Remember the fuss about Letterbox format and how people went on and on, saying that they’d never get used to it? Ask anyone that’s under the age of forty if they even notice anymore, now that it’s been around for a while. I had on a movie on cable for the last 57 minutes and just realized that it was being shown in letterbox. I mean I know I have a head cold right now, but I’m not that out of it…
Well… for me it depends. If I’m watching “normal” TV or VHS then yeah, I mind if it’s letterboxed. But my DVD’s I will only buy the widescreen version. Even on a standard television, the difference in quality is noticeable and I’d rather have all the movie not just a clipped part of it. Not to mention my eventual hopes of having a widescreen HDTV…
Try this cheap idea for letter box.
Take two towels or some other cloth material. Darker is better. Drape them around the tv to cover the black stripes, and secure them with whatever.
Turn the lights down. Your tv will seem to vanish as you eyes focus on the movie.
Now THAT is interesting… probably the same reason that movies had curtains around the screen all this time :)