Home Video Asylum

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When 16:9 to mainstream?

When is 16:9 to be become the mainstream broadcast aspect ratio? Alternatively, what are the best sources of information on the subject?

My decision to buy a 16:9 vs. 4:3 large screen TV rests, in part, on when 16:9 is expected to mainstream. I don't like how 4:3 broadcasts are stretched in wide screen format, and would rather wait till 16:9 mainstreams. Of course 16:9 is the aspect ratio of the "future." But how far into the future? 2006? 2015? If the latter, I could go for 4:3 now and then 16:9 later.

A related question is whether aspect ratio is definitively tied to broadcast conversion to digital (which is now likely to slip past 2006). Is digital necessarily 16:9? Can't digital be broadcast in 4:3?


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Topic - When 16:9 to mainstream? - Randall F 21:54:01 02/18/02 (7)


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