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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11440
Location: Frisco, TX
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 7:00 pm
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OK, so after buying three live action movies within the last two weeks:
Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog), Unrated Widescreen Edition
Kicking & Screaming, Fullscreen Edition
Batman Begins, Widescreen 2-Disc Deluxe Edition
I'm starting to wonder about the whole "aspect" of aspect ratios.
Previously, I preferred Fullscreen to Widescreen for live action titles because WS looked kind of small on my TV. But for some reason, I like to watch anime in WS more than FS (Samurai Champloo, Gungrave, and .hack//SIGN to name a few) because it makes the title feel a little more grandiose.
I know most anime aren't presented in WS in the first place, and since a lot of live action movies are made to be that way because they're in theaters, I am curious of two things:
1. Do any of you prefer one aspect ratio over another (whether it be live action or anime)?
2. Looking at my current collection of live action movies, should I replace a few of the FS versions with WS versions just for the heck of it?
And on another note related to presentation, I'm also curious to know if anyone here is an audio freak, preferring the likes of 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS in their live action movies or anime.
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Starwind Amada
Joined: 26 Sep 2004
Posts: 981
Location: Easton, PA, USA
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 7:58 pm
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If something was originally shot in widescreen, that's what I get. I'd rather my picture not be stretched to fit the entire screen.
And I got Batman Begins too. I'm not even a Batman fan (I opted not to get the special editions because of that) but I must say, Nolan did a great job with this movie. But that's for another thread.
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ShellBullet
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 1051
Location: I hit things, with my fist.
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 8:54 pm
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Most people seem to prefer the fullscreen, to which I reply "are you nuts?" I hate the idea that parts of my movie will be cut just to fit it to the small screen. By golly, I want the full image!
As to whether you should replace some of your FS titles with WS, that depends on how much money you have. If, like me, you don't have excess money just lying around collecting dust, then I would say no. I'd rather spend my money on new movies.
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Kruszer
Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7994
Location: Minnesota, USA
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:04 pm
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I prefer widescreen for everything really. I haven't really noticed too many anime in widescreen but the ones that I have, seven that I know of, all look fantastic. My televisions big enough anyway where it's not a distraction. Widescreen kind of adds a more classy element to the series and offen makes it feel more epic or theatrical.
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
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Location: Frisco, TX
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:21 pm
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Starwind Amada wrote: | And I got Batman Begins too. I'm not even a Batman fan (I opted not to get the special editions because of that) but I must say, Nolan did a great job with this movie. But that's for another thread. |
Yeah, great movie. I was a little skeptical of it at first when I heard Christian Bale was going to play Bruce/Batman, but he did a very convincing job for both roles, not to mention the film has a great supporting cast.
ShellBullet wrote: | As to whether you should replace some of your FS titles with WS, that depends on how much money you have. If, like me, you don't have excess money just lying around collecting dust, then I would say no. I'd rather spend my money on new movies. |
Well most of my live stuff is actually widescreen already, as most DVDs are sold that way. It's just that I never realized the difference till now because I'm so use to watching stuff in fullscreen .
And most of the fullscreen movies I have are also easily replaceable, as a lot of them sell for $10 or less either online or in stores right now, so it shouldn't be too hard to fix my collection. I'll just have to try and sell some of these to my friends for half price or something .
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RezSav
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 542
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:29 pm
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I didn't care for Batman, my brother dragged me along the day it came out. I liked how Christian played Batman, but what the fudgenips happend to his voice when he put on the suit?
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Steventheeunuch
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:34 pm
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RezSav wrote: | I didn't care for Batman, my brother dragged me along the day it came out. I liked how Christian played Batman, but what the fudgenips happend to his voice when he put on the suit? |
It's like a mixture of a split personality and tough guy act. If he walked around sounding like Bruce Wayne, someone might put two and two together. If you watch the 1990's Animated series you'll see this quite a bit (more specifically in the first Man-Bat episode when he talks to a doctor on the phone, still dressed as Batman, but using the voice and characteristics of Bruce Wayne).
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Mugen1style
Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 281
Location: North of the wall
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Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 11:07 pm
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I prefer WS and I wish all anime was in this format. I have a small 30in WS tv so it fits perfect. When ever I buy, I try and get the title in WS. I like WS because it closer to a theater like feel while enjoying the comforts of home. You can still enjoy WS on a FS tv if its big enough so in the end what ever way you watch is better than not watching.
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Ataru
Joined: 04 Jan 2002
Posts: 2327
Location: Missouri (Strikeman)
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:45 am
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Let's see, Widescreen TV and I use to own a Widescreen Laptop. Yeah, I go after the widescreen movies more then the full screen. However 4:3 shows do tend to get "wide head", so I get the vertial letterbox to fix, but most of time, it doesn't really bother me. The TV has stereo though a boombox that does give a ton of bass, but if I want to 5.1 goodness, I watch on my desktop. It's fine becasue I tend to watch more TV (which most shows are in stereo), but I need to get atleast 5.1 for gaming and movie viewing.
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Number Six
Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Posts: 84
Location: Southern California
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 1:06 am
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Before I got my WS TV, I would have been pretty non-comittal on this subject. However, now I much prefer WS over FS. Heck, I even prefer stretched 4:3 video over FS. Maybe its because I have a large screen TV, but I really don't think there is a comparison. WS all the way!
Same thing with audio. I have a decent A/V receiver and some fine speakers. I use 5.1 sound for everything. In fact, the speakers on the TV have been turned off since I got the thing.
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Deltakiral
Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:04 am
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Tony K. wrote: | Well most of my live stuff is actually widescreen already, as most DVDs are sold that way. It's just that I never realized the difference till now because I'm so use to watching stuff in fullscreen . |
Yea most live action films I would watch in full screen also, but I recently got a WS TV, and oh my. I think that WS is just the way to go forever, whetever for either anime or live action. The quality for widescreen is unbelieveable and not only that you don't have to worry about your movie/series being cropped to fit a small little space.
Till next time,
Delta Kiral
P.S. Hey Tony K, your avatar cracks me up btw. I love that smuch he is hilarious.
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11440
Location: Frisco, TX
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:51 am
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A question to those with WS TVs. So since the TV is made for WS, are the letterboxes totally absent, or are they just barely present at all?
Deltakiral wrote: | P.S. Hey Tony K, your avatar cracks me up btw. I love that smuch he is hilarious. |
Yeah, it just so happens both Kornheiser and I are named Tony and that we also have last names starting with a K. I love watching PTI and really liked his radio show when I had the chance to hear it. But after about a week now, it's time to change my avatar. This week's will be none other than...
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Mugen1style
Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 281
Location: North of the wall
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:35 pm
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To answer your question it depends on the aspect ratio of the WS tv. Mine for instance is a 16:9 tv but not all films are shot in that aspect ratio. So some times there is still going to be a small amount of black bar on the bottom and top. I f any one is looking for WS tv's be shure you do not get one that is to small my 30 is about the smallest tv that is still worth buying. Also I got a realy high end WS FLAT HD Tube tv for way cheap compared to a LCD or Plasma tv Less than 600.00 so if you do not have alot of money this may be the way for you it was for me.
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DVDaholic
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
Posts: 62
Location: USA
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:37 pm
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Quote: | A question to those with WS TVs. So since the TV is made for WS, are the letterboxes totally absent, or are they just barely present at all? |
If I understand your question properly, It depends on the aspect ratio, and if the material is anamorphic or not.
Widescreen TV's are made to fit an anamorphic 1.85:1 apect ratio perfectly, so if you are displaying anything that is shot with in wider aspect ratio (like 2.35:1), it will have black bars above and below.
Of course, if you are watching a fullscreen movie or TV show, then you would get black bars to the left and right, unless you stretch out the picture to fit the screen.
I prefer to watch movies/TV in whatever aspect ratio they were originally created.
As for audio, I am a big fan of dts tracks. Dolby Digital simply can't compare to a well done dts track, especially a full bitrate one! There is a richness to the sound and much better separation for the surround speakers.
If you are into home theater, and want the best sound experience, it's worth it to invest in a good sound system.
I've noticed that some of the newer titles are starting to include dts tracks, which is great. I hope it continues, but I think most US consumers still don't have a clue when it comes to the audio side of home theater, so it will be a slow growth. I'm sure it's also more expensive for the companies putting out the DVD's to include a dts track.
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RezSav
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 542
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Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:40 pm
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I was watching LOTR:ROTK on TV this morning, and it brought this topic up in my mind. If a movie like LOTR was shot specificly for widescreen, then go with it. Because you'll end up with extreme close-ups.
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