Open Matte ((free)) -

You switch to the Blu-ray, and suddenly the picture is wider, but the top and bottom are clipped off. You feel claustrophobic.

If you love movies, you need to know about this. Because once you see an Open Matte version of a film, you might never want to watch the "official" version again. Let’s do a quick science lesson. When a director shoots a movie, the camera sensor captures a massive square-ish image (usually a ratio of 1.33:1 or 1.37:1—basically, the shape of an old CRT television). open matte

Suddenly, in The Matrix , you see the wires holding Keanu Reeves. In Harry Potter , you see the stunt pads on the Quidditch pitch. You see crew members who forgot to duck. Ask any film nerd about their "White Whale," and they will mention the Titanic Fullscreen VHS. You switch to the Blu-ray, and suddenly the

But movies are shown in theaters in wide formats like (2.39:1, that super skinny rectangle) or Flat (1.85:1, a mild rectangle). Because once you see an Open Matte version

We’ve all been there.

To fix this, the projectionist puts a physical or digital (a black bar) over the top and bottom of the film strip. They "mask" the image. You only see the slice in the middle.