Question for video experts on the new HD LCD & Plasma TVs?

This may sound like a dumb question but I honestly don't understand something about the new large HD televisions (LCD and Plasma's). They are all %26quot;wide screen%26quot; format now (versus the old square tube TVs) and I believe the aspect ratio is 16:9. I always read this would allow us to watch movies in the same aspect ration as they are shot (widescreen) so that you don't have those 'black borders' at the top and bottom of you screen like we would watching a widescreen movie on the old square tube TVs. OK, so now we finally bought the HD wide screen LCD tv, and watch movies (on the DVD player). They are widescreen format. So I am thinking the entire screen area will be full, top to bottom, on the new LCD widescreen TV. But still, I have a small area of black space at the top and bottom of the screen. Of course you can change the aspect ratio on the TV and do a %26quot;zoom%26quot; to fill in the entire screen area, but then you lose some of the video area off on the sides. Why does all this happen? I mean, my question is, if the new HD big-screen TV's are built to this %26quot;wide screen%26quot; format now (wider than they are tall) - How come the films we watch don't match that aspect ratio perfectly - why are we still getting small strips of black area at the top/bottom of the new TVs? I thought that would be a thing of the past. Thanks for explaining, I am not a video/TV expert.Question for video experts on the new HD LCD %26amp; Plasma TVs?An excellent question. Originally, %26quot;widescreen%26quot; 16:9 ratio TVs were sold as the ultimate movie experience. Although these TVs do show much more of the picture than the old 4:3 TV sets black borders are still required for films shot in true widescreen formats. These real widescreen formats have cinema screen aspect ratios of any where between 2.19 - 2.45 : 1. Philips have just launched the world's first true cinema TV screen, a monster 56%26quot; screen with an aspect ratio of 21:9, as opposed to 16:9. Check it out at www.philips.co.uk.Question for video experts on the new HD LCD %26amp; Plasma TVs?Actually, this is a very common question. The answer is that there is more than one %26quot;standard%26quot; for the movie industry. Some of the standards are not as tall as 16:9, so you still get a little unused space at the top and bottom. But at least you don't get the sides of the picture whacked off like in the old analog days!



ADDITIONAL ANSWER: The shows you mentioned are produced for TV so therefore follow TV standards. Movies are the problem, if Hollywood would go to one format, then that problem would go away, too.Question for video experts on the new HD LCD %26amp; Plasma TVs?Yes some movies are shot in extra wide mode so you will get bars top and bottom,not all movies are shot in the 16:9,some are like 21:9.So what you see is how it was filmed in the first place,and can be shot in even wider modes,Crazy.