How to distinguish between letterboxed and anamorphic
From DVDProKB
Distinguish by DVD Cover
On most DVD Covers, there is an aspect ratio printed on the back. Most of the times, you can use them to check if the the feature is anamorphic or letterboxed.
- 4:3 - 1.85:1
- The first part (4:3) tells you, that the movie is encoded letterboxed. The second part tells you the aspect ratio of the movie. The aspect ratio can of course vary.
- 16:9 - 1.85:1
- The first part (16:9) tells you, that the movie is encoded anamorphic. The second part tells you the aspect ratio of the movie. The aspect ratio can of course vary.
- 1.85:1 letterboxed
- Same as 4:3 - 1.85:1
- 1.85:1 anamorphic
- Same as 16:9 - 1.85:1
Since the information on the cover can be wrong sometimes, you may want to confirm it with your DVD player, which is quite easy.
Using the DVD Player
First of all, you need a software DVD Player. Insert the disc and start the movie. The DVD Player (for instance WinDVD or PowerDVD) must be set to play in fullscreen mode. Otherwise you can't distinguish the status of your movie.
