Oh, in case the store won’t give you the software (and they should), you could purchase the Sonic Cineplayer Decoder Pack if you have WinXP. It’s a lot cheaper than PowerDVD or WinDVD, it uses the familiar Windows Media Player interface, and has excellent picture quality.
Also, check your video card driver CD. Most newer cards will include DVD player software and decoding capability.
John, Rex, Asterion:
Have you considered though, that the DVD is not a laserdisc. The laserdisc was a high performance format aimed at enthusiasts… the DVD is a compromise between the performance of a laserdisc and the mass-marketing of VHS. Pan & Scan is there because the mass market demands it. I too prefer the pan & scan for most movies, but there are times when it just doesn’t matter that much… like when I’m sitting across the room from my 20 inch TV that I can’t afford to upgrade right now. Also consider that on any screen, at any given time, there is USUALLY only a 4:3 area in which something interesting is happening. On a movie filmed in 2.35x1 panavision, a good portion of the 480 (IIRC) vertical scane lines are going to waste. Better to enjoy the extra detail the DVD affords across the whole screen.
Also, consider that many movies are filmed at less than this ratio. The average 1.77x1 film is likely filmed on regular film with the top and bottom matted to achieve the correct ratio on a cinema screen. When the 4:3 version is created for home viewing, more often than not the matted sections are added back into the film. (This accounts for the occasional “bloopers” such as microphone booms that creep into movies; they are not actually seen in the directors rendition).
To your suggestion that Wolfe buy a 16:9 TV… They are not flawless in design. First, your movies are seen correctly, but while watching TV broadcasts you must either deal with the fun-house mirror effect, lose a good portion of your TV screen to black bars (this time horizontal), or crop the edges of the image.
Also, consider the size of the 16:9 TV’s footprint on the stand. For the size of the TV’s cabinet, you are getting less screen than you would with a standard sized TV.
And third. The price. Have you seen the price on those things! Geez. Might as well buy two standard TV’s and duct-tape them together.
The gist? Letterbox is good for some, but lets not trash the cropped versions.
“Cropped versions”? Who would buy a CD with up to 1/2 of the songs clipped? Who would buy 1/2 of the Mona Lisa?
Movies are as much “art” as anything else… How is it fair to the director to chop up his work just so “Joe Six-Pack” won’t be offended by “them dang black bars”?? Check out www.widescreen.org to see what I’m talking about.
Sailor - you can get PowerDVD for less than $10 off of eBay - click here for just one example. Also, if you have any local “Mom & Pop” computer stores in your area, check with them. My favorite “screwdriver shack” has it for $9.99.
Rex
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3400703015&category=3775
Wrong. DVD can provide much higher picture and audio quality than Laserdisc and affords a great many more options. Initially, DVD was aimed at early adopters and videophiles, both of whom prefer the highest quality presentation available (which includes watching movies in their proper aspect ratios). If DVD had been a compromise, the Laserdisc market would not be deader than the proverbial doornail. Instead, DVD cannibalized the Laserdisc market first and then exploded into massive mainstream popularity when the price was right. This a testament to the fomat’s overall high quality and affordability.
Wrong. Pan & Scan is there because the mass market has been conditioned by Hollywood and the broadcast industry to accept it. Most DVDs are released in their proper aspect ratios and many big name movies are also offered in pan & scan, as well. However, even when movies do receive dual widescreen and pan & scan releases, e.g., Jurrasic Park, Spider-man, the widescreen versions consistently and vastly outsell their pan & scan counterparts.
Often wrong. It is much more expensive to film in anamorphic 1:2.35 than it is to film flat for 1:1.85 so the director and DP will often have to provide some justification to the studio for its use. The grander scope of cinematography afforded by a wider aspect ratio lends itself particularly well to epics and special effects extravaganzas.
True but, then again, all home video viewing is a compromise. When faced with the choice between watching a movie in its correct aspect ratio at a somewhat lower resolution and watching a higher resolution movie that has had its framing and shot composition screwed around with by panning, scanning and zooming, I will choose the correct aspect ratio every time. That is the way the director and DP have intended it to be seen.
This is still mucking around with the original, intended composition of the movie. More is not necessarily better.
I don’t suppose the idea that the director might want us to see something even if nothing “interesting” is happening has occurred to you? Or are you the kind of person who can watch 2001 in 18 minutes?
Hodge, I am running WIN98SE so not luck there which is a shame as I would prefer to use Media player rather than some other software. The video card is Nvidia Geforce4 MX440 but I have no idea awhether it has DVD player software. I’ll have to check. I will also call the store next week and find out whether they just forgot to include the software. I hate it when things get complicated. Because even after I resolve all this I’ll have to start looking into the region code thing because I’m sure as heck not buying a drive for each region.
I checeked the CDROM that came with the video card and, sure enough, it includes PowerDVD . . . except that it requires a key to install and the key is nowhere to be found. I have the original sleeve and it has a sticker with some notes, but no key. What can I do?
Take it back, make sure they give you one with the required key. If they will not, they are not giving you everything you are paying for. Demand your money back.
Well, it’s a bit late for that since I bought the video card almost a year ago. Not to mention the cost of taking it back would be higher than the card is worth.
sailor, double-check the CD sleeve for PowerDVD. On mine, the serial is hidden underneath the fold-down flap. If its still sealed, you won’t be able to see it.
Also, check your email.
There are… ways… to get serial numbers on the Internet. And I don’t think it’s illegal if you have a licensed copy of the software.