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Author Topic: When buying DVD/VHS, does Widescreen matter? Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-11-2006 12:06 PM                     quote: Randy Stankey At home, I have a 20" television and a cheap DVD player. No cable TV. No home theater system. Just a plain ol' TV. Consequently, I rent/buy DVDs in full screen. I don't have a widescreen HD monitor (yet), but I still insist on buying the widescreen versions. I'd much rather see all of the movie on most of my TV screen rather than only part of the movie on all of my TV screen.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-11-2006 04:42 PM                     My TV is small, by today's standards. My brother has a 25". Watching letterbox movies on a 25" is tolerable. My parents have a 32". Widescreen movies ARE preferable on a screen with that much real estate. On my little, bitty 20", the picture is small enough when in full screen. In wide screen it can be too small to see clearly, depending on what the action is. In this case, I'd rather trade some cropping in favor of a larger image within the frame. Yes, when the display method premits, widescreen movies are the way to go. No doubt! But, playing wide screen material on a small screen, or playing full screen material in "stretch mode" on a large screen seems quite Procrustean to me! I'd rather sleep in a bed that fits me.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-11-2006 05:02 PM                        "Stretch mode" is so stupid, I'm not sure why it even exists. (Oh wait, I know why....to satisify idiots who have to have the screen full of colorful stuff no matter what.) As for the size -- we have a 27" at home but actually spend more time watching the li'l 15" in the bedroom -- if a movie is good enough I can get absorbed in it even if the screen is small. (That's probably the biggest reason the DVDs are presenting such a challenge to the theatre industry, IMHO.)  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-11-2006 05:50 PM                        If you have a plasma display you want to use a stretch mode so that you won't have burn in. That way you keep the picture moving over all the surface. I use "just" which I think stands for justify. It doesn't stretch very much in the center but as it approaches the eges the stretch becomes greater. The idea being that the action and people are usually centered in the frame so they aren't stretched as much and don't look fat. It looks better than plain stretch  |  IP: Logged

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