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[benn600]

Some DVDs I have are either on two sides of the disc or, in any other case, they may include two versions of the same movie (excluding ones that have both on one side).  The question is: which version should I save on my NAS?  I know widescreen shows more width, but doesn't it also cut the resolution down vertically?  If it simply ADDED, it would be good, but most widescreen DVDs seem to actually have "black" bars encoded on the top and bottom.  So, all that space (and resolution seems wasted).  Any ideas?

[Magic_Randy]

If a DVD has Widescreen and Standard Full Frame formats, you should save the Widescreen format.

You basically want the DVD saved in the format it was originally presented in.  If it was Widescreen, that is what you want.  If there is a DVD that is Standard Full Frame format and a Widescreen format, the Standard Full Frame format is edited to fit the screen. 

Sometimes the movie was shot in the Standard Full Screen aspect ratio, so there is no Widescreen format available. In that case, of course, you want the Standard Full Frame format.

[gregoryx]

Most - but not all, of course - movies are shot by their director for wide-screen. The 4x3 is typically a "pan and scan" where you see only the middle of the wide-screen that was saved on the film.

There's a LOT of information on the difference between the different shooting methods and anamorphic (which is actually VERY rarely used) and more fun tidbits on the 'net. The above is my abbreviation. 

As that is typically the case and most players will zoom and pan and scan if you save the widescreen version, you can get a very close approximation of it if you're playing on a 4x3 screen by using the software player's "Pan & Scan" mode.

[benn600]

I just realized my title is misleading.  I was following "To be or not to be"

I didn't mean too wide or too...  Whatever.  I was trying to hint at hilarity but I may have failed.  I will save the widescreen format and stop worrying.