Question 2.35:1 or 16:9, which screen to go for?

JL12W7

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I was wondering what all this fuss is about buying a 2:35:1 scope screen over a standard 16:9 aspect ratio anyway I have already purchased and installed a 16:9 ALR screen which is 133’’ diagonal 118’’ wide and 66’’ top to bottom.

I contacted our friendly Chinese factory work shop to order such a screen in the ratio of 2:35:1 in the same width of 117’’ wide but here is where it gets interesting and this is what I cannot figure out the height on this screen was only 49’’ on the scope screen as opposed to the current 66’’ on my 16:9 screen.

So, if I did go for the scope screen with the same width of 117’’ as I cannot go physically wider it would make absolutely no difference in buying a scope screen as if I zoom out to fill the entire scope screen it will be the same size on both screens only difference is on my 16:9 I will have the black bars top and bottom.

So why do people buy the scope screen as it is way narrower from top to bottom as if I had gone with 2:35:1 I would have lost 16’’ so that is 8’’ top and bottom same as the black bars, I guess.

Can I letterbox my movie to fill the whole screen and remove the black bars is that possible and retain aspect ratio just a question now don’t go biting my head off.
 
Can I letterbox my movie to fill the whole screen and remove the black bars is that possible and retain aspect ratio just a question now don’t go biting my head off.

No, you can't use the full height of your 16:9 screen for a 2.35:1 movie.

Unless.....

You're happy with stretching everything vertically and making everyone look tall, skinny and weird.

OR

You chop the edges off the frame and lose a good portion off the edges of each side and zoom in on the bit that's left.

Think about it logically, you're trying to make a wide rectangle fit into something that's much squarer. It doesn't fit. That's the compromise when you choose any Aspect Ratio of screen, if you'd gone the other way you'd have a large piece of space each side of the screen when watching a 16:9 movie or TV show.

There are more clever ways now with video processing to do it, but you're messing around with how the film looks and that's never a good thing.

You also have the reverse choice with older movies in a 4:3 AR.

Stretch it out horizontally and make everyone look like a fatty or chop the top and bottom off the frame and zoom in.
 
No, you can't use the full height of your 16:9 screen for a 2.35:1 movie.

Unless.....

You're happy with stretching everything vertically and making everyone look tall, skinny and weird.

OR

You chop the edges off the frame and lose a good portion off the edges of each side and zoom in on the bit that's left.

Think about it logically, you're trying to make a wide rectangle fit into something that's much squarer. It doesn't fit. That's the compromise when you choose any Aspect Ratio of screen, if you'd gone the other way you'd have a large piece of space each side of the screen when watching a 16:9 movie or TV show.

There are more clever ways now with video processing to do it, but you're messing around with how the film looks and that's never a good thing.

You also have the reverse choice with older movies in a 4:3 AR.

Stretch it out horizontally and make everyone look like a fatty or chop the top and bottom off the frame and zoom in.
Thank you just the answer I was after makes it much clearer now thank you for answering me as that always had me wondering on that subject it is either one aspect ratio screen or the other.
 
Thank you just the answer I was after makes it much clearer now thank you for answering me as that always had me wondering on that subject it is either one aspect ratio screen or the other.

the benefit of a scope screen is you don’t get grey bars top and bottom when watching a scope film, this does make the picture pop much more than you would imagine.

the best solution is a screen that is both 16:9 and 2.35:1 - ie it as a masking system where you can change the ratio.

In your case, masking panels top and bottom of your current 16:9 screen would be a great addition.
 
Can I ask how does one attach a masking panel on a fixed frame screen and what is the process as this is all new to me never heard if that until now. Thank you for the information. Have you any links on the process assume it is thin veneer wood covered in a black material of sorts.
 
Can I ask how does one attach a masking panel on a fixed frame screen and what is the process as this is all new to me never heard if that until now. Thank you for the information. Have you any links on the process assume it is thin veneer wood covered in a black material of sorts.

various ways, but check out Seymour AV screens, I’ve got one, but previously had a DIY screen which had magnets holding velvet covered mdf strips.

An easy material to work with would be some PVC fascia board as it’s nice and light, cover it with black velvet and then figure a way of attaching it to the screen.
 

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