# Widescreen vs. Fullscreen **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368 "2003-12-28T03:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/1 "2003-12-28T03:18:14Z")
Whats the difference, and which one is better? i personally prefer the fullscreen. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/2 "2003-12-28T03:21:42Z")
Widescreen is better (more picture), but if you’re viewing on a 13-inch or smaller screen, you might as well go full-screen as to save on the eyestrain. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/3 "2003-12-28T03:28:58Z")
Fullscreen. Widescreen viewing is beyond annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/4 "2003-12-28T03:31:06Z")
As mentioned already, the widescreen format preserves the picture, and I always prefer it over the fullscreen format. If I’m going to pay fifteen to thirty bucks for a DVD, I’ll want to get the whole picture on the screen, thankyouverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/5 "2003-12-28T03:32:37Z")
[Obligatory Onion Link.](http://www.theonion.com/3949/news3.html) ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/6 "2003-12-28T03:39:26Z")
**Broke Dad Makes Son PlayStation 2 For Christmas DAYTON, OH—Determined to make his son’s Christmas dreams come true despite financial woes, David McManus spent three hours in his garage Monday constructing a PlayStation 2 from scrap lumber and transistor-radio components. “I can’t wait to see the look on Andy’s face when he unwraps this,” said McManus, lovingly painting a “2” onto the front of the handmade video-game console. “I didn’t get to sand the controllers as smoothly as I’d have liked, but still.” McManus added that he hopes he can make a “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2” CD in time for Andy’s birthday in March.** Also from the [Onion.com](http://Onion.com), of course. You made me do it, **Dizzy Fingers!** ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/7 "2003-12-28T03:56:18Z")
I prefer widescreen. [Here’s why.](http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/feature/20020925/) I have a 16:9 bigscreen TV, and the letterbox effect is minimized. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/8 "2003-12-28T03:57:59Z")
I prefer widescreen. (interesting typo I edited, wifescreen. I wonder what that is?) I hate hate hate [/Kefka] all those quick pans and back to back shots they use to make widescreen into full screen. And the amount of film makers who go to the trouble to film it so that it can be either widescreen or fullscreen is going to remain in the single digits. I can’t wait untill fullscreen becomes a misnomer and people complain about those nasty black bars on the sides of their screens. Although for myself I’m not exactly sure why people complain about black bars for widescreens on standard format TVs, especially since my TV is black and black bars already frame it anyway. We should toss the word fullscreen out already. Call it the old standard since that’s what it is anyway. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/9 "2003-12-28T04:10:38Z")
I went along to a store and viewed both options side-by-side, which I’d recommend. The newsreader had very weird buffalo-wide shoulders with widescreen (and a somewhat square head), but you didn’t notice it so much if you just concentrated on that screen - it became oddly ‘normal’ in short time. But, ultimately, it was still odd. The way it was explained to me; widescreen is only really valid for widescreen format films/movies, otherwise you either choose the black bars or buffalo shoulders. YMMV. Of course, it’s also a marketing ploy. I didn’t buy either option. Radio is okay for now. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/10 "2003-12-28T04:28:48Z")
I like widescreen, but I can watch fullscreen without a problem _shrug_ I’ve never really given much thought as to one being better. FB ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/11 "2003-12-28T04:59:06Z")
Widescreen is better. I don’t like having a third of the movie frame chopped off, or suffering bad back and forth editing. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/12 "2003-12-28T05:35:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > **The way it was explained to me; widescreen is only really valid for widescreen format films/movies, otherwise you either choose the black bars or buffalo shoulders.** Wide shoulders is only if you stretch the fullscreen image to fill a widescreen TV. Though that has certain benefits (it doesn’t burn a vertical black bars of emptiness into your screen) it isn’t really recommended. Ideally TV will adapt to widescreen themselves (and many channels and TV shows do) so that burn-in doesn’t happen, and the new standard is widescreen. If you’re looking for DVD movies, buy widescreen. If you’re looking for a new TV, buy widescreen. In five years everything will be widescreen anyway, so you may as well get used to it sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/13 "2003-12-28T05:37:59Z")
There is absolutely no excuse for purchasing a “full” screen DVD. If your television is so small that viewing the movie in the proper aspect ratio is annoying, _get a bigger television_. I mean, really, where are your priorities, people?! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/14 "2003-12-28T08:37:33Z")
Fullscreen Pan and Scan (aka Pan and Cram) is a tool of the devil himself! Watch your movies the way the director meant for them to be seen! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/15 "2003-12-28T08:45:02Z")
I didn’t spend several grand on a 55" widescreen TV to watch movies in #!^!@?$^%&!#@ pan-n-scan fullscreen crap. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/16 "2003-12-28T14:20:22Z")
Widescreen. How anyone can handle watching fullscreen, let alone prefer it, is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![aoty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9e8a1a/32.png) [@aoty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aoty)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/17 "2003-12-28T14:28:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Priceguy \* > \*\*Widescreen. How anyone can handle watching fullscreen, let alone prefer it, is beyond me. \*\* I’m with you. I cannot stand fullscreen. Even before I got my 16x9 HDTV, I only bought widescreen (anamorphic) DVDs. The black bars never bothered me, but knowing that I wasn’t seeing the whole movie certainly did! ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/18 "2003-12-28T15:31:06Z")
All you have to do is watch ‘Ghostbusters’ once in fullscreen to be converted to the one true movie type. Of course, you have to be able to watch the movie without getting all queasy from the scanning back and forth (blech). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/19 "2003-12-28T15:58:57Z")
Wiiiiidescreen is my preference. ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368/20 "2003-12-28T16:07:40Z")
My preference is whatever the original source was intended to be. For most movies, that is widescreen, and the black bars on a standard size screen don’t bother me at all. For IMAX DVDs, it is fullscreen. With made-for-TV content, it is fullscreen. I HATE the stretching that many use on widescreen TVs to display 4:3 content. Yuck. For my video (cable, satellite, DVD, VHS, and VGA) viewing, I watch an 80" screen. The picture is projected from an Infocus X1, for less than a grand. And no burn-in worries. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/widescreen-vs-fullscreen/221368.md?page=2)