Welcome to Hard Times (1967) Warner R0 DVD-R ADDED

[Tim_Rogerson]

Title: Welcome to Hard Times (aka: Killer on a Horse) (1967 Henry Fonda western directed by Burt Kennedy)
Country: USA
Region: 0 (NB: checked R2 only player and it worked)
Releasing Studio: Warner
Case Type: Standard
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (OAR)
Anamorphic?: Y
PAL or NTSC?: NTSC
Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
Subtitles (are they optional?): None
Cuts: (and if you know it, precise run time) No cuts - 102m32s
Commentaries: None
Extras: Theatrical trailer (2m58s)
Notes: DVD-R part of Warner Archive collection
Easter Eggs: None
Amazon ASIN (USA release): B006W95BSO
Source:* I own it

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Warner Brothers almost never use the 1.85:1 ratio. They pretty much always shape it to 1.78:1 to fit the entire screen.
Is this disc 1.85:1 or 1.78:1?

[Tim_Rogerson]

It says 1.85:1 on the back of the box and it is certainly not in 2.35:1. The movie was intended originally for TV so I guess it was shot in 1:33.1 and then simply 'stretched' for cinema release. The print is masked off at the top and bottom.

I have no idea how to tell the difference between 1.78:1 and 1.85:1 - do I get out a tape measure or is there a button I can press?

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

1.78:1 means it fills the entire frame of a widescreen TV.

1.85:1 means there are thin black bars on the top and bottom.

A good example is the US edition of "The Conversation" is framed at 1.78:1 while the UK edition of "The Conversation is framed at 1.85:1.

So if you play back the DVD and there are thin black bars, it's 1.85:1, if it fills the entire screen, 1.78:1.

[Nigel_Badnell]

It's not a deal breaker. Frequently reviews get it wrong, the difference being small, we can live with either.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

I will just put it up as 1.85:1 as advertised, but if it ends up being 1.78:1, we can update it later. Thanks!

[Rod_Williams]

I'll add that some displays have overscan turned on by default. You must turn it off.

For example, Panasonics do this. And if the display is powered off, the overscan can be set to on again after power-up.

If overscan is on, the top-bottom letterboxing of 1.85:1 transfers may not be visible. On my TV it shows up as a 1.5cm black bar, with no black bar for 1.78:1 transfers.