Television Picture in the future .....

[Boney]

I just got back from visiting family where my grandfather is now looking at purchasing a new T.V.

He said that while he was at his electronic store the sales rep. there told him that in a few years when all video streams become digital (which is happening), that they will also make ALL your television channels come in the widescreen format. That is something that I had never heard. Is this true?

If that is the case, why would manufactures continue to make "normal" television's instead of making them all widescreen? And if my grandfather goes ahead and purchases a regular tv, will he have to live with all his shows having the "black bars" that run on the top and bottem of the picture?

For any insight, thanks.

 

[rbV5]

I doubt it, the current DTV channels have SDTV sub-channels as well as plenty of 4:3 broadcasts, I doubt that will change. You have to live with black bars or some sort of "stretch mode" even with a widescreen (or standard screen), and widescreen material since there are a variety of formats that don't use 16:9 aspect ratio.

I wouldn't get a digital TV that wasn't widescreen myself, but its worth researching the cons/pros before you decide.