The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

[musacfreak73]

Re: Batman Begins wrong aspect ratio?

If Vudu ever wants to be taken seriously by film enthusiasts then it must clearly disclose, prior to purchase, whether a file has been altered from the original cinema format. There is nothing worse for the film buff than to realize he has purchased only part of a film after the fact. The Wild Bunch was my first shock. Vudu's presentation of Peckinpah's cinematographic masterpiece on Vudu is un-watchable. It surprises me that there are so few replies to this thread.

I agree 100%

I just found this thread after purchasing a lot of movies and found that quite a few of my purchases have been cropped.

When I purchase the HDX version of the movie, it should be what VUDU is advertising and be the best that there is to offer and to be offering cropped versions of movies is unacceptable.

When there is a blu-ray version of most movies that is available in the correct aspect ratio, I do not see how VUDU is getting an improper version to put on the sight for us to purchase.

If I could get my money back for the movies that I've purchased that are in the correct ratio, exchange for other movies that are correct, or just get more updates from VUDU regarding getting the correct versions and those being added to my collection, I'd be happy.

[creekside]

Re: Batman Begins wrong aspect ratio?

If Vudu ever wants to be taken seriously by film enthusiasts then it must clearly disclose, prior to purchase, whether a file has been altered from the original cinema format. There is nothing worse for the film buff than to realize he has purchased only part of a film after the fact. The Wild Bunch was my first shock. Vudu's presentation of Peckinpah's cinematographic masterpiece on Vudu is un-watchable. It surprises me that there are so few replies to this thread.

Since the question was raised, any decent HD TV should offer zoom for those casual viewers who insist that their screen be filled at all costs. If you primarily watch made for TV rather than made for the theater chances are that most content will have been produced for 16 x 9 format and aspect is a non-issue. But if you even occasionally watch a film at home then you will want to pay close attention to the scanning and presentations capabilities of any tv which you are considering for purchase. My low mid range LG offers the following which can be toggled from a single button on the remote 16:9 > Just Scan > Set by Program > 4:3 > Zoom > Cinema Zoom 1 > Cinema Zoom 2.

For the newbie that may seem a bit overwhelming but just go to any wide shot, preferably a day shot with architectural features or landscape and pause the video, for instance the scene from Dark Knight 41:10 where the city is seen in back round from within the glass walled office.

Scroll through the "ratio" choices. Note how much is cut off each side. Is the depth perspective or impact of the shot destroyed at the cost of watching full screen? For any decent director the answer will be an emphatic yes.

Regardless of your individual preference at the moment all the visual detail and original composition should be available for viewing otherwise it's more like having bought a thumbnail rather than the original.

note: You should have already set up Vudu from the main app scene to size the test image which is quite simple.

Results are going to vary from film to film and with the quality of the digital transfer along with how faithful the set is.
Not a recommendation by any means but LG 47CM565 47-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV (2012 Model) was purchased as a closeout for $300. You need not over-spend to get multiple aspect display capability these days.

If you've purchased a digital movie and find that you were sold only part of the goods ( i.e. cropped ) SPEAK UP by opening a Support case. Vudu may only be able to offer what it gets from the studio but there is no excuse for failure to disclose. Consumers demanded and got this from disc and there is no reason that they should not be informed of altered format with digital.

[echopulse]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Do what you wish, but just as an FYI Robert Harris who is an expert film historian and restoration expert says the correct ratio is 1.37:1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Harris

[phibbus]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

The 1.75:1 version is the one that's on the BD and what's listed on IMDb. So, in this case, it will stay on the list.

The 1.75:1 bluray of Sword in the Stone is a disaster, video-wise (see the review at blu-ray.com and note the horrible top and bottom cropping of the two large screencaps, there.)

While I haven't purchased the Vudu version and thus don't know if it suffers from the same over-processing of the BD transfer, I'd still rather have the choice of watching the full frame shot by the animators or cropping down to 1.78 manually on my TV.

[prkprkprk]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Sword in the Stone was released only a few years after the introduction of widescreen, so not all theaters had been converted yet. So either ratio could be considered correct, but I prefer to see the whole scene as intended by the animators, regardless of the way it was shown at a particular theater.

The 1.75:1 version is the one that's on the BD and what's listed on IMDb. So, in this case, it will stay on the list.

[echopulse]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Sword in the Stone was released only a few years after the introduction of widescreen, so not all theaters had been converted yet. So either ratio could be considered correct, but I prefer to see the whole scene as intended by the animators, regardless of the way it was shown at a particular theater.

[prkprkprk]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Actually, Sword in the Stone is correct, it was animated in the Academy Ratio of 1.33:1.

It was animated in 1.33:1, but was released in theaters in 1.75:1, thus the AR presented isn't the original theatrical aspect ratio.

I was watching a 2 minute preview of "Bad Day At Black Rock" and noticed that it went from 2:35.1 to 1:78.1 before the 2 minutes was up. This another to add to your list.

Just added it. Thanks!

[phibbus]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Mysterious Island (OAR: 1.85:1, Vudu: 1.33:1)

Please don NOT "update" Mysterious Island! Vudu is currently the only place you can get a 1080p transfer of the uncropped, full frame scan.

While IMDb states the aspect ratio as 1.85:1, like all open matte flicks of the '50s and '60s, it was shot at Academy standard 1.37:1. While strictly intended to be projected at 1:85:1 in the US, few theaters ever actually cropped these films that wide (most coming closer to the UK 1.66:1.)

Furthermore, Harryhausen was not a widescreen fan, and all of the matte painting shots and most of the animation effects shots in this film are obviously composed to the full frame he was shooting, not the intended theatrical ratio. The current US DVD release demonstrates how miserably this picture fares at 1.85:1, with large swaths of important stuff being cut off the top and bottom of the screen. Even the limited-release bluray at a more modest 1.67:1 compromise doesn't look quite right in a bunch of scenes.

While many/most open matte films of the period do fare well at their intended theatrical aspect ratios, this ain't one of them. Please leave it at the full frame 1.37:1 and allow me to choose whether or not to crop it on my TV.

[echopulse]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Actually, Sword in the Stone is correct, it was animated in the Academy Ratio of 1.33:1.

[musacfreak73]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

I was watching a 2 minute preview of "Bad Day At Black Rock" and noticed that it went from 2:35.1 to 1:78.1 before the 2 minutes was up. This another to add to your list.

[prkprkprk]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Add Sword in the Stone. OAR 1.75:1 showing 1.33:1.
This sucks cause it's one of the first Disney movies available thru Digital Copy and it's screwed up.

Sorry this took so long, but I have it added to the list now.

[Gnatevil]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Add Sword in the Stone. OAR 1.75:1 showing 1.33:1.
This sucks cause it's one of the first Disney movies available thru Digital Copy and it's screwed up.

[Mega Powers]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Can someone explain to me what all these movies should look like?
I just watched bits of 300, Hangover 2, and RE Retribution, and besides SD quality on the latter 2, they all looked fine.
Are they incorrectly zoomed in or something? I personally can't tell

I don't have any of those titles on Vudu, but that is exactly what the issue is. The picture is wider than 1.78:1, but has been zoomed-in to fit a 1.78:1 or 16:9 television. This also happens a lot with movies on cable and premium cable channels. It's horrible in some cases like Ben-Hur which was filmed in 2.76:1 (super wide). It's not as bad for films with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, because there isn't that much of a difference, though that does still bother me in some cases.

[YaakaKhiladi]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Can someone explain to me what all these movies should look like?
I just watched bits of 300, Hangover 2, and RE Retribution, and besides SD quality on the latter 2, they all looked fine.
Are they incorrectly zoomed in or something? I personally can't tell.

Accountant Gold Coast

[ydkjman]

Re: The "Incorrect Aspect Ratio" Thread

Yes, I will be updating the "Recently Fixed" list with titles that have been corrected.

Thanks for the hard work on this and keeping it up to date.