Q: DVDs 101

Factual Questions
1

Do DVDs grant the viewer the option of choosing between wide screen and normal format? Or, does it have to say “wide screen” or not? - Jinx

2

Not all DVDs allow you to choose the format. Usually it will be listed on the box as to whether both formats are available or not.

3

Some do, others are fixed. For insance, my copy of ANALYZE THIS has widescreen on one side, and the soi-disant “standard” (choppo-vision) on the other side. ON the other hand, LORD OF THE RING: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING comes in two different versions, you buy the one that’s wide screen or you buy the pan-and-scan version.

4

Full screen is the common term for movies that have been cut down to fit a TV screen. But I wouldn’t call it the “normal format”. Not to take off on a rant, but the normal aspect ratio is the one the movie was filmed in and shown in theatres. Full screen is no more normal than having a movie interrupted by commercials.

5

Look on the package. You’ll find three varieties:

[ul]
[li]Widescreen on one side and Fullscreen on the other[/li][li]Widescreen only (the other side having a pattern on it like a CD)[/li][li]Fullscreen only (with a printed pattern on the other side)[/li][/ul]

There are others . . . for example, Babylon 5 ITB/The Gathering has a Widescreen movie on one side and a Fullscreen version of a completely different movie on the other.

Some movies will have two separately packaged WS/FS versions (like Spider-Man, which also has separate cover art for each). But for most, if both aren’t in the same package, the one you have in your hand is the only version you’ll find easily.

6

There’s a fourth variety, Daniel: Widescreen and Fullscreen on the same side. One such disc that springs to mind is A Bug’s Life; when you select “Play” from the main menu, another menu pops up asking you which way you’d like to watch the movie.

If you’re not sure what you’re getting, check the banner on the top of the front of the box. If there’s nothing there, check the back; sometimes you really have to read the fine print to figure out what you’re getting.