Many of our customers ask us about the differences between widescreen and “pan & scan” dvds, and what the pros & cons of each format are. Here are a some of the basics to help you make your own decisions.
Pan & Scan
- Benefits - the image fills the entire screen. On smaller TV’s, actors’ faces and other scene details are larger and easy to see.
- Drawbacks - in order to enlarge parts of the picture, other parts of the original image are not shown. This can have the effect of taking away the sense of space. Another drawback with pan & scan is that directors often have their characters talk to each other from opposite ends of the frame. Because the sides of the frame are frequently cut off in pan & scan, this can lead to the dreaded “talking nose syndrome”!
Widescreen
- Benefits - the entire picture is shown as it was meant to be seen by the director. No talking nose syndrome.
- Drawbacks - Films are usually much wider than they are tall. In order to fit the whole width of the picture on the screen, widescreen movies are shown with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, which some people despise. On smaller TV’s, widescreen films can appear very small.
There you have i! Now it’s up to you to decide which method of watching your favorite movies is best for your family. Make sure you ask your video supplier any questions you have. Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question!
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