didn't feel like doing it all over again; and, I know I am in the minority here, but if I'm gonna spend major $$$ on a new W/S, the screen better be completely filled with the movie!!!

Call me old school, but those black bars annoy the heck out of me!

It's like doing a five hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle and findng out two hundred and fifty pieces are missing.

Not exactly; if I can't see the complete picture in the first place, i don't know what is missing

And, I could also use the same analogy for the W/S; the missing jigsaw puzzle pieces are in those top & bottom bars, lol!

[admin]

To be fair, certain movies are shot in a way (open matte) that it's the widescreen version that is actually missing information as compared to the fullframe version (eg. Back to the Future).

[dazuk1972]

I'm happy to say that in Australia, we don't get many dual releases anymore (DVDs released with both wide and full frame versions) - we usually only get the widescreen version (most likely due to lazy distributors). I used to work in my parent's electronic store, and you wouldn't believe the number of people who came in complaining that there was something wrong with their DVD player because they are missing the top and bottom of the picture.

I have a Multi-Region DVD player and when I buy any DVDs from another Region I always go for Region 1 that is American and Canadian. MGM/UA under Region 1 messed-up three films as I mentioned. I keep meaning to order DVDs from Austrailia as well as my own country. Is the Australian Region number four. You might wonder why I buy some DVDs under Region 1 as well as Region 2. Well, a site that I order from sells DVDs under Region 1 at great bargains. Some DVDs under Region 1 have more footage in than Region 2. The only problem with Region 1 is the discs spin faster than Region 2 and Region 1 discs use more disk space and they can lack some bonus materials. Region 1 lasers spin faster as well and Region 1 video tapes move faster as well.

By the way, about what you said with wide screen where people get confused. I know what you mean because I remember years ago before DVD came out, I was watching a video in wide screen and a so-called friend of mine (that betrayed me that's a different story) started moaning at me and asking why I was watching a film with a chunk of the top and bottom of the screen missing. I kept trying to explain to him about the wide screen affect through a TV and he wouldn't believe it. He was a know-all wanna be. One day I played something from a video cassette that shows the difference between Pan-and-Scan and wide screen and his face made me laugh because he knew I proved him wrong. Another fool started fiddling with the back of his TV trying to get rid of the black bars and I told him the black bars were recorded on the tape. I had to do through the whole charade with him, too.

I must say, BATMAN has never been released on video, laser or DVD in the 2:35 the way it was shown at the cinemas. It's always for us to buy in the 1:85. I know BEVERLY HILLS COP II and POINT BREAK were ruined in wide screen. I also know a lot of films in the 1:85 used to have to top and bottom of the screen missing and I know that for a fact. I compared them with the Pan-and-Scan versions and the Pan-and-Scan version shown more at the top and bottom. With BEVERLY HILLS COP II and POINT BREAK, they are released as the 2:35 but we lose a lot of the top and bottom of the screen on those two great films. Compare them two to find out if you have the Pan-and-Scan versions and the fake wide screen versions.

The only film that's released to buy in the biggest wide screen is BEN-HUR and that is a classic film with a brilliant wide screen. When you look at the size of the screen through a full-framed TV, the black bars are almost as thick as the screen itself.

Darren.

[dazuk1972]

Not joking... Well, for me, it's like this; I had just spent $700 on a new "square" tv after lightening hit the old one...

shortly after that, W/S started making its' appearance in a big way, & since I already just spent bucks on a tv, I didn't feel like doing it all over again; and, I know I am in the minority here, but if I'm gonna spend major $$$ on a new W/S, the screen better be completely filled with the movie!!!

Call me old school, but those black bars annoy the heck out of me!

Not exactly; if I can't see the complete picture in the first place, i don't know what is missing

And, I could also use the same analogy for the W/S; the missing jigsaw puzzle pieces are in those top & bottom bars, lol!

I hope I never caused offence. I was thinking about this yesterday and I wondered what you might have thought over it. I understand some people hate the black bars. They don't bother me at all. If I'm right that films on DVD are starting to come out as the Pan-a-Scan versions to make us upgrade to HD DVD or Blu-Ray, they won't get me taking the bait. For one thing, the films are too expensive, then I'd need the correct player and the correct TV. I can't afford al that because it would cost me about over £1,600 for the player and TV unless I find a couple of bargains and I don't even have £1,000 to splash out on neither. I saw a copy of ICE AGE 2 on HD DVD for £39.99 here and the DVD version was just over £12.99. HD DVD films are too expensive as well and I bet the better sound and picture quality isn't that much better. What's the point in paying all that extra money on a film if the sound and picture quality isn't that much better? The same for any film. With DVD, my picture and sound quality is great enough.

Darren.

[dazuk1972]

To be fair, certain movies are shot in a way (open matte) that it's the widescreen version that is actually missing information as compared to the fullframe version (eg. Back to the Future).

I hate the Open Matte sytle. It's a shame Cinerama ended decades ago. I never saw a film at the cinema in Cinerama but my dad did. He told me how breath-taking HOW THE WEST WAS WON was to watch with the curved screen. The problem with HOW THE WEST WAS WON, there were two black lines down the screen in a lot of scenes that marked out where each part of the screen was because Cinerama was still in the experimental stage when HOW THE WEST WAS WON was made. I'm sure you know that Cinerama films were made where each scene was filmed with three cameras and it took three projectors to show three reels of film at once. In all, six projectors were needed. Three to play the film and the other three ready for when the reels had to be changed and again with the first three projectors when the second lot of reels ran out and so on. Other films like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, GRAND PRIX and BATTLE OF THE BULGE never had those black lines. However, HOW THE WEST WAS WON is still a brilliant film with a brilliant score to it.

Cinema has always interested me so much.

Darren.