I am purchasing 3 Chaplin & 2 Keaton DVDs.  I want to find DVDs with
the best format for viewing.  Here is what a seller, who marks down
from Amazon, offers in information:

A 1.85 movie that has been letterboxed for 1.33 display has thinner
mattes than a 2.4 movie letterboxed to 1.33 (28% of display height vs.
44%), although the former are about the same thickness as those of a
2.4 movie letterboxed to 1.78 (26% of display height).  The mattes
used to letter box a 1.85 movie for 1.78 display are so thin (2%) that
they're hidden by the overscan of most widescreen TVs.

I don't understand a word.  The four people for whom I am ordering
have TVs from large wall mounts to reasonably-sized, "standard" (not
old) screens.  I want to purchase the DVDs in one format: one size
that reasonably fits all their sets.

Few sellers give enough feedback to tell which format I'm buying (even
though I wouldn't know what they were talking about).  However, a
common figure listed is 1.33.  What does 1.33 tell me?

Thank you.  firebird-ga

Hello firebird-ga

Thank-you for your question.

The figures quoted when people are taking about DVD and movies are
usually referred to as the "ASPECT RATIO".  The aspect ratio of a
movie defines the shape of the picture.

As your question suggests there are several different common aspect
ratios, the most common being 1.33 or 1.78.

A 1.78 aspect ratio is commonly known as a "widescreen" ratio.  TV
sets with an aspect ratio of 1.78 are the widescreen/long narrow
screens that you see in stores.  The traditional TV set has an aspect
ratio of 1.33.

An example of the traditional TV set size is:
http://www.johnlewis.com/Audio+and+TV/Televisions/+Televisions/Television+Combis+/230196451/Product.aspx

An example of a widescreen shape TV set is:
http://www.johnlewis.com/Audio+and+TV/Televisions/+Televisions/Plasma/230200692/Product.aspx

(Notice the shapes of the sets in the links above.)

The X.XX numbers are obtained by measuring the width and height of the
TV screen or picture.  If you then divide the larger number by the
smaller one you get the aspect ratio.  For instance a widescreen set
is 16 units wide and 9 units high, a traditional set is 4 units wide
and 3 units high.

When you watch a movie at a cinema or theater the aspect ratio is
usually "widescreen".  It used to be the case that when movies were
transferred to television that the broadcaster would convert the movie
to fill the whole screen (thereby changing the aspect ratio), this
technique is often called pan and scan (as the frame pans and scans
around so the most important part of the picture is not lost).  As
technology has progressed it has become cheaper to produce widescreen
TV sets and therefore more demand for the movies to be viewed in its
original lossless widescreen format.

In summary if your friends have traditional TV sets (not widescreen
ones) you would normally buy a 1.33 aspect ratio film.  This would
mean the movie would fill the TV screen and no black bands would be
visible.

If your friends have a newer widescreen TV set you would normally buy
a 1.78 aspect ratio movie or DVD.

If you bought a 1.78 DVD and watched it on a traditional screen the
default setting is usually to show it with black bars around the
picture (although settings on the TV set can usually alter this).

I hope this answers your question.  If you require any clarification
on this subject please do not hesitate to ask and I will try to
respond as swiftly as possible.

Further information:
http://www.stewartfilm.com/glossary/term.jsp?letter=A&termId=11
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/2933/favaspectratio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_(image)

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Request for Answer Clarification by firebird-ga on 13 Aug 2005 12:52 PDT

Dear palitoy-ga,

Thank you for your response.  I have read your material & links you
supply.  With your material, I may be closer to being able to reduce
my question to a few basics.  To be able to be clear for myself as I
write, I?ll write in a manner that will allow me to follow my own
thought process.  I hope my process adds up to the one question I
hoped to have answered in my original question.

Chaplin and Keaton did not have fancy lenses.  What becomes of the
aspect ratio when a Chaplin or Keaton is transferred to DVD?  It?s
clear from examples of formats displayed in a link you send that
Letterbox allows a viewer to see what was originally shot, i.e., no
part of the picture is cut from the frame.  My DVDs are to people who
mostly have Traditional screens.  One has Widescreen.  From a link you
send, it appears a 1.78 aspect ratio is a "widescreen" ratio & a 1.33
aspect ratio is a ?traditional? ratio.  If I don?t want any part of
the picture to be cut from the frame, what do I look for in terms of
aspect ratio for a Chaplin or Keaton film, whether the DVD is viewed
on a traditional or widescreen?

Please know although I read the material in your answer, it?s still a
difficult subject (for me) to wrap my brain around.  I hope my request
for clarification is a logical one.

Sincerely, firebird-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by palitoy-ga on 13 Aug 2005 13:53 PDT

Q: What becomes of the aspect ratio when a Chaplin or Keaton is transferred to DVD?

As most (if not all) movies are filmed in a widescreen aspect ratio
when you transfer the movie to DVD the producer has two choices:
(i) Leave the aspect ratio as it is
(ii) Process every frame of the movie and produce a "pan and scan" version.

A "pan and scan" version is the version you normally see on a
traditional television where the whole of the TV screen is taken up. 
In this version each frame of the film is processed so that the most
important part is shown on screen (for example an actor talking). 
This processing cuts off parts of the screen and parts are lost.

If the DVD producer chooses (i), no change to the aspect ratio, no
part of the filmed movie is lost.

When tranferring a movie to DVD it is not uncommon to have two
versions of the DVD made - a widescreen version and a "pan and scan"
version - this is out of consumer demand.

You should also be aware that not every movie is available on DVD and
you may need to "make do" with whatever aspect ratio you can find. 
This is especially the case with older (pre-1990) movies.

Q: If I don?t want any part of the picture to be cut from the frame,
what do I look for in terms of aspect ratio for a Chaplin or Keaton
film, whether the DVD is viewed on a traditional or widescreen?

In this case you should look for the widescreen versions of the
movies.  On a traditional TV screen the movie will be shown with a
black band above and below the picture.

In terms of an aspect ratio you should be looking for a number larger
than 1.33 (as 1.33 is the aspect ratio of traditional TV).

If you were looking to buy from a seller I would ask him the question
"Is this the widescreen version of the movie?".  They should be able
to provide you with a simple yes or no answer to this question.  If
they reply and say the aspect ratio is 1.78 or another number higher
than 1.33 then it is also a widescreen version.

I hope this has helped your understanding, if you are still a little
unsure please ask for further clarification and I will do my best to
help again.

Thank you very much for your answer and clarification.  They give me
exactly what I need to be sure about what to look for when I buy. 
Much obliged!  firebird

Thanks for the rating and the generous tip, they are both much appeciated.

Whilst thinking about this last night I forgot to add, the larger the
aspect ratio (AR) the thinner the actual viewable picture will appear
on a traditional TV set.  This means a 1.33 AR will fill the screen, a
1.78 AR will appear with black bars above and below the picture, a
2.33 AR will have much larger black bars with a smaller band of
picture.

The information in your addition is welcomed.  I'm grateful you took
the opportunity to offer me this crucial piece of the puzzle.  For you
to take the time and effort is generous.  Thank you!