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[mrkgoo]

I've read a little inof on it, but it is never really explicit.

Is it basically a widescreen format that actually doesn't have black bars as part of the picture, and your TV refits the picture? Or is it the opposite of that with the black bars painted on as part of a 4:3 image? Or am I completely off?

 

[GaimeGuy]

I've read a little inof on it, but it is never really explicit.

Is it basically a widescreen format that actually doesn't have black bars as part of the picture, and your TV refits the picture? Or is it the opposite of that with the black bars painted on as part of a 4:3 image? Or am I completely off?

It's not actual widescreen.

an actual 4:3 image is compressed with black bars around it to a 16:9 ratio.

 

[Miburou]

I think anamorphic widescreen is when the image has the full amount of horizontal lines (i.e 480), as opposed to 480 lines minus whatever the blackbars take up when viewed on a 4:3 screen.

 

[pxleyes]

some more clarification.

there are a few directors out there that like to shoot on 3:4 film. This means that when you see the movie in theaters, you are seeing less than the director intended. So when you get an "anamorphic widescreen" DVD, you are seeing less again, just like the theaters.

it is in these certain situations where it is actually "better" to get the "standard" edition DVD to see more actual film area.

yea, its confusing.

 

[GaimeGuy]

an example of anamorphic widescreen = Seabiscuit.

Try popping in the DVD and playing it on a 4:3 television. It'll be cropped at the corners and shown in a pseudo-widescreen format.

 

[EviLore]

http://gregl.net/videophile/anamorphic.htm

Google is your friend.

 

[mrkgoo]

http://gregl.net/videophile/anamorphic.htm

Google is your friend.

Heh, thanks. I've tried googling it a few times, but most descriptions were inadequate. That explanation is probably too elaborate. It does iexplain it best that I've seen, but my mind has been fried from a text book I've been swatting. Some day, though, someday...I will know!

 

[NohWun]

All it means is that the image has been stored on DVD's 720x480 resolution without storing any black pixels and using only horizontal squeezing. When played on a 16x9 screen, the image is stretched horizontally to cover the whole screen (or as much as appropriate, given the original film's aspect ratio, if it's not 16x9).