Pros & Cons
of
Widescreen TV
You need to consider
the pros and cons of 16x9 TV
Practical aspects of widescreen
Now that we've got DVD and HDTV in the shops, it's usual to see TV screens with more of a cinema screen shape look. As the popularity of DVD continues and as the complete switchover to DTV/HDTV broadcasting gets closer, as well as the introduction of high-definition DVD (Blu-ray and HD-DVD), the practical need for widescreen 16x9 TV's starts to look more and more obvious.
16x9 sets may be best suited for watching films and pictures on video.
Even normal TV
programmes can enhanced. Sporting events, like football, fit this format well. Also, there is a
growing amount of widescreen TV programmes.
16x9 Television and DVD
When you buy a DVD, you might notice the terms Anamorphic or Enhanced for 16x9
Televisions on the packaging. These terms are quite important if you own a 16x9 TV.
It means that the image has been placed on the DVD in a horizontally squeezed format that,
when played on a 16x9 TV, is detected and stretched back out horizontally in the same proportion
so that the widescreen image fills the screen (or most of the screen in the case of extremely wide
film images) at full resolution, without shape distortion.
However, if a widescreen image is shown on a standard 4x3 television in letterboxed format, the
image is seen at a decreased resolution, due to the need to include space at the top and bottom
of the image to allow for the black bars.
Burn-In is a downside
Burn-in affects mostly CRT-based
Direct View, Front, or Rear projection sets.
Plasma TV's can be affected by the burn-in process, but LCD flat panel televisions are not affected by
burn-in. If you watch mostly standard 4x3 television broadcasts, mixed with some widescreen
programmes and DVDs, then I'd say you ought to think about getting an LCD flat panel television as an option.
When you watch traditional TV programmes on a 16x9 TV, the image is centered on the screen
and black bars appear on the sides of the screen because there is no image to be reproduced. Over time,
this can cause a burn in effect in which you see two lines on the sides if you are watching a 16x9
image that fills the screen.
Even though improvements have been made to reduce the problem, such as "orbiting" - (constantly making a slight shift in the image edges) this isn't actually noticeable to the human eye.
You need to read the manufacturer's manual of any 16x9 TV (especially CRT-based units) before
buying, to note any disclaimers or comments on this. Also, this may or may not be covered
under a manufacturer's warranty, because it's a usage issue.
What's the conclusion?
Home cinema just gets more and more popular with everyone. DVD, surround sound, and 16x9
widescreen televisions give a more authentic audio/video experience to your home. Although most
DVD releases are already in widescreen format, broadcasters are still catching up on widescreen
programmes.
As programme providers (Broadcast, Cable, and Satellite) add more widescreen and HDTV
programmes to their schedules, acceptance and appreciation of 16x9 Televisions by viewers will be much more widespread. Prices of 16x9 widescreen TV's are becoming even more affordable.
But, as with any TV, make sure you evaluate both the 4x3 and 16x9 options carefully. Take into consideration what sort of programmes you like to watch and how the set will fit into your room layout.
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