C'mon, who hasn't had an inexperienced movie goer over that politely asks why black bars still show up on a widescreen HDTV? Have you ever wondered if a set would be produced to harmonize with those films shot and presented in 2.35:1? Sound & Vision sat down with a number of industry experts and asked them that very question, and while many believe that the same technology that has become commonplace in custom projector installs is feasible for TVs, it's not apt to happen anytime soon. Essentially, there's just not a large enough market for ultra widescreen displays; the hardcore among us that would spring for one are in the minority. Richard F. Doherty, research director of The Envisioneering Group on Long Island, was one fellow who seemed to have more faith than anyone else, even going so far as to suggest that we may see at least a prototype of one such set at CES 2009. Mark our words, we'll be keeping an eye out -- after all, it shouldn't be too hard to spot in the sea of 16:9 units.

The term "widescreen" is one of the most notoriously confusing monikers this side of Full HD used to describe a display's specifications. Widescreen generally translates to a 16:10 aspect ratio when discussing computer LCDs (monitors or laptop displays) or 16:9 if your talking about the living room TV. Of course, it can also refer to the 2.35:1 ratio often used for films or something entirely different if you're Apple touting the wonders of your new widescreen iPhone. Fortunately, we're trending towards at least some convergence around the 16:9 aspect. DisplaySearch predicts that by 2010, 16:9 panels will make up 90% of new laptop displays and 67% of new monitors. Acer has been at the forefront of this transition with products like its Gemstone Blue laptops and the Acer P224W monitor pictured above. The move is being driven by panel manufacturers' desire to maximize production efficiency -- something they should have realized before the glass sizes diverged in the first place. Regardless, the end result should be more pennies saved by you, Joe Consumer, and that's a good thing.

We're still not happy with Apple since they haven't released any HD content for the AppleTV yet, but at least they continue to show that they get the importance of widescreen. You might be saying, big deal, who doesn't? But the answer would be plenty of companies, -- including TiVo. You see, unlike when watching widescreen video on YouTube the Apple TV doesn't insert black bars on the top and bottom, so while the quality is still worse than HD, at least it is optimized for widescreen TVs. We don't know about anyone else, but for us, the only thing worse than watching SD on our HDTVs is widescreen SD with black bars on all four sides.

With CES fast approaching, we're sure to see tons of last minute additions as firm's look to showcase their gadgetry to the world, and now Mustek is doing just that. More commonly known for its ho hum cameras, digiframes, and PMPs, the company has just announced that it will start selling its own self-branded lineup of LCD HDTVs, and if everything goes as planned, will have demo units on display in just a few weeks. Aiming for the same value-conscious crowd that Vizio seems to have wrapped around its finger, the 42-inch LTV-4210, 32-inch LTV3210, and 27-inch LTV2710 should each hit well below more prestigious brands in terms of pricing. The low- and mid-range models each sport a 1,366 x 768 resolution, 1200:1 contrast ratio, 6.5-millisecond response time, and "built-in surround sound speakers." The flagship 42-inch flavor boasts full 1080p support, HDMI, integrated NTSC / ATSC tuners, dual 10-watt speakers, a 176-degree viewing angle, 550 cd/m2 brightness, and then borrows the other specs from the less-featured siblings. Of course, the actual quality (and pricing) of the panels is still yet to be seen, but thankfully, that sneak peek should come sooner rather than later.

[Via I4U]

Going back through the files, we noticed that Canada's The Score announced last week they were launching the nation's first HD sports channel that is widescreen 24/7. They're achieving this by stretching any 4x3 SD content to fit a widescreen frame, much like TNT does, no word if its the exact same technology.

They will be unveiling native HD content (no stretch-o) during the NBA playoffs, but till then, do you prefer the way ESPN (and presumably TSN also?) does SD. or do you want full frame upconversion, no matter what the distortion?

TUAW is on the case, letting us know that the latest Apple rumor is a 3.5" touchscreen-enabled media player. The mockup pictured here is from Rainy Day Magazine. We've been waiting for a widescreen video iPod for a while, but TUAW doesn't expect it till the end of the year if at all. I just want to know if they'll let me download 720p versions of Lost from iTMS.

Maybe, or maybe not. But thats the basis of an offbeat piece on Powerpage. Apple branded 42 and 50" widescreen plasmas, running MacOS, and with Bluetooth and Airport technology also built in.

Only thing missing is an iPod video dock, then it would be the perfect Apple rumor, hinging on their new partering with Intel.

So what do you think, a possibility, or someone pulling at the strings of the Apple and HDTV-addicted?

[Via digg]

From the Capt. Obvious department, if you're shopping for a new HDTV, and you buy a widescreen TV (there 4x3 HDTV's also, which this site fails to mention), even if the size is listed as the same, it will be a few inches shorter in height. They've got a chart to make sure you don't actually end up with a smaller (height-wise) TV than you had before.

Of course, you'll probably be gaining quite a bit of real estate when you watch widescreen formatted programming like high definition broadcasts or DVD's, which in my opinion is a lot more important. I know I'm looking at my 4x3 32" Sony with a questioning eye now that I do all of my gaming in 1080i. I suppose especially for people who might not be getting high definition broadcasting right away (like 50% of you), the last thing you would want to do is spend the money and look at a smaller picture, so consider this an FYI.

[Via digg]