Widescreen

Erich blogged that most TV these days is still shot in 4:3 rather than 16:9. At least in the English speaking world this is normally the case, especially for things intended for export. 4:3 would be a deliberate choice rather than the path of least resistance. TV stations can choose to buy and screen 4:3 versions (and will usually do this where they can’t broadcast 16:9) but that doesn’t mean that the production wasn’t done in 16:9. Of course, if there’s no sign that your national broadcasters are going to go to 16:9 this makes very little difference to you.

As far as computers go I’ve been using a 16:9 screen for years – I find it useful in much the same way that people find multi-headed displays useful. You can get a bit more on screen at once than you would otherwise which makes it easier to keep an eye on some extra terminals, an IM client or web browser windows. Besides, my glasses mean that the world tends to have a definite widescreen frame to it for me.