You might want to dust off that old CRT TV, or at least you might if a) you still own one, and b) it can connect to Netflix. The streaming giant has released the first series of Stranger Things in a picture quality akin to VHS.
The sci-fi series is set in the 1980s, with plenty of nostalgic touch points such as Ghostbusters costumes, walkie talkies and Dungeons And Dragons. So making the first series look like a VHS from the period is very on brand.
As the show’s creators point out, this is how it would have looked had it been released when it's set.
“If Stranger Things existed in Hawkins, sitting on a shelf at Family Video, it would look just like this – complete with pan-and-scan,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. “And hey, if enough of you nerds watch it, maybe we’ll do the rest of the seasons.”
Pan and scan is a technique used to squash a widescreen picture into the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio seen on CRT TVs of the period. It involves cropping the left and right edges and panning across the image if something of note occurs within the cropped parts of the frame.
For any younger viewers, it’s a chance to see what we had to put up with in the olden days.
The VHS-style treatment will of course involve black bars either side of your widescreen TV, and the picture will look softer and blurrier than a modern image – expect this effect to be highlighted by the sharper image quality possible on modern TVs. But it’s all in the name of authenticity.
The series was re-released in this format to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary. And as the Duffer Brothers say, if it proves popular, its subsequent seasons might get the same treatment.
To watch, head to the series landing page or search Netflix for “Stranger Things VHS”.
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