Movies on TV vs. home video (VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.)

[Lazario]

"The King's Speech" was rated PG? I thought it was rated PG-13. I know because I had once rented the film from Netflix.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King's ... ontroversy

I tried everything to get this thing to link. It's just not working. (You'll have to Copy + Paste.)

[ajmrowland]

Thank you.

"The King's Speech" was rated PG? I thought it was rated PG-13. I know because I had once rented the film from Netflix.

It was rated R, then got a "family friendly cut".

[Big Disney Fan]

It was rated R, then got a "family friendly cut".

I believe it was the R-rated version that I saw. At least, Netflix said it was R-rated.

[my chicken is infected]

Television is for those that we call Mass Media, so they have to allow commercials to be inserted into their showing of all movies. Thus, if the movie runs 110 minutes, they will figure a way to chop another five or six minutes to fit it into the schedule.

The major exception is when they have to edit so much footage out of the film that it ends up running short - then they add extra footage that never appears on any home video release. The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas is a prime example in that the TV version has a song titled "Where Stallions Run" that doesn't appear in the theatrical print or any home video version.

I prefer home video myself - can pause or turn it off and resume later if I want, can rewind, get the stuff typically cut out for TV. I occasionally seek out fanedits that incorporate deleted material from TV broadcasts, but not typically.

[Big Disney Fan]

Most channels take any widescreen movie wider than 1.85:1, and crop/pan and scan it to fit a widescreen TV. Some HD channels like TBS will even take an already pan and scan version of a movie meant to fill a normal tube TV, and then stretch it to fill a widescreen TV. Channels like TCM (mentioned by dvdjunkie) don't do this stuff.

But why would TCM show everything unaltered in any way, shape or form, while other movie channels do no such thing?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

But why would TCM show everything unaltered in any way, shape or form, while other movie channels do no such thing?

TCM probably recognizes the fact that many of those who tune in to their channel are film buffs who want to see the film the way it was created; other channels more than likely don't care (with much of their audiences not caring either) whether or not a film's presented as it was originally.

[Big Disney Fan]

Doesn't movies on both home video and television have to play by the same rules, though?

No.

Well, what does home video have that DVD doesn't? Or vice-versa, for that matter?

[ajmrowland]

^I think you mean home video vs. TV but here's the difference:

broadcast standards. the tv version adds commercials and censorship of a most unpleasant kind.

[Big Disney Fan]

^I think you mean home video vs. TV but here's the difference:

broadcast standards. the tv version adds commercials and censorship of a most unpleasant kind.

Yes, that's what I meant. I make that kind of blunder sometimes.

But don't TV and home video show the same kinds of movies?

[dvdjunkie]

If you want to see movies the way you saw them in the theater, then I suggest you buy the DVD or Blu-ray of that particular movie, pop some popcorn, sit back and relax and watch the movie.

If you enjoy commercials, and edited product, then just watch television and get what you want to see.

HBO, Cinemax, Starz, Showtime, The Movie Channel and all the other Premum channels show the movies uninterrupted by commercials, but their drawback is , for the most part, they show most of their movies pan & scan instead of Original Aspect Ratio.

Turner Classic Movies will show you the movie in its original form and correct aspect ratio, but most of their movies are from the classic era of movie. Once in a while they slip in a couple of recent films, but more often than not, they will show movies from the 20's through the 70's.

[Big Disney Fan]

Okay, it's become apparent to me that home video and TV don't have to play by the same rules when it comes to the showing of movies. New question, then: why?

[SpringHeelJack]

...aren't we just going in circles now?

Television is for those that we call Mass Media, so they have to allow commercials to be inserted into their showing of all movies. Thus, if the movie runs 110 minutes, they will figure a way to chop another five or six minutes to fit it into the schedule.

That's why they show that "This film has modified to fit into this time slot" when they show films.

Now the premium channels like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, etc., show the movies as they were shown in the theater except most of the time they are shown pan & scan and not in original aspect ratio.

Don't forget the television stations also have to censor movies for sexuality and swear words, and anything that might be found to be offensive for family viewing.

[Big Disney Fan]

broadcast standards. the tv version adds commercials and censorship of a most unpleasant kind.

But doesn't the home video version of a movie have standards, too?

[dvdjunkie]

Big Disney Fan:

We have been around and down this same road twice now. Just quit the stupid questions and go get a DVD or Blu-ray player and start getting your movies to watch when you want and where you want. You have been asking the same question, in one form or another, for the past couple of months, and are not reading the answers posted here.

I am asking you to stop this inane banter about something that no one can control. Television broadcasters have standards that are different than Movie Studios and production companies. The movies you buy on DVD or Blu-ray are unedited and are, hopefully, released in the Original Aspect Ratio that they were shown in theaters. And there are no breaks or edits for commercials like broadcast television.

Subscribe to HBO, Cinemax, Showtime. Starz, The Movie Channel and many of the other Premium channels that are available on your local Cable or Satellite provider and then you will see the movie as it was shown in the cinema, except it might not be in the original aspect ratio.

Just quit harping on the same subject, and get on with your life. You are becoming a real pain the arse for most of us who thought you were a genuine person with a genuine thought. Now I am wondering how much of this was just a ruse to get some attention.

[ajmrowland]

broadcast standards. the tv version adds commercials and censorship of a most unpleasant kind.

But doesn't the home video version of a movie have standards, too?

the standards for dvd are no different than in the theater except for resolution. So no. Dvdjunkie explained the rest.

[Big Disney Fan]

You are becoming a real pain the arse for most of us who thought you were a genuine person with a genuine thought. Now I am wondering how much of this was just a ruse to get some attention.

Wow, that really hurt.