Well, My time to decide between 4:3 and Widescreen Tv's (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

OK... but what about my point about a single seating distance that works for both formats? With a 16:9 set you have it, and with a 4:3 set you don't.

Life is full of compromises. I can't compromise to 16:9 on certain issues, like my laserdiscs. Do you have an answer for that?

Is your optimum seating distance on a 16:9 set the same for Terminator 2 and for Ben Hur? No. Ratios vary, and such is life. 16:9 sets are only constant height for 4:3 and 1.85:1/1.77:1, not for all films.

I've never claimed that 4:3 is for everybody. Why must you insist that 16:9 is?

 

[Marc Rochkind]

Well, of course, I don't "insist that 16:9" is for "everybody."
I would only say that, if one has to choose between 4:3 and 16:9 (as opposed, say, to getting one of each) and one watches a mix of 4:3 and 16:9 material, then the 16:9 set is the better choice.
(To repeat my reason for those jumping into the middle, it is because one way -- 4:3 set -- the 4:3 image is bigger than the 16:9 image, the the other way -- 16:9 set -- the 4:3 image is smaller. Because of the preponderance of lower resolutions on 4:3 material and higher on 16:9, the 16:9 choice gives the best combination of sizes, and the 4:3 set has it backwards.)
I would also point out the obvious, namely that both kinds of sets are widely available and any buyer is free to choose. Anything I say is just my opinion... but isn't that what this forum is for?

 

[Brad_V]

I think the overall trend on this forum is quite interesting. Although I can't say that I've always paid close attention, a few months ago it seemed that 16x9 sets were recommended MUCH more frequently than 4:3 sets. Now, it seems that 4:3 sets are recommended more frequently.

When I started looking at HD sets, I was even getting swayed by Best Buy people with all their talk of "there's no point in not getting a widescreen because within three years everything is REQUIRED to be High-Definition and wide," etc, (which of course is not true). But I was falling for stuff like that. And maybe others were falling for it, too.

Maybe people are just speaking up more and aren't as afraid of having a different opinion of the seemingly-more-common widescreeners anymore. I know I certainly take plenty of crap on some forums for recommending 4:3s (and even *gasp* analogs), but it seems like the more I say, "Hey, these other options are available and might be better for your particular needs," the more I see other people doing the same.

 

[SteveK]

MichaelTLV- My Sony is a 4x3 with a menu-selectable 16x9 mode. Since the black bars are no longer being scanned and are simply unused areas of the TV screen, do I still have to worry about burn-in? I hope not, and I can't see how you can get burn-in from NOT using a portion of the screen, but I just wanted to ensure that your comment applies only to 4x3 without the 16x9 squeeze mode. Please clarify/verify.

Thanks.

Steve K.

 

[Marc Rochkind]

Yes, you can still get burn-in even if the black bars aren't being scanned (vertical-compression mode). The phosphor is still on the tube, and isn't being used, so it wears less than the part that is being used.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Quote:

Yes, because burn-in is relative wear. Bars don't burn in, it is that the widescreen area does burn in and the bars become noticable due to their lack of wear. If you have a calibrated (with VE or Avia) set you have little to worry about. If the set is direct-view, even less to worry about (the black-and-white CRTs used in projectors are much more prone to burn than color CRTs).

 

[Marc Rochkind]

OK, Michael... perhaps I overstated it. For penance, I will watch Shrek in 4:3 tonight!

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Precisely ... the term "burn in" is a misnomer ...

We tend to think it is the bars that are being "burnt in" but it is really the rest of the TV. It is the uneven CRT wear that makes the "burn in" noticable.

When the wearing differential becomes great enough ... then the "burn in" effect is noticable.

As long as we keep watching things that do not exactly fit the aspect ratio of the display device, it will always be a concern.

Regards