Why do some rental stores and retailers not carry widescreen DVDs?
Some rental chains such as Blockbuster and retailers such as Wal-Mart originally carried only fullscreen (pan and scan) versions of movies when both widescreen and fullscreen versions were available. This infuriated many DVD fans, who could never countenance watching a non-widescreen version of a movie on DVD. There was much complaining, including an online petition with over 25,000 signatures. In early 2003 Blockbuster reversed their policy with the following statement: “We made a decision to purchase the majority of titles we bring in on DVD in the widescreen format. We try to follow our customer preferences. As DVD becomes increasingly popular, they become more familiar with the features and with the benefits of letterboxing. They’ve learned it’s a superior format to full-frame.” Wal-Mart similarly switched to widescreen versions apparently after realizing that they sold better. See 3.5 for more about widescreen. See 1.38 for pros and cons of letterboxing.
Some rental chains such as Blockbuster and retailers such as Wal-Mart originally carried only fullscreen (pan and scan) versions of movies when both widescreen and fullscreen versions were available. This infuriated many DVD fans, who could never countenance watching a non-widescreen version of a movie on DVD. There was much complaining, including an online petition with over 25,000 signatures. In early 2003 Blockbuster reversed their policy with the following statement: We made a decision to purchase the majority of titles we bring in on DVD in the widescreen format. We try to follow our customer preferences. As DVD becomes increasingly popular, they become more familiar with the features and with the benefits of letterboxing. They’ve learned it’s a superior format to full-frame.” Wal-Mart similarly switched to widescreen versions apparently after realizing that they sold better. See 3.5 for more about widescreen. See 1.38 for pros and cons of letterboxing.