10-14-2002, 02:28 PM
Widescreen is usually the true aspect ratio (excluding most television programming). What that means is when you go to a theater, the screen is not in a 4:3 ratio like a television set, but usually a 16:9 ratio (more rectangular). When you watch a movie an TV, there is usually a disclaimer that says "edited for television" which most people assume to mean all the curses and nudity are cut out - which is true, but the actual picture is also cropped to fit within the constrains of a 4:3 television set.
The "black bars" you refer to aren't really bars - those are "dead space". meaning the movies looks rectangular because it has to be compressed to fit within a 4:3 screen. On a set 36" and up, widescreen is enjoyable (I have a 36" myself), but if you are looking to get a new set, go widescreen. Widescreen gives you more movie, and you watch it as the director intended you to see it - not cropped. I always buy widescreen, and when I watch a cropped movie it really kills the experience for me.
Widescreen is good whether you have analog, digital or HDTV - the differences between these sets are purely video quality. I'm not an expert, but the differences come down to pixel concentration - more pixels means a sharper picture. Analog sets are standard and offer the lowest res, digital gets considerably better, and HDTV provides the current "best" picture. The problem is a video picture is only as good as it's source, meaning your beat-up old Debbie Does Dallas VHS tape will look shitty on a, HDTV - esp. if it's a large screen. My set is HDTV, and I really only use this setting when I play on my X-Box - I have an analog cable (hot) box, and the picture isn't the greatest - but it's free. Once we move into a house. I plan on getting DirecTV with the Dolby Digital receiver boxes. My brother-in-law has this setup with the same TV as mine, and it looks amazing. DVD's on my TV also look spectacular, and my VCR plays fairly well, but its no comparison to a DVD picture.
The bottom line - if you're not a real movie-phile, you can get away with not watching widescreen, but almost all DVD's come this way, as it really is the best way to see the movie - most times directors have stuff going on in the background that add so much to the scene and when you don't see it, it really takes away from the movie. Stick with widescreen.
The "black bars" you refer to aren't really bars - those are "dead space". meaning the movies looks rectangular because it has to be compressed to fit within a 4:3 screen. On a set 36" and up, widescreen is enjoyable (I have a 36" myself), but if you are looking to get a new set, go widescreen. Widescreen gives you more movie, and you watch it as the director intended you to see it - not cropped. I always buy widescreen, and when I watch a cropped movie it really kills the experience for me.
Widescreen is good whether you have analog, digital or HDTV - the differences between these sets are purely video quality. I'm not an expert, but the differences come down to pixel concentration - more pixels means a sharper picture. Analog sets are standard and offer the lowest res, digital gets considerably better, and HDTV provides the current "best" picture. The problem is a video picture is only as good as it's source, meaning your beat-up old Debbie Does Dallas VHS tape will look shitty on a, HDTV - esp. if it's a large screen. My set is HDTV, and I really only use this setting when I play on my X-Box - I have an analog cable (hot) box, and the picture isn't the greatest - but it's free. Once we move into a house. I plan on getting DirecTV with the Dolby Digital receiver boxes. My brother-in-law has this setup with the same TV as mine, and it looks amazing. DVD's on my TV also look spectacular, and my VCR plays fairly well, but its no comparison to a DVD picture.
The bottom line - if you're not a real movie-phile, you can get away with not watching widescreen, but almost all DVD's come this way, as it really is the best way to see the movie - most times directors have stuff going on in the background that add so much to the scene and when you don't see it, it really takes away from the movie. Stick with widescreen.