Wide Screen TV – A Cinema In Your Own Home

The advent of wide screen television has actually caused as many problems as it has solved, depending on whom you speak to. For many people, it allows the watching of films as they were originally intended, and gives a wider view of the field for sports games, as well as enhancing the viewing experience in other ways. However, the fact that many TV programs are now made for wide screens has had an unforeseen consequence – many people without wide screen televisions find their viewing compromised.

A common occurrence for people without wide screen televisions is the inevitable result when a person on a wide screen broadcast stands too far over to one side, and is cut off either entirely or partially, rendering the program irritating and confusing. If the person on the edge of the screen says or does something particularly integral to the story, the experience is lost for the non-wide screen viewer. Additionally, on sports broadcasts with the scoreboard and clock in the top left of the screen, viewers often find that they have difficulty telling how long is left in the game.

Most non-wide screen TVs still being sold make at least some attempt to compensate for this difference by including an “aspect ratio” button on the remote control, which will change the shape and size of the picture, but this is an incomplete fix, and still leads to some footage appearing “squashed” or incomplete. However, it is as viable an option as can be expected and does solve many of the problems.