topic Re: DVD question? in Electronics

DVD question?

moonandthestars — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:22:35 GMT

Hi, Hope this is the right category for this question I'm going to buy a dvd from amazon and I see this particular movie comes in full screen, wide screen and no mention of screen on the package. Does it matter which one I choose? what really is the difference?

Re: DVD question?

rockygems123 — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:46:57 GMT

@moonandthestars I'm thinking if you search in your browser the exact movie you're buying and which one better, fullscreen or widescreen that may help.

I looked it up as a general question and it said movies are not all alike and some are better with a specific screen version.

Re: DVD question?

Spacrazy — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:48:12 GMT

@moonandthestars Yes, it does matter (well, it does to me). It depends on what format you prefer. I prefer "full screen" to watch at home on my television. That means the picture takes up the entire screen. "Wide screen" is the format the movie was intended to be viewed in the theater on its big, wide screen but at home on your t.v. the picture is narrow with large, black space at the top and bottom. Hope this helps...

Re: DVD question?

Mz iMac — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:56:36 GMT

@Spacrazy "but at home on your t.v. the picture is narrow with large, black space at the top and bottom."

@moonandthestars If your tv has a "picture size" setting, it does not matter. That setting eliminates the black boarders/spaces.

Re: DVD question?

Spacrazy — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 20:01:02 GMT

@Mz iMac I'm a simple person and don't like change. I try never to change my settings on electronics because I somehow manage to screw something up (sometimes totally unrelated). But, that's just me...

Re: DVD question?

Mz iMac — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 20:05:31 GMT

@Spacrazy It's really simple. The pic size is usually right on the TV remote. Comcast & Verizon FIOS have a pic size button on their remotes also so you don't have to use your TV remote.

Click to change the size, click again to return to normal.

Re: DVD question?

Spacrazy — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 20:21:27 GMT

@Mz iMac I know you mean well but my motto "if it ain't broke ~ don't fix it". You have no idea what I can manage to get myself into. I promise I would mess up my other two t.v.'s or cause a commode to flush or my garage door to open. Even my grandchildren have learned to just come on over rather than try to explain to me. I don't even know how to add a photo here or copy and paste something. My GGD set up FB on my phone recently and I somehow managed to "almost" send something to The White House (JK). That's why I've complimented you on some of your graphics that move around. I am so impressed with your skills. Anytime you want to come over give me a tutorial I'm game and I feed well. Ha. Thanks pal.

Re: DVD question?

Scooby Doo — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 22:38:13 GMT

@Spacrazy wrote:
@Mz iMac I know you mean well but my motto "if it ain't broke ~ don't fix it". You have no idea what I can manage to get myself into. I promise I would mess up my other two t.v.'s or cause a commode to flush or my garage door to open. Even my grandchildren have learned to just come on over rather than try to explain to me. I don't even know how to add a photo here or copy and paste something. My GGD set up FB on my phone recently and I somehow managed to "almost" send something to The White House (JK). That's why I've complimented you on some of your graphics that move around. I am so impressed with your skills. Anytime you want to come over give me a tutorial I'm game and I feed well. Ha. Thanks pal.

I'm right there with you. My 3 remotes are lined up in order and if somebody messes with them it's all over but the tears.

Re: DVD question?

cindyNC — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 22:53:46 GMT

Funny this topic just came up. I want to play an old exercise DVD and had to ask the BF (again) how to get the DVD player to work with the TV........two remotes, 3-4 commands. Now if I can remember it. Although it does seem simpler now that we got rid of the Spectrum boxes.

Re: DVD question?

Spacrazy — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 23:05:58 GMT

@cindyNC Thanks ~ you give me hope...

Re: DVD question?

gadgetgal613 — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 12:47:25 GMT

@moonandthestars wrote:
Hi, Hope this is the right category for this question I'm going to buy a dvd from amazon and I see this particular movie comes in full screen, wide screen and no mention of screen on the package. Does it matter which one I choose? what really is the difference?

If you change the setting on your TV, it might make the movie slightly blurry. Many people want to movie to fill the entire screen without any black bars on the top/bottom or sides. It can distort the picture if you change it. Some DVDs will have a message the format has been changed to fit the home TV better. Having the black bars doesn't bother me but, some people don't like them.

Re: DVD question?

gardenman — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 11:49:38 GMT

Which is better? Tough to answer. It depends on the movie. Some/many older movies were shot in a more conventional squarer film format to be ultimately viewed on older TVs. Those films then got cropped (top and bottom blacked out) for theaters and letterboxed versions. You lose some of the original image that was shot when you watch the letterboxed versions. In later films, they're often shot in a widescreen format and when you buy the fullscreen version, they crop either side, so you lose some stuff there also. If you have a choice, a "director's cut" is often your best option.

As to the remote and input issues, many newer TVs are really smart and do everything for you. My newest HDTV (still from 2017) knows what I want to do. If I turn on my DVD player, videogame console, Roku, it turns itself on ( if it wasn't already on) and adjusts to the right input without my having to do anything. It just reads the signal from the HDMI cable and knows what to do. It's very clever.