I came across the Dostana DVD by Eros again and took more screen shots - can't remember the issue with subtitles but they definitely work fine on powerdvd on this DVD, seems to be the same DVD I originally previewed here;

http://www.zulm.net/modules.php?op=modl ... e=&order=0

..old forums thread here;

http://www.zulm.net/of/showthread.php?threadid=756









































Ali

'Can someone rename this thread to 'Dostana (1980) by Eros vs Sony BMG [DVD Shots]'



REGION All
CASE Keep Case
DISTRIBUTOR Sony BMG
VIDEO FORMAT (ntsc/pal), AR, and WHETHER ANAMORPHIC PAL Anamorphic 4:3
AUDIO (and whether 5.1 separation is genuine on 5.1 track) 5.1 Track
SUBTITLES English
RUNTIME 161 mins
EXTRAS None

Sony Dostana is marginally better than the earlier EROS / Appolo release but could have been lot better.

1) Sony Dostana is PAL DVD but is converted from NTSC source. Had they left it in NTSC, it would have been much better. Why did they have to make a PAL DVD as 99% of DVDs, even for Indian market, are in NTSC, specially if the source is NTSC ?? Had the PAL DVD come from a "Film to PAL" master, it'd have been default PAL Progressive.

2) It's presented in AR of 16:9 by chopping off top and bottom of the picture. Good that at least it's full screen 16:9 anamorphic.

I found it strange makin a 4:3 frame to Anamorphic

It's not a 4:3 frame that's made anamorphic (that would make picture vertically squished by 33%). It's done by chopping top and bottom of picture (by 33% total) to make a 16:9 frame that's presented in anamorphic video to maximize PQ for the selected picture area. They took care to maximize the PQ (of substandard pic) but didn't realize or knew that converting NTSC to PAL (by field averaging) they lost much more.

Ye thats what I meant, they did the same with Dilip Kumar's Duniya

BTW, 4:3 frame cut 33% and the resulting 16:9 frame presented anamorphically is better in one scenario:

When you are watching a 4:3 picture on a 16:9 TV and you decide to cut top and bottom of pic to fill the screen (implying that you prefer to see a "larger but cut picture" instead of a "smaller picture with black bars on sides") gives you a 640 X 320 resolution picture. The way Sony did it, it gives you a 640 X 480 res.

i donn think it's sony who did the chopping -- several 4:3 movies were released this way in theatres when the widescreen fad started

Judging by this shot, I'd prefer the uncropped version.

hmmmm uncropped for me tooooooo

Bohot Khoobsurat Jawan Ek Ladki
Sadak Pe Akeli Chali Jaa Rahi Thi
Fakat Naam To Usne Pehne The Kapde
Ajanta Ki Moorat Nazaar Aa Rahi Thi
Koi Maanchala Uss Se Takra Gaya
Mere Doston Tum Karo Faisaala
Khata Kis Ki Hai
Kis Ko De Hum Saaza

I was watching the film the other day and I found the Sony disc better for a 4:3 TV then a 16:9 TV

I was recently watching another Anamorphic 4:3 on a 16:9 TV whcih was Beverly Hills Cop and found that better even though it looked cropped compared to the Dostana DVD but the Beverly Hills Cop disc is less cropped from the top and bottom

you mean "force-matted" and anamorphic dvd (not 4:3 anamorphic)