when did they start letterboxing videos?

[yellowdog]

Hey all,
No I have not been drinking as of writing this :shocked: ..........So I am watching VH1 classic with my wife when a Technotronics video comes on. The video is letterboxed.I dont believe letterboxing was around back in 1990.My wife claims otherwise. Anyone here know when the letterbox format began? I say it was the late 90's.
Thanks guys! (and gals).
David

 

[John C Lyons]

this should cover everything you need to know:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/aspectratios/widescreenorama.html

 

[Dyrseve989]

very informative site the-lyons-den, I learned a few things from it

-Matt-

 

[David G. Smith]

I remember reading somewhere (don't remeber where, sorry) that Woody Allen was the first to have a film released to video letterboxed. He refused to have "Manhattan" pan and scanned.

 

[yellowdog]

the-lyons-den,
thanks for that link, very interesting read.

 

[Matt Grunau]

Very Cool. Printed the pdf. That's a keeper.

 

[John C Lyons]

no prob!

The Digital Bits is THE site to check out regularly whenever you want to buy a DVD, they always have the inside scoop on if a better edition is in the wings...

 

[Beeblebrox]

I dont believe letterboxing was around back in 1990.My wife claims otherwise. Anyone here know when the letterbox format began? I say it was the late 90's.

Your wife is correct.

I saw my first fully letterboxed movie on home video as early as 1988, possibly '89. It was the VHS release of Innerspace. I've been hooked ever since. And of course, parts of other movies were letterboxed around that time, like the chariot race sequence in the VHS release of Ben Hur and the opening scene to Dune.

And letterbox was a very common feature of laserdisc releases, which reached the peak of their popularity in the MID-1990's. In fact, I got mine in 1994 for the sole purpose of watching widescreen movies.