Blofeld, the answers to those questions can be found all over, but expect simple explanations (in English) on DVD Sewer when it launches soon! But I'll answer these for you now:
"What does it all mean?"Anamorphic transfer
When a DVD is transfered as "anamorphic", it means that it has been enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions. What happens is that normal (non-anamorphic) DVDs lose resolution on HD TV and 16 x 9 widescreen TVs because the image has to be "zoomed" to fit. So, new technology was created to give the image more resolution (33.45%, actually) so that when it becomes "stretched" to fit 16 x 9... no image clarity is lost and you will not get a pixelated or "digitized" look. Basically, if you have a standard 4:3 television anamorphic is not as big a deal... but it does look better with more definition.
1.85:1
This is an OAR (original aspect ratio). Most films are shot in this ratio. What it means is that for every inch the image is high... it is 1.85 inches wide. This is known as the Academy standard or "flat" format. It will leave letterboxed bars on your TV, but not as big as... 2.35:1, which is in "cinemascope" or "scope". These are images that have, you guessed it, 2.35 inches in width to every 1 inch in height. For a comparison, look at the OAR if "Saving Private Ryan" (1.85:1) to that of something like "Titanic" (2.35:1). You will notice that the latter's image is much wider on your TV. That is, unless... you have a 16 x 9 TV, which is optimized for 1.85:1 images. Then there would be no letterbox, and only small bars for 2.35:1 transfers. Another comparison: The original "Alien" is 2.35:1. "Aliens" was shot 1.85:1. Some films have 1.66:1 transfers, but there difference is very minimal.
Dual layer
RSDL (Reverse Spiral Dual Layer) DVDs contain about 121% more information than standard due to a process that actually layers the information onto the disc in seperate regions atop one another. When watching some DVDs, you may notice a very slight pause around the 2-hour mark. This is when your player is switching layers on the same side of the disc. These discs are easily identifiable because they have a gold shine to them (rather than the standard silver).
Region 1 DVD encoding
Basically, North American studios and copyright owners were concerned with more liberal countries making bootleg DVDs. So, a format was created that makes "regional" DVDs only work in players from that region. Basically, all that means is that DVDs from different regions have seperate algorithm codes that players from that region can read and decipher, allowing access to the disc content. For instance, you cannot watch a Region 2 (UK) DVD unless you have a Region 2 player (or software decodere). This is, of course, a moot point if you have a multi-region (or bootlegged) player.
Hope this helps!
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"I am not afraid."
Carl's C.H.U.D. BIO Page
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Carl's DVD List (Always "in production")
