clore Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 That's what I see on my HDTV, black bars all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Windowboxed, as you describe your screen, is a 4 : 3 picture setting on my Samsung. I'm watching using my picture setting called Zoom 1 which fills the screen, cutting off slight bits on all sides. When I switch to a 4 : 3 I get the black bars all around as you have described. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 I've got my Samsung's screen set to 16:9, as it should be for a letterboxed film. Sure, I can move the setting to zoom in, but that doesn't alter the fact that the movie is being aired in a windowbox format. Before the film started, the inter-title said "letterbox" so the image is supposed to reach the edges of the screen. It just bugs me because I'm making a DVD recording of the telecast and zooming from that source won't eliminate the bars. Oh well, I have a new coaster. The film itself does have one of my favorite goofs in a film. Catherine answers Walter's inquiry by telling him that the booze is hidden in the oven. He responds that he has already looked there. She says "I know, Gretchen told me. I put it there after you looked." But there is no real character in the film named Gretchen, that's only the name of the imaginary friend of the youngest girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 How about Houseboat..? I set it on 16 : 9 and it's true letterbox on the screen. I use the Zoom 1 quite often over letterbox because my tv's letterboxing squashes the image from top to bottom - Zoom 1 expands it so people appear more realistically proportioned. Although I do sacrifice a bit around the edges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 HOUSEBOAT is looking fine, although it's never been one of my favorites. Sophia is fine to look at though. But hey, I'm probably one of the few who really likes THE GRASS IS GREENER, a film that seems to turn off a lot of Grant fans. I'll be recording that one for certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dabb Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Cool. That is odd, since Father Goose and Houseboat are both listed as Widescreen. Hmmm.. Well, good luck on The Grass is Greener - ENJOY! 8-^) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I've got my Samsung's screen set to 16:9, as it should be for a letterboxed film. Sure, I can move the setting to zoom in, but that doesn't alter the fact that the movie is being aired in a windowbox format. Before the film started, the inter-title said "letterbox" so the image is supposed to reach the edges of the screen. I know 16:9 is the standard for HDTV, but when watching a widescreen theatrical movie in 16:9, are we actually seeing the movie in the true aspect ratio when it was shown theatrically in a widescreen format? 16:9 is 1.78:1 but today's theatrical widescreen formats are 1.85:1 (most common US standard) and 2.39:1. The format for CinemaScope movies was 2.35:1. It seems that when viewing a widescreen theatrical movie on a 16:9 HDTV, letterboxing or windowboxing is necessary to see the film in its true theatrical aspect ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 The film itself does have one of my favorite goofs in a film. Catherine answers Walter's inquiry by telling him that the booze is hidden in the oven. He responds that he has already looked there. She says "I know, Gretchen told me. I put it there after you looked." But there is no real character in the film named Gretchen, that's only the name of the imaginary friend of the youngest girl. I feel that is very precious moment in the movie! She is using little girl's imaginary friend as scapegoat so as to prevent little girl from being branded tattle-tale. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 I know 16:9 is the standard for HDTV, but when watching a widescreen theatrical movie in 16:9, are we actually seeing the movie in the true aspect ratio when it was shown theatrically in a widescreen format? 16:9 is 1.78:1 but today's theatrical widescreen formats are 1.85:1 (most common US standard) and 2.39:1. The format for CinemaScope movies was 2.35:1. It seems that when viewing a widescreen theatrical movie on a 16:9 HDTV, letterboxing or windowboxing is necessary to see the film in its true theatrical aspect ratio. I'm not going to mind it that the 1.85:1 shrinks a bit to 1.78:1. It does bother me that anything approaching Cinemascope dimensions gets centerweighted on HBO - except for AVATAR which must have been something contractual. Showtime does proper letterboxing on such a film as does TCM in such a case. THE GRASS IS GREENER has black bars top and bottom right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I'm not going to mind it that the 1.85:1 shrinks a bit to 1.78:1. It does bother me that anything approaching Cinemascope dimensions gets centerweighted on HBO - except for AVATAR which must have been something contractual. Showtime does proper letterboxing on such a film as does TCM in such a case. THE GRASS IS GREENER has black bars top and bottom right now. Are you saying that AVATAR was filmed in the CinemaScope process? I was under the impression that Doris Day's CAPRICE was the last motion picture made with that technology. All the studios (including Fox) switched to Panavision, which is still in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clore Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 Are you saying that AVATAR was filmed in the CinemaScope process? I was under the impression that Doris Day's CAPRICE was the last motion picture made with that technology. All the studios (including Fox) switched to Panavision, which is still in use. No, all I'm saying is that AVATAR had similar dimensions. The 2D version was 2.35:1 and that's what aired on HBO which is not the norm there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily Dean Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I too like the "Grass is Greener" and thought it a very sophisticated movie for its time...as I did "Indiscreet" as well. Let's face it, either as the Bachelor or the pretend married man...Carey was sophisticated with a capital S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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