Rant: 21:9 Tv Format

Talk Electrician Forum

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
14,650
Reaction score
810
So years ago, life was simple. Tv's were all 4:3 aspect ratio.

Then someone decided wide screen would be better, so 16:9 aspect ratio was chosen.  Those of us with 4:3 tv's went through a silly phase of having programes letterboxed with black bars at the top and the bottom.  Even when widescreen 16:9  tv's were available, the analogue network could not properly cope and letterbox bars and screen ratio stretching was a fudge.

Then tv went digital, and finally 16:9 widescreen worked properly and everyone was happy.

So now it "works" someone has thought of a new way to break it.  21:9 aspect ratio.  I remember hearing it talked about. I even remember a few tv's being made (very expensive) but didn't think it had taken off.

So tonight, I watch Doctor Fostor on my High definition 16:9 wide screen tv.

BLOODY LETTERBOX BARS top and bottom of my screen.

So this is the thin end of the wedge.  We can look forward to years of letterboxed ultra wide screen programs becoming more common until we all go out and buy 21:9 tv's, and it will probably take another broadcast standard change before that works properly.

Why can't they leave things alone.

What makes this all rather bonkers is according to wiki just about all the 21:9 tv's that anyone has tried to make have been discontinued due to lack of demand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21:9_aspect_ratio

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top