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DVD Forum => General DVD Discussion => FAQs => Topic started by: LokeyMD on Apr 04, 2001 at 08:30 AM

Title: Topics on widescreen letterbox - anamorphic, aspect ratio, matted, etc.
Post by: LokeyMD on Apr 04, 2001 at 08:30 AM
anamorphic vs non-anamorphic transfer..... What's the difference when I read that both are widescreen transfer? If so, how do you distinguish one from the other?? TNX

Check this Out (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents)
Title: Re: anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: moz on Apr 04, 2001 at 11:00 AM
widescreen should have an aspect ratio of 1.85 while anamorphic 2.35, although i've seen dvds that claim to be anamorphic but still is 1.85.

widescreen is done by cropping the frame, while anamorphic is done not only by cropping the frame, but by using a lens that squeezes the horizontal dimension to accomodate a wider aspect ratio, which has to be projected (film) by using an appropriate lens- otherwise, the image will be thinner than usual, such as some chinese kung-fu films, and some films squeezed to fit on your tv.
Title: Re: anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: benny on Apr 04, 2001 at 12:12 PM
Firstly, you would not really discern a visual difference if you have a standard 4:3 TV. A widescreen transfer (as against pan and scan) will still be displayed as  "letterboxed" on a 4:3 TV set whether it is labelled  as plain "widescreen", "enhanced for widescreen TVs" , or "anamorphic widescreen."

If you have a Widescreen or 16:9 tv set, then you should always get the anamorphic dvd (labelled "enhanced for widescreen TVs", "anamorphic widescreen") and not just the plainly labelled "widescreen" dvd which may not be anamorphic.  Basically because anamorphic dvds
look better - 33% more vertical detail!!

Now why should we care to buy anamorphic dvds if we have standard 4:3 tvs?
a couple of reasons : they look better on computer monitors, there is that vertical squeeze trick on some 4:3 tvs that you can do if you're so inclined and lastly, most importantly, hey, in the future you might get a widescreen tv or they might become commonplace!  :)

Some great links:


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


 
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.5



http://www.dvdangle.com/dvd_tech/explanation/ar_comparison.html

[/list]
Title: Re: anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: Komikero on Apr 04, 2001 at 08:46 PM
I believe DVDs can still be 1:1.85 and can still be anamorphic. You'll know if it's anamorphic if you can stretch the image vertically in your DVD or TV.

Mystery Men is 1:1.85 and it's anamorphic. So is Baron Muchausen.

1:1.85 is simply the ratio that the director choose to use.
Title: Re: anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: benny on Apr 05, 2001 at 01:10 AM
I know the terms might be a little confusing especially when we talk about aspect ratios, etc...
with regard to the dvds however, the term anamorphic refers to an encoding process not an aspect ratio.  Yes, it's a bit of a misnomer.
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: bently on Apr 11, 2001 at 09:28 AM
one advantage of anamorphic dvd's is when you try the "zoom in" feature of your dvd player
non-anamorphic dvds will tend to pixellate right away as compared to anamorphic dvd's when you zoom in 8)
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: moz on Apr 14, 2001 at 09:12 AM
Benny: "I know the terms might be a little confusing especially when we talk about aspect ratios, etc...
with regard to the dvds however, the term anamorphic refers to an encoding process not an aspect ratio.  Yes, it's a bit of a misnomer."
-no wonder i couldn't reconcile the meanings of anamorphic and widescreen when used on film viz. dvd
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: moz on Apr 14, 2001 at 09:19 AM
benny: i haven;t checked out the sites, but from what i gather, letterbox transfers would have less resolution compared to anamorphic ones, given that the aspect ratio is 2.35?
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: benny on Apr 14, 2001 at 12:11 PM
First of all, I think you're referring to "Cinemascope" or "Panavision" (Anamorphic Widescreen) when you say "anamorphic ones, given that the aspect ratio is 2.35"; I would assume you mean this as "Cinemascope" really has this as its aspect ratio (2.35:1)  BUT this pertains to the way the film was shot. Using same size 35mm film, using special anamorphic lens, "squeezing" the film then "unsqueezing" it thru a projector with a similar anamorphic lens...etc  

However,in the Anamorphic DVD Process (converting film to dvd), the original aspect ratio could be "2.35:1 or 1.85:1 or some other widescreen aspect ratio ; then the image is converted to an image with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio."

So, let's just make that clear and out of the way, ok ? :)


Back to your question, yes, Anamorphic transfers would have more resolution than non-anamorphic ones. Let's not say letterbox, since letterbox is just a "presentation" of widescreen films (films with aspect ratios of say , 1.66:1, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1 , bigger than the standard tv's aspect ratio of 1.33:1) hence the black bars.

Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: weddingsingr on Jun 07, 2001 at 06:27 AM
Here is my layman's explanation and differentiation.

Anamorphic - pumapayat ang mga character kasi pinilit ikasya sa screen mo ang dapat nasa wide screen.

1.85:1 - On a regular-sized TV, there are no black margins on top and bottom of the TV screen.

2.35:1 - On a regular-sized TV, there are medium-sized black margins on top and bottom of the TV screen.

Non-anamorphic - On a regular-sized TV, there are large-sized black margins on top and bottom of the TV screen.  Medyo naiinis ka na sa laki ng black margins kasi ang laki ng niliit ng palabas.


Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: gonz on Jun 14, 2001 at 03:21 PM
Anamorphic, non-anamorphic, widescreen, letterboxed, panned-and-scanned...

...all of these are soon to be rendered obsolete!  Click below to learn about the new FlikFX Digital Recomposition System for widescreen film to video transfer.  This is the greatest advance in entertainment in 57 years!  This will blow all the other methods out of the water!


FlikFX Digital Recomposition System (http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/flikfx/)
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: Komikero on Jun 14, 2001 at 05:23 PM
Re: FlikFX.

Dude! Are these guys SERIOUS? This is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen! Is it April 1? Jeez. If it's true, then they think we're stupid to fall all over something like this.
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: gonz on Jun 14, 2001 at 11:23 PM
Hi Komikero -- if you go through all the pages, especially the portion where they recompose the scene where Lawrence is holding a lighted match, I think it'll be pretty clear whether FlikFX is serious or not.  ;)

The accompanying text is pretty funny as well.
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: lazy_maze on Jun 15, 2001 at 12:40 AM
Quote

if you go through all the pages, especially the portion where they recompose the scene where Lawrence is holding a lighted match, I think it'll be pretty clear whether FlikFX is serious or not.  ;)




Ha HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ! Is that HIS nose going up in smoke ?!! HA HA HA HA HA HA !

Get your copies on April 1, 2000 !! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

The Ben Hur chariot race! is Heston pushing that face? what is the guy whipping at? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA (Im rolling on the floor!!)
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: Komikero on Jun 15, 2001 at 03:44 AM
Holy crap, I'm so gullible! Ok, I gotta go away for a while and hide my head in shame. Have fun, guys... :-X
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: lazy_maze on Jun 15, 2001 at 06:16 AM

Quote

Holy crap, I'm so gullible! Ok, I gotta go away for a while and hide my head in shame. Have fun, guys... :-X


No, Komikero, you are not gullible. The fact that you said that "this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen", proves that you can not be fooled easily :D.

So, come out from where you're hiding and enjoy the crazy things that may still "evolve" from our world of film and DVD addiction! ;D
Title: difference of Matted Wide Screen and Letterbox
Post by: mchammer888 on Aug 06, 2002 at 05:38 AM
Hello peeps!

Just want to ask what is the difference of MATTED WIDE SCREEN and LETTERBOX wide screen?   anybody knows?
Title: Re:difference of Matted Wide Screen and Letterbox
Post by: himura on Aug 08, 2002 at 11:22 AM
Hi dude!!

I used to have that question myself... you'll find the answer here:

http://www.widescreen.org/widescreen_matted.shtml

To my understanding, I think it's like this:

Letterbox is widescreen with the black bars on top and the bottom of the screen (this is the first thing that comes to mind when you mention the term widescreen to people).

As for matted widescreen (or soft-matted as some sites call it), it's widescreen without the blackbars. This can sometimes lead to the veiwer seeing things that were not intended (check out the URL above for some examples).


Hope that helps you out dude, and welcome to PinoyDVD. ;D
Title: Re:difference of Matted Wide Screen and Letterbox
Post by: mchammer888 on Aug 08, 2002 at 12:12 PM
@dante  thanks for the site!  it helps  but I don't understand what is the difference of 1:85:1 and 2:35:1  hmmm....the black bars on top and bittom there are 2 margins.....  some movies have bigger black bars and some have smaller....  what is the 1:85:1? is it the smaller blackbars or the bigger one....   thanks!
Title: Re:difference of Matted Wide Screen and Letterbox
Post by: himura on Aug 08, 2002 at 02:12 PM
Quote from: mchammer888 on Aug 08, 2002 at 12:12 PM

@dante  thanks for the site!  it helps  but I don't understand what is the difference of 1:85:1 and 2:35:1  hmmm....the black bars on top and bittom there are 2 margins.....  some movies have bigger black bars and some have smaller....  what is the 1:85:1? is it the smaller blackbars or the bigger one....   thanks!


The 1:85:1 has smaller black bars compared to 2:35:1 (standard letterboxed, I think).
Title: Re:difference of Matted Wide Screen and Letterbox
Post by: Kaiser Soze on Aug 08, 2002 at 05:38 PM
Quote from: Dante on Aug 08, 2002 at 02:12 PM

Quote from: mchammer888 on Aug 08, 2002 at 12:12 PM

@dante  thanks for the site!  it helps  but I don't understand what is the difference of 1:85:1 and 2:35:1  hmmm....the black bars on top and bittom there are 2 margins.....  some movies have bigger black bars and some have smaller....  what is the 1:85:1? is it the smaller blackbars or the bigger one....   thanks!


The 1:85:1 has smaller black bars compared to 2:35:1 (standard letterboxed, I think).


It's actually quite simple to estimate aspect ratios. First you need to express the aspect ratios in the right manner to avoid confusion. It is not 1:85:1 or 2:35:1, but 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 as in 1.85 is to 1, and 2.35 is to 1. The first number represents the horizontal ratio, while the second one represents the vertical ratio. So if you say that a movie is presented in 1.85:1, this means that if the horizontal size of the screen is 1.85 inches in size, then the vertical size should be 1 inch. If the horizontal size of a 1.85:1 movie on your 30 inch TV is 30 inches, then the vertical size of the movie should be 16.216 inches (30 is 1.85 of 16.216). Same goes for 2.35:1. In 2.35:1, if the horizontal size of the screen is 2.35 inches, then the vertical size is 1 inch. On a 30 inch TV, a 2.35:1 movie will have a 30 inch horizontal size and a 12.766 inch vertical size (30 is 2.35 of 12.766). This also explains why 2.35:1 movies display larger black bars on a conventional 4:3 TV.
Title: How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 20, 2002 at 01:58 PM
How can you tell if a DVD video is anamorphic or not, besides from looking at the back of the DVD case? The reason I ask this is because I want to know if the features/extras of certain DVDs are anamorphic.

I think there's a technique, where you set your DVD player to 16:9 or widescreen and test on your 4:3 TV if the picture looks squished or not, but in my case, I'm already using a 16:9 TV, so it won't look squished.

Any other way I can find out if it's anamorphic?
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: Kahon on Nov 20, 2002 at 04:16 PM
If you're using a 16:9 TV, if it's not anamorphic, then there will be black bars on the side of the picture (if the TV is not in zoom mode).

The Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen DVD (for Dummies!) (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/welcome.html)
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 21, 2002 at 11:54 AM
Thanks Kahon,

but what do u mean by black bars at the side of the picture? The black bars are at the top and bottom of letterboxed non-anamorphic videos right?

someone suggested to look in at 4:3 mode of the 16:9 TV, and if the video looks squished, then it's anamorphic, if not, then it's non-anamorphic.
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: Kahon on Nov 21, 2002 at 06:03 PM
Non-anamorphic video as it appears on a 16:9 TV (non-zoomed mode):

(http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/23516x9tvlbx.jpg)


Depending on the TV, the bars on the side of the picture may be configured to a certain color (not necessarily black).

If this were anamorphic, the picture would run from side to side.
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 21, 2002 at 08:02 PM
I just tested at home, anamorphic video (jurassic park 3) and switched to 4:3 mode, there was the same bars on the left and right side of the picture.... I then tested a non-anamorphic video, same thing...

hmmm, maybe the 4:3 mode is different from the non-zoomed mode? My Pioneer RPTV doesn't have a mode specifically called non-zoomed, only Natural Wide, Cinema Wide, Zoom, 4:3, and Full Mode.
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: Kahon on Nov 22, 2002 at 07:06 AM
4:3 mode means that your 16:9 TV is acting like a conventional TV, so that means always get the bars at the side of the TV no matter what signal you throw at it.

Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 22, 2002 at 11:26 AM
yes... I don't think I have a non-zoomed mode, or something like that. My TV has either the 4:3 mode, or other modes that basically stretches the video...

so any idea how I would know if a video is anamorphic?
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: Kahon on Nov 22, 2002 at 03:30 PM
Your video is anamorphic if you put your TV  in wide mode and the picture fills up the entire width of the screen.
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 22, 2002 at 03:57 PM
hmm, the problem is, all my videos actually (including non-anamorphic) takes up the entire width of the screen... in whatever mode... except the 4:3 mode.
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: kimera on Nov 23, 2002 at 01:46 AM
Quote from: sgc_wdi on Nov 22, 2002 at 03:57 PM
hmm, the problem is, all my videos actually (including non-anamorphic) takes up the entire width of the screen... in whatever mode... except the 4:3 mode.

"non-zoom" would most likely be equal to natural wide on your rptv

make sure you use 16x9 on your dvd

non-anamorphics should give you the bars on the side
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 24, 2002 at 09:08 AM
not actually, I think the Natural Wide mode is basically designed for 4:3 videos, because it stretches the video from left to right, and the way it does it is not very noticeable.... so I don't get grey bars on this mode as well...

the only time I get grey bars is when I switch to 4:3 mode, but then even Anamorphic videos have grey bars here...
Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Nov 27, 2002 at 10:47 AM
I found a solution na, apparently, I have to set my DVD player to 16:9 (compressed) as opposed to 16:9 (wide). That way, sa Full mode, may gray bars ang mga non-anamorphic videos :)
Title: What is widescreen letterbox?
Post by: Dracula on Dec 05, 2002 at 01:51 PM
Bros

When you say letterbox is this the one with the real big black bars like those on the days of thunder dvd? And do all letterbox releases have big black bars or is this just the ratio.....pls help because i don't want to buy a dvd with black bars as big as those on the days of thunder dvd.

thanks
Title: Re:What is widescreen letterbox?
Post by: sgc_wdi on Dec 05, 2002 at 01:59 PM
dracula,

yup letterbox is the one where there are black bars on top and bottom of the movie. The black bars are encoded as part of the movie, para mapanood mo yung aspect ratio na intended by the director.

If you don't want these black bars, you should buy the "full screen" versions of the movie, kaya lang, you lose basically 33% of the movie.

However, if you have a widescreen TV, you can buy anamorphic DVDs. In most cases, wala na yung black bars, and kung meron man, konti nalang. :)
Title: Re:What is widescreen letterbox?
Post by: benny on Dec 06, 2002 at 12:40 AM
Quote from: dracula on Dec 05, 2002 at 01:51 PM

And do all letterbox releases have big black bars or is this just the ratio.....

It's just the ratio. The larger the ratio, the bigger the black bars. I assume you have a standard tv (4:3 ratio) like most of us. Check out examples of different aspect ratios displayed on a standard tv : here (http://hkfanatic.com/widescreen/standard/standard.php)

The aspect ratio of Days of Thunder is 1.85:1  
Compare that with Lawrence of Arabia (aspect ratio 2.35:1), then you'll really see bigger black bars. I guess you'll dislike the latter even more. It's your choice but think of how much you won't see if the picture was cropped to fullscreen.

A good discussion on Full vs Wide screen (http://www.pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=3570)
Title: Difference between anamorphic and widescreen-letterbox
Post by: jepoi on Dec 13, 2002 at 10:13 AM
i've been reading the posts here and i can't find any answers. ??? ??? ???

read somewhere that his dvd is just letterbox-widescreen and not anamorphic.  is there a difference?

mods, if this is already discussed in some post, pls lock thread and just tell me where  ;D

thanks.
Title: Re:Difference between anamorphic and widescreen-letterbox
Post by: Kahon on Dec 13, 2002 at 11:21 AM
The answers are all here in the threads:


How to know if DVD is Anamorphic? (http://www.pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=7945)




Title: Re:How to know if DVD is Anamorphic?
Post by: grimmacey on Dec 14, 2002 at 07:16 PM
another way is if you have a dvd-rom drive on your PC and a dvd player/decoder software like windvd or power dvd etc... once you play the movie for example in windvd, don't maximize the movie window, if you noticed that the window shape is almost like square and with those thick black bars both on top and the bottom of the window, this means the video on the dvd is not anamorphic. either way if the movie window's shape is a rectangle and with only thin black bars, the video is anamorphic.  ;)
Title: Re: Anamorphic vs non-anamorphic......
Post by: xage on Dec 29, 2002 at 05:10 PM
Quote from: gonz on Jun 14, 2001 at 03:21 PM
Anamorphic, non-anamorphic, widescreen, letterboxed, panned-and-scanned...

...all of these are soon to be rendered obsolete!  Click below to learn about the new FlikFX Digital Recomposition System for widescreen film to video transfer.  This is the greatest advance in entertainment in 57 years!  This will blow all the other methods out of the water!


FlikFX Digital Recomposition System (http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/flikfx/)

Huh? its been a year and a half yet here we are still into anamorphic non.. wide.. etc

well as long as I can view its ok! ;)
Title: Anamorphic Widescreen with 2.35:1 aspect ratio
Post by: nestwave on May 20, 2003 at 11:56 AM
Has anybody experience buying an Anamorphic widescreen DVD with 2.35.1 aspect ratio on the back?
Ang tanong ko is bakit di siya ma-adjust sa letterbox para ma-stretch ko siya kahit sa pan scan and widescreen adjustment ng player di mabago ayaw niya. Sample nito ay ang Gladiator and Godzilla 1998, do anybody experience this problem?
Title: Re:Topics on widescreen letterbox - anamorphic, aspect ratio, matted, etc.
Post by: T-850 on Sep 08, 2003 at 05:34 PM
guys check this out:

all about anamorphic widescreen:
parang virtual tutor:
http://www.dvdweb.co.uk/information/anamorphic.htm
Title: Re: Topics on widescreen letterbox - anamorphic, aspect ratio, matted, etc.
Post by: tonedeaf on Sep 08, 2007 at 11:24 PM
query:

my tv is 16:9.  however, even when i watch a dvd (anamorphic), there are still black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. anything else i should be doing?
Title: Re: Topics on widescreen letterbox - anamorphic, aspect ratio, matted, etc.
Post by: barrister on Sep 09, 2007 at 01:59 AM
The first thing you should be doing is familiarizing yourself with aspect ratios.

You might be under the impression that a "widescreen" picture has only one type of aspect ratio, namely 16x9, when there are actually more than ten different widescreen aspect ratios, the most common of which are: 1.78, 1.85 and 2.35.   

Since your TV is 16x9 or 1.78:1 (16 divided by 9), any video source with a picture wider than 1.78 should give you a letterboxed image.  The wider the aspect ratio, the taller the black bars. 

However, 1.85:1 aspect ratios will require further explanation:

Almost all widescreen TVs overscan a 1.85 image to completely fill a 16x9 screen.  Thus, as a result of the overscanning feature, you should have letterboxing only on pictures wider than 1.85.  But the exception is for HDMI inputs, where overscan is usually (but not always) eliminated by manufacturers.  Without overscanning, you will still see very slim black bars (sometimes only one very slim black bar) for 1.85 content on most widescreen TVs via HDMI connection.

There are many, many movies with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, so it would be easy to find examples.

For aspect ratios wider than 2.35:1, the most common is 2.40:1 (actually 2.39:1, but commonly rounded off to 2.40:1).  Examples -- Minority Report, The Island, Terminator 3.

The widest aspect ratio I've ever seen on video is 2.76:1 on Ben Hur (Charlton Heston, 1959), shot on MGM Camera 65 (a.k.a Ultra Panavision 70), using 65mm film with 1.25x anamorphic.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/Chariot_Race_Ben-Hur.png)
2.76:1 image from Ben Hur

The widest aspect ratio I've ever heard of is 4:1, shot on Polyvision using three 35 mm films projected side-by-side.  It was only used once -- on the ending of Napoléon (French silent movie, 1927).   
Title: Re: Topics on widescreen letterbox - anamorphic, aspect ratio, matted, etc.
Post by: tonedeaf on Sep 09, 2007 at 05:00 PM
@barrister,

thanks. new to this widescreen thing. will be sure to read up  :)
Title: Re: Topics on widescreen letterbox - anamorphic, aspect ratio, matted, etc.
Post by: JT on Jan 26, 2008 at 10:04 AM
The Terminator 1 Blu-Ray says widescreen but showing as fullscreen using my LCD and Projector. I tried all video settings already. No problem with my T2 and T3. Any idea how to make it display as widescreen using PS3 as player?