List of BDs with Altered Aspect Ratios

[Ace of Sevens]

Originally Posted by PRO-630HD

There are a ton of titles shot in 2.39:1 that have 2.35:1 aspect ratios. So really the same thing. The reason for 1.78:1 is this. A 2K master or 4K downconverted to 2K for the bluray is 1080 X 1998 in 1.85:1 since the standard for digital cinema is based on a 17:9 aspect ratio. So instead of resizing the picture and possibly introducing artifacts they simply crop the frame.

Is there any evidence of this happening? My understanding is 1.85:1 movies are shot 1.37:1 and matted for projection and are just matted slightly less for DVD/Blu-ray release. 2K masters are 2048 pixels wide and whatever height they need for the AR.

Also, most movies which are listed as 2.35 on the package are really 2.39 on the disc and someone just never got the memo Cinemascope changed its ratio slightly several decades ago.

[OrlandoEastwood]

Originally Posted by Ace of Sevens

Is there any evidence of this happening? My understanding is 1.85:1 movies are shot 1.37:1 and matted for projection and are just matted slightly less for DVD/Blu-ray release.

That's pretty much true. This is why if the projectionist hasn't framed the print up correctly, you'll see things. Whenever I went to the movies on the U.S. bases in Hawaii and the ones that used to be in Germany, they never framed it up properly. You'll see boom mics running around at the top of the screen.

[Trogdor2010]

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

No. If you have a projector screen there is a little bit of difference. About as much as 1.85 - 1.78. I appreciate your efforts and you do good work but in IMHO this one is a big waste of time. The minuscule differences don't really matter. Maybe it should have been kept to butchered titles that go from 2.35 to 1.78. It would mostly be Canadian titles from Alliance.

1+

Alot of times people may not realize that their TV may be doing overscanning, and they won't care to notice that so of the picture is lost.

In fact, for example, the reason I didn't get The Leopard blu ray wasn't because it frame (2.20:1 on a 2.35:1 screen) was cropped, but rather the subtitles are low enough to the frame that they are cropped through the anamorphic lens. I want to watch it in scope AND have the subtitles. One of the reasons, I'm looking at the HTPC route.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Right, but IMAX is originally 1.43:1. Do you think people want a 1.43:1 image of Batman on their 16:9 displays? That's why IMAX footage is generally transferred to 1.78:1.

which is interesting you should point out and not one IMAX blu-ray is listed in the master list.

[abintra]

Great thread and effort HD Goofnut (now need one for edited versions). Thanks.

Any chance you would consider separating the things like 1.85:1->1.78:1 listings for the reasons already stated? In my opinion, it does a disservice to the reasons keeping an account of aspect ratio modifications is necessary.

Updates

Dracula 2000 - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Equilibrium - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Gulliver's Travels (1939) - IAR 1.37:1 to 1.75:1.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Lookout, The IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1 (on both the individual and double feature releases from Echo Bridge but ~2.39:1 on the Miramax/Disney release).
Money for Nothing - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico - should be mentioned that the original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1 but modified to 1.78:1 by Robert Rodriguez.
Supercop - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Texas Rangers - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Twin Dragons - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Venom - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
World’s Fastest Indian, The - should be mentioned that the original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1 but modified to 1.78:1 based on Roger Donaldson wishes (though oddly only for certain releases around the world on DVD).
Yards, The - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by abintra

Great thread and effort HD Goofnut (now need one for edited versions). Thanks.

Any chance you would consider separating the things like 1.85:1->1.78:1 listings for the reasons already stated? In my opinion, it does a disservice to the reasons keeping an account of aspect ratio modifications is necessary.

Updates

Dracula 2000 - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Equilibrium - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Gulliver's Travels (1939) - IAR 1.37:1 to 1.75:1.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Lookout, The IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1 (on both the individual and double feature releases from Echo Bridge but ~2.39:1 on the Miramax/Disney release).
Money for Nothing - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico - should be mentioned that the original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1 but modified to 1.78:1 by Robert Rodriguez.
Supercop - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Texas Rangers - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Twin Dragons - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Venom - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
World’s Fastest Indian, The - should be mentioned that the original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1 but modified to 1.78:1 based on Roger Donaldson wishes (though oddly only for certain releases around the world on DVD).
Yards, The - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.

as I recall even the HDNet movie airing was the complete 2.39 image.

[Agent Bond]

Edit: Nevermind then.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Agent Bond

Goldeneye is cropped IIRC.

Goldeneye is not on BD yet.

[whitesheik]

There are two things at play in transferring a film in 1.85 and opening it up to 1.78 slightly, which many transfers do:

If a negative is being used for the transfer there is a little extra side information that is not there on prints - opening up slightly keeps the 1.85 shape. The other main reason has already been stated - overscan. Most TVs have it and opening up slightly just lets the overscan put it back to something resembling the 1.85 frame (some overscan is worse than other overscan). So, there is really no point in listing 1.78 as incorrect ratio for a 1.85 film.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by abintra

Great thread and effort HD Goofnut (now need one for edited versions). Thanks.

Any chance you would consider separating the things like 1.85:1->1.78:1 listings for the reasons already stated? In my opinion, it does a disservice to the reasons keeping an account of aspect ratio modifications is necessary.

Updates

Dracula 2000 - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Equilibrium - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Gulliver's Travels (1939) - IAR 1.37:1 to 1.75:1.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Lookout, The IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1 (on both the individual and double feature releases from Echo Bridge but ~2.39:1 on the Miramax/Disney release).
Money for Nothing - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico - should be mentioned that the original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1 but modified to 1.78:1 by Robert Rodriguez.
Supercop - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Texas Rangers - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Twin Dragons - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
Venom - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.
World’s Fastest Indian, The - should be mentioned that the original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1 but modified to 1.78:1 based on Roger Donaldson wishes (though oddly only for certain releases around the world on DVD).
Yards, The - IAR 2.39:1 to 1.78:1.

Added all of these.

[kashif]

Add "The Exorcist" in the list.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by kashif

Add "The Exorcist" in the list.

Done.

[Bruce Morrison]

The correct theatrical aspect ratio for The Truman Show is 1.66, not 1.85. Paramount's original DVD edition preserved this, although it wasn't anamorphic. Their later anamorphic DVD edition and their Blu-ray edition stretched the image horizontally to produce a 1.78 ratio, with the result that people look fatter than they should and the moon and the golf ball (to take just two obvious examples) are oval-shaped rather than circular.

[Sky_Captain]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

as I recall even the HDNet movie airing was the complete 2.39 image.

Having seen the Australian BD, which is 2.35:1,(and a poor transfer), I prefer the 1.85:1. The 2.35:1 version looks really cramped with regards to headroom, etc. The 1.85:1 looks more natural to my eye.

Note that it's open-matted to 1.85:1, not cropped.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

The correct theatrical aspect ratio for The Truman Show is 1.66, not 1.85. Paramount's original DVD edition preserved this, although it wasn't anamorphic. Their later anamorphic DVD edition and their Blu-ray edition stretched the image horizontally to produce a 1.78 ratio, with the result that people look fatter than they should and the moon and the golf ball (to take just two obvious examples) are oval-shaped rather than circular.

Fixed.

[HyperRealist]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

The correct theatrical aspect ratio for The Truman Show is 1.66, not 1.85. Paramount's original DVD edition preserved this, although it wasn't anamorphic. Their later anamorphic DVD edition and their Blu-ray edition stretched the image horizontally to produce a 1.78 ratio, with the result that people look fatter than they should and the moon and the golf ball (to take just two obvious examples) are oval-shaped rather than circular.

Are you sure? The screencaps don't look stretched and IMDb says it is 1.85.

[Ace of Sevens]

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

Are you sure? The screencaps don't look stretched and IMDb says it is 1.85.

I saw it in the theater at 1.85 as well. It may very well have been shot 1.66, but was intended to be matted when shown.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by Ace of Sevens

I saw it in the theater at 1.85 as well. It may very well have been shot 1.66, but was intended to be matted when shown.

It was shot in full frame, I believe. The difference between 1.66:1 and 1.78:1 wouldn't have been so big, if they had just matted it properly for the Blu-ray.

[Dan Average]

Weir might prefer 1.66:1 and it might've been shown that way in Europe and some other places, but it was surely 1.85:1 in most if not all North American cinemas -- most of them can't handle 1.66:1, so Weir would've had to at least protect for that ratio. That said, I'd say it still belongs on the list, since Paramount botched the transfer.

As for 1.85:1 films altered to 1.78:1, I'll save everyone some time: every 1.85:1 film released by Warner Bros. is opened up to 1.78:1. This was true in the DVD era and it's true now. If they've ever released a disc at 1.85:1, it's a fluke, probably something like 1 out of 100.

[Cougartiger]

Despite what it says on the packaging, Twin Dragons is 2.35:1. A user review on this very site confirms this: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Super...7/#UserReviews

I also just popped in my Supercop/Twin Dragons disc and TD is indeed 2.35:1. I even chapter skipped through the whole movie and the AR never changes that I can tell.

There are probably very few, if any, theaters in the US that can show 1.66:1. Truman Show played in 1.85:1. 1.66:1 was probably the camera negative ratio. Therefore both ratios are correct: one presents it as filmed and the other as screened in theaters.