Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 1.0
What Happen To Our Choice of Viewing Format?
I recently purchased a DVD Player, and choose Gladiator as my first DVD movie purchase. I will be the first to admit I did not understand the technical factors involving aspect ratios and their final effect on the viewing size of the movie on my television. I currently own a 35 inch 4/3 aspect ratio television, and I expected to see a full screen version when viewing this movie. Instead, I was presented with a "ribbon" of a picture, barely 13 inchs high, on a screen capable of showing nearly 29 inchs of vertical picture. I owe my thanks to anamorphic widescreen 2.35 to 1 technology. I did not enjoy the movie, due primarily to eye strain trying to watch it. What is the purpose of having a 35 inch TV if you are forced to watch a "ribbon" of a movie on it with no options for a different format, such as "letterbox" at 1.77 to 1 or even full screen at 1.33 to 1. If this is a veiled attempt to move me to the purchase of a new widescreen HDTV, it is a failed attempt. According to my calculations, a widescreen TV with a 16/9 aspect ratio would still not format Gladiator at full screen, thanks to the 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio of the DVD. I do not intend to purchase any additional DVD's that provide only the 2.35 to 1 ratio. Thanks to anamorphic widescreen 2.35 to 1 technology, I will continue to watch my movies in VHS format.