If a 1.78:1 film is presented in a non-anamorphic 1.33:1 frame on a DVD, but that preserves its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 within that frame by using a combination of pillar-boxing and letter-boxing, what aspect ratio should be reported in the “Aspect Ratio” field? The DVD case and supporting materials do not state any aspect ratio for the film. My own preference (supported by my interpretation of the “how to”) would be to report the “1.78:1” as there is no cropping of the original film image that is presented in that ratio within the non-anamorphic 1.33:1 frame. I thought I’d check though. But there is no way to note in the interface that it is non-anamorphic.

I checked the “how to” materials on this question, but it is not addressed (except obliquely in the penultimate paragraph):

“ Aspect Ratio is the aspect ratio of the movie, as typically specified on the back of DVD the cover. Notice that the Aspect Ratio often is specific to the DVD release, as different versions of the DVD release often exists with different aspect ratios. In case the Aspect Ratio is not written on the back of the DVD cover, you may use IMDB as reference for the original movies Aspect Ratio, and provide that as the expected aspect ratio of the DVD release.

In case a title contains multiple versions of a movie, where the Aspect Ratio differs, the Aspect Ratio should be provided from what is being considered the primary title in the release, or, in situations when no part of the release can be seen as primary, it should be specified from the first disc added to the profile.

A cover may state "widescreen", "16:9", or "1.78:1" when in fact the aspect ratio may be some variation thereof (1.85, 2.35, etc.). In such cases please attempt to provide the actual aspect ratio.

If the film's aspect ratio is not in the available options, then you may type it in manually.”