SW on DVD: Why Anamorphic Transfers are Important

[Vader AL]

true that tom...true that. I don't think i'll be picking this up.....eh, who am i kidding, i'll watch it in the guest room on the 4:3 t.v.

 

[tomandshell]

true that tom...true that. I don't think i'll be picking this up.....eh, who am i kidding, i'll watch it in the guest room on the 4:3 t.v.

Your poor, poor guests!!!

How could you subject them to the horror of a 4:3 TV set?!?

 

[EVILFACE]

Only going to worry about anamorphic when SW comes out on HD.

 

[Vader AL]

Your poor, poor guests!!!

How could you subject them to the horror of a 4:3 TV set?!?

it's how i force them to watch t.v. with me in the living room. otherwise they may try and lift my SS PF's. gotta keep my eye on them.

 

[tomandshell]

it's how i force them to watch t.v. with me in the living room. otherwise they may try and lift my SS PF's. gotta keep my eye on them.

OK, now that makes sense...

 

[KitFisto]

What's a 4:3 TV?? Do they still make those?

 

[tomandshell]

What's a 4:3 TV?? Do they still make those?

I think they are compatible with Beta video tapes, the old Commodore 64 computer systems and 8 track players.

Oh, and the new Star Wars DVDs...

 

[Darth Madden]

I've been over it. In fact, I was never really on it. Read my post directly above yours. I'm not one of the angry, petiotioning, ranting people on this topic. But I DO think there are many people who don't understand what Anamorphic even means and just today some folks here on SSF were asking about it so I decided to whip up this quick visual tutorial.

Ok, since we posted at the same time I didn't see your other post. Just explaining the differences is fine I just am sick of what seems like everyone complaining about it when there is nothing that will be done to fix it. I am sure we will get the anamorphic OT versions soon enough even if George says that they won't ever be released. And since i don't have a WS tv (yet) it really doesn't bug me (yet.)

 

[Vader AL]

Ok, since we posted at the same time I didn't see your other post. Just explaining the differences is fine I just am sick of what seems like everyone complaining about it when there is nothing that will be done to fix it. I am sure we will get the anamorphic OT versions soon enough even if George says that they won't ever be released. And since i don't have a WS tv (yet) it really doesn't bug me (yet.)

The squeaky wheel gets greased.

 

[user 1190]

Im going to get it regardless. I mean I wish it would be Anamorphic, but I can deal. I has to be better then watching god knows how old VHS versions I have. I would wait if I knew that they would get released again but I dont have that mcuh faith in Lucas. Basicly if I buy them he will put them out next year. If I dont then he will probally wait until something crazy like 50th anniversary.

 

[JustinLuck]

If Lucas hates the originals so much, I don't understand why he doesn't just sell the original prints to FOX. I'm sure they realize there is great demand for them and would be willing to put down the dough to clean them up and produce some HD transfers.

 

[user 1190]

If Lucas hates the originals so much, I don't understand why he doesn't just sell the original prints to FOX. I'm sure they realize there is great demand for them and would be willing to put down the dough to clean them up and produce some HD transfers.

The only thing on our side is there is one thing that Lucas loves above all. MONEY so it will happen some day, now how much it will cost us is another thing.

 

[captain sack]

i have a question for you widescreen TV experts.

i completely understand anamorphic, non anamorphic, letterboxing, etc...

so, with that said, i'm in the market for my first widescreen TV.

i'm at best buy and they have a demo of episode 1 playing. the film looks even "more" widescreen than usual. everything looks like it's stretched horizontally too much. (i asked the sales guy about it and he wasn't much help)

i check the "menu" and see that the viewing is set at "16:9"

other options include a few zooming in options and a 4:3 ratio.

when i selected the first zoom in option, the film looked normal, it was still widescreen, etc...but everything looked as it should. the actors faces didn't look stretched.

why was it like this? if a film is widescreen and the TV is widescreen, why did i have to adjust it to make it look right?

 

[tomandshell]

i have a question for you widescreen TV experts.

i completely understand anamorphic, non anamorphic, letterboxing, etc...

so, with that said, i'm in the market for my first widescreen TV.

i'm at best buy and they have a demo of episode 1 playing. the film looks even "more" widescreen than usual. everything looks like it's stretched horizontally too much. (i asked the sales guy about it and he wasn't much help)

i check the "menu" and see that the viewing is set at "16:9"

other options include zooming in x2 and x4, i think, and a 4:3 ratio.

when i selected the first zoom in option, the film looked normal, it was still widescreen, etc...

why was it like this? if a film is widescreen and the TV is widescreen, why did i have to adjust it to make it look right?

Don't get me started on the floor displays at Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, etc. You would think that they would want to sell these things, right?

The most common thing I have seen is the employee setting up the DVD player for a 4:3 TV (thus adding more black bars to the top and bottom to fill out the square image) and then sending that square image to a widescreen display, so that it is then distorted as it is stretched out horizontally to fit the width of the TV. It then looks like a "super widescreen" movie with really thick black bars, and really funny looking people.

This might be the case with what you saw.

At any rate, both the TV and the DVD player have to be set up properly, which doesn't always happen at your local chain stores.