Echo3 said:
Its common practice for TV. The vast majority of 2.35:1 aspect ratio movies are cropped down to 1.78:1 (16x9) for TV broadcast. They figure people will complain about black bars. Turner Classic Movies and MGM HD are one of the few stations that always show the films in the original aspect if possible.
Also a common practice in the UK where 2.35:1 films are routinely cropped to fill 16x9. Even major broadcasters like the BBC still perform this butchery and ITV, who've owned the Star Wars UK broadcast rights for decades, even now still don't show the films in their OAR.