As you begin to understand more about WideScreen High Definition TV, you will invariably encouter issues related to Aspect Ratio. Aspect Ratio is just a fancy name for the ratio of the width to the height of a tv picture. A WideScreen High Definition TV has a native aspect ratio of 16x9. Summary: widescreen = 16x9

In contrast, older analog televisions (those that aren't widescreen or high definition) have an aspect ratio of 4x3, commonly referred to as full screen. Summary: full screen = 4x3

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to already see an image that is 4x3 is not going to fit perfectly on a screen that is 16x9.

Problems happen when you are viewing widescreen (4x3) video on a WideScreen High Definition TV. Let's explore these issues, and identify the solutions that result in the best viewing experience, based on the quality of the image.

A 4x3 image displayed on a 16x9 widescreen television will have black bars on both sides of the image

Many people get frustrated after they purchase a brand new, widescreen high definition tv, set it up, turn it on, and see black bars on either side of the video. However, unless you're watching a widescreen video (16x9), you should expect to see black bars on a full screen video. If you force a full screen image to fill the screen of your widescreen high definition tv, you'll notice visual artifacts, resulting in a poor viewing experience.

It's a question of quantity over quality; you can either have a poor quality image that uses your entire screen, or a high quality image that only uses the portion of the screen necessary to display the widescreen image.

To fill an entire widescreen high definition tv (16x9) with a 4x3 full screen image requires the image to be stretched, and the result is everything looks short, wide, and fat.

Another option provided by some televisions is to zoom and crop a 4x3 full screen image so it displays in correct proportions. You lose a little of the top and bottom of the image, but the resulting zoomed in is a much better image than what you get if you simply fill a widescreen high definition tv with a full screen video.

Yet another problem can occur if you have a widescreen video and you attempt to display it in a 4x3 full screen format. Ugh, if you have a widescreen high definition tv, this isn't a problem, so let's not create it now!

Summary: Remember a widescreen high definition tv has a nativ aspect ratio of 16x9, just like your local movie theater screen. A square full screen image isn't going to fit perfectly into a widescreen television. The best option is view the full screen image with black bars on either side. Seriously.

Until next time, take a look at this WideScreen High Definition TV: