What is the Difference Between a Widescreen & Full Screen DVD?
DVDs are available in two different formats: widescreen and fullscreen. Although people may prefer one format over the other, many people are strong advocates of the widescreen format. At a glance, their names alone indicate how they are viewed on your TV screen.
Other People Are Reading
-
Aspect Ratio
-
The aspect ratio refers to the visual frame and the visual height of a movie. Modern televisions usually have a aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (or 4:3) or 1.77:1, which is more commonly known as 16:9. Widescreen DVDs maintain the original aspect ratio of a film, while fullscreen DVDs use a method called "pan and scan". Only one section of the frame is seen at a time.
Widescreen and Anamorphic
-
Widescreen DVDs can come in two formats: widescreen and anamorphic. On the standard widescreen DVD, it has both the widescreen movie and the two black bars that are on the top and bottom of the TV screen. On the anamorphic format, the movie is compressed to fit the 4:3 ratio of the TV screen.
-
Letterbox Format
-
Widescreen DVDs sometimes are mentioned with the term "letterbox format." This refers to the two black bars at the top and bottom of the TV screen. In letterbox format, the entire film image is presented and the black bars fill the unused parts at the top and bottom.
Picture Loss
-
Due to the "pan and scan" method of fullscreen DVD formats, a viewer will lose up to 50% of the image.
Fullscreen Usage
-
The fullscreen format is usually used for older films that were shot in the 4:3 aspect ratio or the 1.33:1 aspect most often seen in Hollywood's Golden Age.
-
