A comparison of the 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio televisions, including tips to decide if either the widescreen or NTSC format are for you.
A television with a 4:3 aspect ration is known as NTSC or pan-and-scan. It has long been the standard ratio in which television has been filmed and even movies, before the 1950s. To this day, the majority of your favorite television programs will be in the NTSC format. In the 1950s, when TVs became a household necessity instead of luxury, producers needed to make movies seem bigger and better to attract more customers to the lagging movie theaters. They came up with the 16:9 aspect ratio, also known as widescreen or letterbox. The producers knew that because of the way our eyes are set in our heads, humans actually see in a widescreen format. Changing the way movies were filmed to widescreen made it possible for us to see a bigger image than ever before, and allowed for bolder backdrops and scenery. Consumers were attracted to this, and the popularity of going to movies in theaters soared once again.
But it is not just movies that follow this format. Now, you can get the same 16:9 aspect ratio in your home theater. More and more television sets are being sold in a widescreen version. But getting a bigger, bolder picture is not the only reason to invest in one. With the explosion and affordability of High Definition (HD) TVs, there is now an abundance of HD broadcasts. The standard for these types of broadcasts is widescreen, not the standard NTSC. This may pose a problem for consumers who have a 4:3 TV instead of a widescreen one. Of course, you can watch an HDTV broadcast on an NTSC ratio TV. But if you do, the sides of the show or movie will be cut off, and you will not get the complete picture as it was originally aired. Likewise, if you have a widescreen television, you can watch NTSC broadcasts. But the picture will likely be altered as well, to fit your particular screen.
There is, of course, still a lot to be said for the standard 4:3 televisions. Most standard cable (or analog) broadcasts are still in this format. If you absolutely hate the black bars of letterbox DVDs, then you likely buy full screen versions to eliminate these bars. This would, of course, be best seen on a standard ratio TV. Also, there is the price. An NTSC television is a cheap, affordable option as compared to the newer HD, plasma and rear-projection televisions. If you are on a budget, or would rather invest your money in another aspect of your home theater (such as speakers), then a 4:3 television might just be for you.
It is truly a matter of personal preference as to which aspect ratio you prefer. Some people are bothered by the black bars on a widescreen television, while others are bothered by the cropping of movies to fit standard televisions. The best way to decide is to figure out which aspect ratio best fits your viewing habits. If you tend to buy letterbox versions of a DVD when it comes out, or are thinking of switching to high definition cable or satellite, then a widescreen TV with an aspect ration of 16:9 is probably for you. If you like the old standard that you grew up with and plan to stick with analog cable (or no cable at all), then there is no reason to switch from the 4:3 television that you likely already own.
