Just like when “The Simpsons” hit the Disney+ service, the remasters of iconic sitcom “Seinfeld” that recently launched on Netflix has come under fire for some aspect ratio shenanigans.
The series hit the streaming giant on Friday with all 180 episodes boasting a new 4K remaster and showcasing a decidedly improved image in terms of clarity and quality. Where there has been a backlash though as been over the switch from 4:3 fullscreen to 16:9 widescreen.
The process has resulted in a good portion of some of the original image being cropped out – though shots are now slightly wider than the original. Lost are some gags such as in the episode “The Pothole” and other elements like Seinfeld’s iconic sneaker collection which is now far less visible.
That’s similar to what happened with “The Simpsons” which relies more heavily on visual jokes which were lost to the cropping. Months later, Disney+ restored the episodes to their original 4:3 ratio.
Whether Netflix also plans to reinstate the original aspect ratio for “Seinfeld” is not clear but Netflix is out promoting the series hard right now. Check out a sample of the difference below:
to emphasize, the titular pothole from the season 8 episode The Pothole is cropped out on Netflix https://t.co/gH4l5V8HfS pic.twitter.com/6G35eZQymW
— Brandon (spooky version) (@Thatoneguy64) October 1, 2021
Source: The Verge
