Anamorphic Widescreen
Dear Gary: I understand from reading your magazine that anamorphic DVD titles offer better resolution than non-anamorphic DVDs. I also understand that when you review DVDs, you are utilizing the component video output. My question is a simple one: If my TV only accommodates an S-video hook-up, am I viewing a better picture quality with an anamorphic title, or must I utilize the component video output to benefit at all from anamorphic processing?
Steve Perri, Franklin Square, New York
Video Technical Editor Greg Rogers comments:
You don’t need component video signals to obtain the extra 33 percent vertical resolution provided by 16:9 Enhanced (anamorphic) DVDs. But you do need a 16:9 (1.78:1) widescreen TV, or a 4:3 (1.33:1) TV that has a 16:9 display mode. The benefits will be a sharper picture with fewer scan line artifacts, such as interline flicker and jagged edges (jaggies) on diagonal lines. A component video interface provides more horizontal chroma bandwidth (more color resolution) than S-video (Y/C video) or composite video. Color will appear, or become brighter, in smaller details of the picture. Pictures look more colorful, and colors are more accurate.
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