A Glimmer of Hope: Flat Panels Finally Outsell CRTs!
As we head into the holiday shopping season and Black Friday approaches, there is a massive shift happening in the electronics aisles—and it might just be the beginning of the end for Pan & Scan.
According to recent industry reports, a historic milestone was just reached: for the very first time, flat-panel LCD televisions have outsold traditional, bulky CRT televisions worldwide. Prices on 720p and 1080p HDTVs have finally dropped into the realm of affordability for the average consumer, and families are upgrading their living rooms in droves.
Why is this huge news for the Widescreen Advocate community? Because flat-panel HDTVs are natively 16x9.
For the last five years, the studios' number one excuse for butchering films into "Full Screen" editions has been that the average consumer owns a 4:3 square television and hates "the black bars." Well, that excuse is rapidly expiring. As more consumers bring home 16x9 displays, the tables are going to turn. When you play a chopped-up Pan & Scan DVD on a brand-new widescreen TV, you end up with black bars on the left and right sides of the image!
We are also seeing another massive ally emerge: High-Definition media. Whether you are backing Blu-ray or HD DVD in the current format war, both sides agree on one thing: high definition is a 16x9 standard. Neither format is supporting Pan & Scan. If you buy a movie on Blu-ray or HD DVD, you are getting it in its Original Aspect Ratio. Period.
We still have a long fight ahead of us on the standard-definition DVD front. A quick look at the OAR Watchdog proves the studios are still releasing plenty of family films and comedies exclusively in Full Screen. But for the first time, the hardware is finally on our side.
If you are upgrading your TV this Black Friday, or if you have friends and family making the jump to high definition, make sure they understand what it means for their movie collection. Warn them to avoid the "Full Screen" bins, or their new TV won't be used to its full potential. The end of Pan & Scan is finally on the horizon!
According to recent industry reports, a historic milestone was just reached: for the very first time, flat-panel LCD televisions have outsold traditional, bulky CRT televisions worldwide. Prices on 720p and 1080p HDTVs have finally dropped into the realm of affordability for the average consumer, and families are upgrading their living rooms in droves.
Why is this huge news for the Widescreen Advocate community? Because flat-panel HDTVs are natively 16x9.
For the last five years, the studios' number one excuse for butchering films into "Full Screen" editions has been that the average consumer owns a 4:3 square television and hates "the black bars." Well, that excuse is rapidly expiring. As more consumers bring home 16x9 displays, the tables are going to turn. When you play a chopped-up Pan & Scan DVD on a brand-new widescreen TV, you end up with black bars on the left and right sides of the image!
We are also seeing another massive ally emerge: High-Definition media. Whether you are backing Blu-ray or HD DVD in the current format war, both sides agree on one thing: high definition is a 16x9 standard. Neither format is supporting Pan & Scan. If you buy a movie on Blu-ray or HD DVD, you are getting it in its Original Aspect Ratio. Period.
We still have a long fight ahead of us on the standard-definition DVD front. A quick look at the OAR Watchdog proves the studios are still releasing plenty of family films and comedies exclusively in Full Screen. But for the first time, the hardware is finally on our side.
If you are upgrading your TV this Black Friday, or if you have friends and family making the jump to high definition, make sure they understand what it means for their movie collection. Warn them to avoid the "Full Screen" bins, or their new TV won't be used to its full potential. The end of Pan & Scan is finally on the horizon!
~ See what you've been missing! See it in Widescreen! ~