Desperate Housewives fans hoping to relive the show with the upcoming first-season DVD box set will be in for a nasty surprise when they put on the first disc this Sepember: Buena Vista Home Entertainment today announced DH will be released in a cropped pan & scan version, and not in the widescreen format in which it was originally produced.

Like many modern television shows, when Desperate Housewives is filmed it is framed for an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, meaning that viewers who tune into ABC's high-definition broadcasts are able to see the series in widescreen. For this DVD release, Buena Vista is planning to crop the image on both sides, so they'll end up with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This ensures that viewers without widescreen televisions won't have black bars at the top and at the bottom of their screens, but also means about a quarter of the original image will be lost.

Buena Vista's decision to only release a pan & scan version of Desperate Housewives is somewhat unusual. These days, most series filmed in widescreen are also released this way, and it is the format that DVD enthusiasts have most embraced. Today, Buena Vista also announced that its other new hit show, Lost, would in fact be released on DVD in a widescreen version, so it is not known why they have decided not to do so with Desperate Housewives.

Besides the news of the cropped image, Buena Vista also announced the full list of bonus features included on the DVD set. Many of the episodes will apparently be recut into unrated and extra-long versions, including scenes that had to be removed before being broadcast. In addition, an entirely different ending will be included for this year's season finale, which is scheduled to air on ABC on the 22nd of May.

The DVD set will also include several looks behind the scenes of the show. The cast and creator Marc Cherry will be recording audio commentaries for several episodes, and there will be a documentary on the making of the season finale. Finally, Buena Vista promised a featurette looking at the worldwide success of Housewives, and something called the "Wisteria Lane Fashion Show."

The Desperate Housewives first-season box is scheduled to be released on the 20th of September, 2005, for a recommended retail price of $59.99. However, the set can already be pre-ordered from Amazon.com for a price of $38.99.

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