Difference Between Full Screen DVD & Wide Screen DVD

When movies come to DVD they are often sold in both "full screen" and "wide screen" versions; "full screen" DVDs cut out part of a movie's original visual frame to make the picture fill the space of 4:3 ratio TVs.

Purpose

Full screen DVDs are designed for people who have standard non-wide screen TVs with a 4:3 width to height ratio; some people like to have the full space of their TV taken up with the picture rather than having a wide screen video displayed in the center of the screen with black space above and below the picture.

Features

Widescreen DVDs, or letterbox style DVDs, contain all of a movie's original framing; full screen DVDs are zoomed in to fit the 4:3 format, which eliminates black space but it cuts off part of the original movie's frames.

Benefits

Widescreen or letterbox style DVDs are considered superior to full screen DVDs since they contain all of the movie's original image; the difference is especially noticeable in moves with wide vistas like epic battle scenes.

Misconceptions

The term "full screen" often confuses shoppers into thinking the full screen version of a DVD will display a larger or better picture; while the picture will appear larger on a 4:3 TV, you see less overall detail than you would on a wide screen version.

Potential

With the increasing prevalence of wide screen TV sets that are able to display wide screen DVDs while utilizing most of the screen's space, full screen DVDs may become obsolete.

References

• Widescreen Vs. Full Screen
• More on Widescreen Vs. Full Screen