What is Widescreen? (Archival Primer)
This section served as the primary introduction for thousands of users discovering the concept of Original Aspect Ratio (OAR). If you were already familiar with the concepts of widescreen and pan & scan, you likely moved directly to our Advanced Widescreen/OAR Primer.
For historical context on the widescreen basics, the following was the original 2002 primer:
Have you ever wondered while watching a film on TV, VHS, or DVD why it began with this disclaimer?
"This film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit your screen."
During the era of square (4:3) televisions, that disclaimer essentially meant:
"This film has been reduced in size, and up to 43% of what was shown in the theater has been cut out, just so that the image will fill up your square television screen."
This process of "reformatting" a film was known as "Pan & Scan" or "Full Screen." The terms "Widescreen" or "Letterbox" simply referred to the original, unaltered film as it was shown in the theater.
The following examples illustrate the difference as seen on a traditional television screen. Each comparison used screenshots taken from the same frame of both formats. It is clear how much of the original picture was lost due to the "Pan & Scan" process:
Although the Pan & Scan format appeared larger on small sets, it came at a great cost. In these examples, 43% of the image was discarded. In The Mummy, the result was a missing character and a cramped frame. In The Fifth Element, a breathtaking stage was reduced in scale, and the dynamic feeling of the scene was lost. This was not what the directors intended.
Widescreen Advocate believed that this type of alteration was unacceptable. We campaigned to see all films shot in a widescreen format preserved in their original aspect ratio for their release on DVD and future formats.
So, was that all there was to know?
Actually, no. The explanation above was meant to quickly illustrate the "why" behind the movement. For those interested in the technical specifics, the Advanced Widescreen/OAR Primer provided a deeper dive into anamorphic enhancements and matting techniques.
Historically, we also recommended these foundational educational sites:
Archival Comparison Resources:
Once users learned the truth about widescreen video, they helped spread the word that Wider is Better.
~ See what you've been missing! See it in Widescreen! ~