I dont have a 16x9 tv monitor yet but want to start shooting video in that form.

if i understand correctly there are several different options to get that ratio in one way or another, but what is the bottom line on each?:


cinema mode: basically records in 4x3 with black bars masking it to look like 16x9 on the viewfinder/lcd

but...
what does it look like on a 4x3 dvd monitor
what does it look like on a 16x9 monitor?

16x9 mode: basically records in 16x9 and squeezes into the 4x3 viewfinder/lcd

but...
what does it look like on a 4x3 dvd monitor
what does it look like on a 16x9 monitor?

and there are other option i have seen listed in forum too... frame mode, pro cinema, etc.. how do they look on monitor?

basically i want to think about the future of widescreen tv's, but also want to be realistic that much of my audience will always be a 4x3 monitor, and would hate for them to watch squeezed video

In general terms, letterboxed 16:9 displays as expected on 4:3 monitor with black bars above and below. On a 16:9 monitor it depends on your settings. 4:3 material would normally be "pillarboxed" with a black bar to the left and right. However there is a "zoom" mode which will expand to fit the 16:9 screen. The downside is that the resolution is less so you get a blurrier image.

16:9 or anamorphic video looks right on a widescreen monitor and has higher resolution than letterboxed. On a standard 4:3 set it will appear squashed however. Some of the newer, more expensive 4:3 sets have an "enhanced 16:9" mode but generally you need to activate it through a menu on a case by case basis. My 27" WEGA has this buried in the remote menus, but as soon as you switch channels it reverts to normal 4:3.

One way around all this is to burn your work to DVD. DVD players will automatically letterbox 16:9 material to display on a 4:3 screen (if the DVD is made properly and the player is properley configured).

Great post by Boyd and here is a helpful link with photos covering the same concepts of widescreen DV.

http://www.maxent.org/video/16x9.html

another link of interest..

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/special/caveat_emptor.htm