Page 1 of Newbie question - 2:35.1 format etc.....

I`ve currently got a 4:3 Pro-Logivc TV and just bought a Wharfedale DVD player from Tescos. (And also bought Mission Impossible 2 on DVD).

Anyway, can somebody explain this 2:35.1 ratio thing to me ? Is is like 16:9 widescreen but even `wider` ?

I set my Wharfedale DVD up with TV type as 4:w (which it is), but when I play the DVD it really is in letterbox mode to say the least !!!

I suppose this is right but it does`nt look great to me (although I suppose it would look better on a widescreen TV). I get the impression that peoples heads are cut off in the picture, or maybe its because I`m so used to 4:3.

Anyway, are most (or all) DVDs in this 2:35.1 format ? Or should I be able to get the 4:3 PS version on some (all) DVDs ?

Is there anything I can do with the Wharefdale or does it depend on the DVD format ?

Any suggestions ? (Apart from the obvious - but a widescreen TV).

Finally, if widescreens are 16:9, surely you still get `some` letterbox when viewing a 2:35.1 DVD. Do they do 2:35.1 TVs ?

Paul.

Yer right for the most part - many do come in 2.35:1 and it will give you some letterboxing when viewed on a widescreen TV.

Tis a pity if it`s too small on your screen as many of the best films are in this superwide format and it allows for some beautiful imagery!

I agree with the guy above. It backs up my statement, which is NEVER buy anything less than a 32" widescreen TV.
After seeing how much smaller pictures are even on my 32" widescreen, i cant imagine what it must be like on a 28" widescreen.

I have a 28" Toshiba widescreen TV. One of the screen modes is "Cinema" which gets rid of any letterboxing on 2.35:1. It works pretty well. I`ve watched Jaws using this mode and widescreen with a letterbox, and preferred the "Cinema" mode although I lost a tiny part of the top and the bottom of the image.

Does this mode work by stretching the image horizontally and vertically? Surely this would cut off some of the sides as well.

questioning what a 28" widescreen tv shows is one thing - just think what paul`s 4:3 tv shows!!!! as long as its not a portable!

my suggestion : GET A WIDESCREEN TV !!! ;)
Though this is especially true because of Digital TV taking control in the coming years and in widescreen.

back to the questions: I`ve viewed some films in Pan & Scan and 16:9 (1.85:1 i think) and I prefered the pan and scan. But choosing between P&S and 2.35:1 then 2.35:1 wins no question!

1.85:1 chops peoples legs off. 4:3 chops arms off; but then again it all depends on how the film was shot. There was a website that had a good explanation of cinemascope formats etc but cant recall where - sorry.

Try the site below

http://home.clapro.com/widescreen/