MGM's DVD Class Action Settlement

MrFreak writes "Apparently all of MGM's 'theatrical wide screen' DVD releases for the last few years have been the pan-scanned versions with the top and bottoms cut off. I checked this against my copy of CQ, and it's true. The list (PDF) of butchered movies includes almost every Woody Allen film, Silence of the Lambs, and Ghost World, just to name a few. If you own any of the eligible movies, you have until March 31 to either opt to exchange your copy for $7.10, or a new DVD from MGM, presumably in its proper aspect ratio." Update: 01/28 19:44 GMT by M : The above is not correct. A comment does a reasonable job of explaining; see the Aspect Ratio FAQ for background. The movies themselves have not been cut twice; they've been cut once, because they were originally formatted for television.

Comments

Re:A case of misunderstanding? Youbetcha.

[X_Bones]

Ooh. Apparently I'm a clueless moron because I don't know the difference between anamorphic, non-anamorphic, widescreen, pan-and-scan, full-frame, and whatever else. Guess what? I don't give a shit about any of it. I'm not a filmmaker, I'm not a movie critic, I don't have a hard-on for every $3000 piece of home theater equipment I read about in a magazine. I just like to sit down with friends, have a beer, and watch movies once in a while.

Don't understand the strategic difference between the bombings of Dresden, Peenemunde, and Ploetsi by the RAF and USAAF during World War Two? You're obviously clueless. Can you see how stupid both of these comparisons are?

And your reference to Windows and IE, although meant to be humorous, actually shows how disingenuous you are. Does me sitting at home watching a pan-and-scan version of a movie somehow decrease your enjoyment of watching a different version in your own home (as would be the case, say, with you accessing the internet on Linux and me on an pwn'd spam zombie Windows box)? No? Then shut up and stop making stupid assumptions.