Question about resolution and aspect ratios

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Schizoid Man <schiz@sf.com> wrote:
}
} Considering that I will spend 80% of the time watching cable TV and about
} 20% watching DVDs and playing Xbox, do you guys think I should go for a
} widescreen 16:9 or a regular 4:3.
}
} If I understand my ratios correctly, on a regular TV DVDs will be
} letterboxed (black bars at the top and bottom), and on a widescreen cable
} will be letterboxed (black bars on the sides).

} Am I correct in the assessment that if I spent the majority of my time
} watching regular cable, I should go for a CRT-based 4:3 set?


Many of the cable programs I watch are now in HD with 16:9 pictures.
All the prime time shows on the major networks, except reality shows and
news shows are, now 16:9 HD. I get ABC, CBS, NBC, & PBS in HD on
Comcast cable so at least half the TV shows I watch are 16:9 and that
percentage will only be going up. Some of the non-HD channels show
the new shows letterboxed, so a 16:9 set can zoom in and fill the
screen. Throw in DVD watching and getting a 16:9 set was a no-brainer.
It's only $5/month for the HD tuner from Comcast.


} Also, what resolution system should I go for - 480p, 720p, 1080i? And how do
} these various resolutions affect the aspect ratio of the screen.

480p isn't HD. Go for an HD set, it looks way better. Plasma, DLP, and
LCD sets tend to be 720p. CRT sets are generally 1080i. They both look
great. Many TVs accept either 720p or 1080i in, but most convert it
internally and only display one of the two.

--

Frank Ball frankb@sonic.net

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

In alt.tv.tech.hdtv, Schizoid Man <schiz@sf.com> wrote:

> Considering that I will spend 80% of the time watching cable TV and about
> 20% watching DVDs and playing Xbox, do you guys think I should go for a
> widescreen 16:9 or a regular 4:3.

I got a 4:3 after considering the factors you identify, and I think I
made a good decision.

--
In the councils of government, we must guard against the
acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought,
by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the
disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
-- Dwight David Eisenhower