The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit: Rumour has it, the blu-ray has no black bars on top & bottom

The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Rumour has it, the blu-ray has no black bars on top & bottom

AshNazg
Gondor

Mar 6 2013, 6:18pm

Views: 2487

Rumour has it, the blu-ray has no black bars on top & bottom

The Hobbit was shot in a way that it could be cropped to fill an IMAX screen. Apparently, because an IMAX screen is almost the same shape as a TV, they've decided to put the IMAX-cropped version on the Blu-Ray (or maybe just the 3D Blu-Ray?) to fill your TV too! If you're wondering what the result might look like. Here's some clips WB have uploaded from the Blu-Ray!

http://youtu.be/5ayH3BtNjNE

Note: This isn't the WRONG aspect ratio, it's just the IMAX version. The film was made to work in both ways.

(This post was edited by AshNazg on Mar 6 2013, 6:19pm)

QuackingTroll
Valinor

Mar 6 2013, 6:25pm

Views: 1790

I said this might happen last year:

http://newboards.theonering.net/...pect%20ratio;#456427

No-one really seemed keen on the idea. Wonder if opinions have changed?

(This post was edited by QuackingTroll on Mar 6 2013, 6:25pm)

Lindele
Gondor

Mar 6 2013, 6:28pm

Views: 1768

When i saw the film

in the theater it was not in 16x9 and I'd much prefer if it weren't on the Blu-ray either.
I hope this is not true.

DanielLB
Immortal

Mar 6 2013, 6:42pm

Views: 1714

Sounds good to me. / /

sycorax82
Rohan

Mar 6 2013, 6:43pm

Views: 1762

I hope the EE has it in normal 2.35:1 ratio

I can understand why they would go for 16:9 but, to me, that just makes it even more like a TV episode than it already is!

The LOTR trilogy are in 2.35:1 so...why mess up the flow by having AUJ at 16:9??

sauget.diblosio
Tol Eressea

Mar 6 2013, 6:49pm

Views: 1752

I personally think this is a terrible idea,

and i hope that, if this is true, they go with the 2.35:1 for the EE.

jimmyfenn
Rohan

Mar 6 2013, 6:59pm

Views: 1743

i cant believe that.

this may be true, but i find it very hard to believe, it would mean having to spend alot of money on post production/3d/animation/grading etc on alot of image that most people would not have seen in the cinema as the widescreen version would have been cropped from the imax/tv one if what you say is true. (unlike a croppped imax version like you state)

and that clip of the troll scene, bilbo and the trolls heads are at the top of the frame, you would have to chop alot of that off to fit back to the wider cinema aspect, which i cant see any room for.

thinking about it, i believe this is false.

btw that troll scene is very cheesy, but lets forget about that ;)

"You Tolkien to me?!" - Hobbit de Niro

(This post was edited by jimmyfenn on Mar 6 2013, 7:04pm)

Aragorn the Elfstone
Tol Eressea

Mar 6 2013, 7:07pm

Views: 1793

Chill everyone! The Blu-ray has the CORRECT aspect ratio.

The following screencaps are from the Blu-ray.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/...30&postcount=505

"All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that it was vanity; But the dreamers of day are dangerous men. That they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible."
- T.E. Lawrence

(This post was edited by Aragorn the Elfstone on Mar 6 2013, 7:08pm)

jimmyfenn
Rohan

Mar 6 2013, 7:10pm

Views: 1682

yep

thought as much, the original post is completely wrong regarding a 'cropped' imax version , youd alway crop from the imax version.

"You Tolkien to me?!" - Hobbit de Niro

QuackingTroll
Valinor

Mar 6 2013, 7:10pm

Views: 1712

You have it the wrong way round...

The IMAX/TV version is the cropped one. The widescreen is the full. So the top and bottom have nothing to do with it. It's the sides that get cropped.

It's not hard to believe. The exact same thing happened on the Avatar Blu-Ray and James Cameron said he preferred the cropped version.

jimmyfenn
Rohan

Mar 6 2013, 7:14pm

Views: 1691

nope im definitely right

nope you are definitely wrong, the widescreen is the crop.

if you watch the dark knight rises blur ray, youll see it on the whole tv for the imax bits and black bars for the 'widescreen' bits.

"You Tolkien to me?!" - Hobbit de Niro

Aragorn the Elfstone
Tol Eressea

Mar 6 2013, 7:16pm

Views: 1699

Both versions are "cropped", technically.

The 16x9 version may have more on the top and bottom, but they also have some picture cropped from the sides as well. Whereas the proper 2.35:1 version has a little less on the top and bottom, but more visual information on the sides.

In any case, 2.35:1 is the proper framing for this film.

Lindele
Gondor

Mar 6 2013, 7:21pm

Views: 1668

This is only

for shots that were shot in IMAX. anytime an anamorphic film is shown in 16:9 it is because they cropped off the sides.

Regarding The Hobbit, none of it was shot in IMAX

QuackingTroll
Valinor

Mar 6 2013, 7:22pm

Views: 1670

Afraid not...

The Dark Knight was filmed using an IMAX camera, so the IMAX version is the master.

The Hobbit was filmed with REDs in 4K then upscaled and cropped to fit an IMAX screen, just like Avatar. James Cameron said he preferred the Imax's cropped version because it allowed a sense of vertigo. So he used that version on the Blu-ray. (it's actually a version somewhere between the two because TV's and Imax isn't exactly the same shape.

QuackingTroll
Valinor

Mar 6 2013, 7:24pm

Views: 1665

This is good to know... but as OP said it might just be the 3D version? //

(This post was edited by QuackingTroll on Mar 6 2013, 7:24pm)

Arandir
Gondor

Mar 6 2013, 8:14pm

Views: 1627

I think it also depends on the TV

on which you're playing the film.

Having a 42"inch widescreen TV will "resize" differently to a 19" screen - hence the visibility of black bars or no will vary accordingly to each setup.

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' Review

sauget.diblosio
Tol Eressea

Mar 6 2013, 8:18pm

Views: 1629

???

I've never heard of such a thing. The ratio of 16:9 is the same no matter the dimensions, no?

Nevrast
Bree

Mar 6 2013, 10:00pm

Views: 1593

Okay, but does it have a green tint?

;-D

JWPlatt
Grey Havens

Mar 7 2013, 1:03am

Views: 1512

3D

This is somewhat credible if only because on a 3D disk, the effect would be killed somewhat by black bars. There's nothing you can do for the limited size of the screen itself, but filling the entire screen is preferable than not in 3D. This would apply to Avatar as well.

JWPlatt
Grey Havens

Mar 7 2013, 1:07am

Views: 1539

The Green Tint

I'm sure there we be a thorough analysis. But maybe they'll wait for the EE edition to foist it upon us. Sir Peter has yet to personally address the debacle. One still hopes they'll correct it for the Collector's Ultimate Middle Earth Extended Edition in 2015.

Chopsta123
Gondor

Mar 7 2013, 2:18am

Views: 1494

dont think they will remove the black bars by cropping

as I understand it they will show us the IMAX verion which fills the entire screen. If you can fill the entire screen without cropping the frame, i see no reason to use the letterbox, tbh.
And if all else fails you can always stick two black sheets of cardboard onto your TV to make it look like 2,35:1
;-)

MouthofSauron
Tol Eressea

Mar 7 2013, 5:03am

Views: 1446

well i don't see why not

Avatar was the same way and i just bought Schinldler's List on bluray and even that one has no black bars on the top and bottom.

take me down to the woodland realm where the trees are green and the elf women are pretty, oh will you please take me home!!

Arandir
Gondor

Mar 7 2013, 7:57am

Views: 1423

I honestly don't know but

I remember that when the bulky screens were still in use - the difference with an HD widescreen was quite evident. Watching the same DVD on an old TV (the squarish ones) and a new (HD) one would have affected the size of the black bars.

On the former, it would have been a 2:35:1 ratio, whilst on the latter 1:85:1 ratio .... not really sure how it is affected with BluRay though .... thought it might Unsure

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' Review

Rohirrim Rider
Rivendell

Mar 7 2013, 9:42am

Views: 1443

Schindler's List was filmed in 1.85:1 ratio though

So there'd be no black bars. Nothing's been cropped, that's just the 'shape' of the original image.

The Hobbit however was filmed in 2.39:1 and so the theatrical image would include black bars (regardless what size 16:9/widescreen TV you have).

Titanic and Avatar both had 1.78:1 ratios for their 3D versions but, then again, Cameron chose all 3D screenings (not just IMAX) of those films to be shown in that aspect ratio as he felt the flat image worked better with 3D. So, in those cases, the blu-ray presentations are faithful to the film's original 3D presentation.

If they use The Hobbit's IMAX ratio for the 3D I could understand as it does feel more immersive with 3D when the whole screen is filled with image, though I can understand that not having the original ratio would be a shame on a purist level. However, having seen the IMAX version a couple of times and the regular version a good few times as well, I can't say any changes in ratio made any difference to my enjoyment of the film.

MouthofSauron
Tol Eressea

Mar 8 2013, 5:35am

Views: 1320

well their not....

i just read bluray.com's review of AUJ, there's bars. Maybe the extended edition will have the IMAX ratio.

take me down to the woodland realm where the trees are green and the elf women are pretty, oh will you please take me home!!

Kendalf
Rohan

Mar 8 2013, 5:23pm

Views: 220

Yep, I remember discussing this last summer...

In Reply To

http://newboards.theonering.net/...pect%20ratio;#456427

No-one really seemed keen on the idea. Wonder if opinions have changed?

I remember this discussion, too. To quote myself from June last year: "The 2D blu-rays at 2.35:1 and the 3D blu-rays at 1.85:1. That's my prediction, for what it's worth!"

"I have found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."