Name your favourite aspect ratio!

I've voted for 16:9, as that is true widescreen, and is the most comfortable ratio on the eyes - if it were used properly it would be much better. Currently no-one dares use the edges of the frame but once they do things will improve beyond measure.

However, I would have prefered to vote for 'Whatever aspect ratio it was shot in' as watching a 4:3 picture stretched to W/S or a cropped W/S picture is horrible.

All things being equal, though, Widescreen all the way.

Only programmes shots in true W/S, should be 16:9, none of this zooming 4:3 material to 14:9, that BBC News does, that's pathetic!

This could mean your favourite ratio between Mars Bars and Twixes!

I personally like 16:9 - it just seems a much more natural shape to watch.

However, I do wish this cropping business to make 4:3 footage look the same except for black bars top and bottom of 14:9 on a 4:3 screen would stop. It's pointless because they are simply defeating the technology they're trying to sell, making the picture look out of focus and also convincing sceptics that widescreen really is just a normal picture with the top and the bottom cut off.

Yep - as far as I can tell, News 24 is (newsroom and reports at least) 16:9, but 4:3 protected. Which is quite possibly the most stupid thing ever.

I do think that digital viewers with 4:3 sets, should have the 14:9 option, as it gives a bit more picture, without deep black bars as you would get with 16:9!

That would be a very good idea, but apparently it would be technically very difficult, if not impossible, to implement a 14:9 option on digiboxes. Unfortunately broadcasters don't seem to understand this, and tend to frame the picture for 14:9 (except DOGs of course which invariably fall within the 4:3 safe area) despite the fact that the majority of digital viewers are watching in 4:3 centre cut-out mode on a 4:3 television.

It seems absurd that even on digital-only channels they still frame for 14:9 even though it's impossible to watch in this mode - I noticed the closing credits for BBC Choice's '2001 - a News Odyssey' were positioned in the 14:9 safe area, and of course disappeared off the edge in 4:3 cut-out.

As I am not a techhie, can you explain why it is technically difficult to implement 14:9, is it software related?

Oh dear. I'm totally out of my depth here. Can someone take me aside and take me through the pros and cons gently?

I would do ribbit, but my explanations are not usually very clear! http://web.ukonline.co.uk/tv.home/forum/emoticons/biggrin.gif Is there anyone here who can explain technical things properly?

OK

4:3- This is the picture you see on a standard television
14:9- This is a picture with small back bars on a standard television.
(all programmes made in widescreen are broadcast 14:9 on analogue)
16:9-This is a picture which results in deeper black bars, but on a widescreen TV, this would fill the whole screen!

Unfortunately I'm not a techie either, but this question has come up on various forums and newsgroups in the past, and the answer that always comes up in the end is simply that it is virtually impossible to implement - but yes, it is digibox-related.