I think that's what I'd do (a 4:3 project), it's kind of what analog TV broadcasters have got us used to -- of course that will change when it goes all digital . . .

To me, a letterboxed 16:9 in a 4:3 project looks better than a pillarboxed 4:3 in a widescreen project, but that's just what I've gotten used to seeing.

I'd try to find out what the majority of the target playback hardware is and create for that hardware's format.

If you pillarbox 4:3 in a 16:9 project and then watch it on a 4:3 screen you'll have a tiny image in the middle with acres of black all around it.

If you letterbox 16:9 in a 4:3 project and then watch it on a 16:9 screen you'll have a tiny image in the middle with acres of black all around it.

I would either crop the 4:3 to match 16:9 and do the whole project in 16:9 or I would pillarbox the 4:3 on a nice animated 16:9 background like the HD News casts do and do the whole project in 16:9. Either way I would deliver 16:9 to do justice to the 16:9 footage that you have.

~jr

Thanks guys - I'll try and find what's best - have to see how much of each aspect first...

/Ulf

I am going to slightly disagree with some folks here, I don't think you should chose one or the other based on how much footage you have, I think you should use 16:9. Why you ask?

Well, if some of your customers have a 16:9 TV, they will benefit from watching your footage in 16:9. If you letterbox it in a 4:3 project, you remove scan lines from the 16:9 footage and it will not benefit from a 16:9 TV.

On the other hand, someone with a 4:3 TV will lose nothing. He will see the same whether it is 16:9 or letter-boxed 4:3.

So, this is what you end up with:

4:3 project 4:3 TV best possible picture 16:9 TV loses scan lines
16:9 project 4:3 TV best possible picture 16:9 TV best possible picture

So, 16:9 is the obvious choice.

Let me elaborate just a little... assuming NTSC, adjust for PAL

4:3 footage in a16:9 project - lines = 480, on both TVs
16:9 footage in a 16:9 project - lines = 480 lines on 16:9 TV, 270 lines on 4:3 TV

4:3 footage in 4:3 project - 480 lines on both TVs
16:9 footage letterboxed in a 4:3 project - 270 lines on both TVs.

Even if the user zooms on the 16:9 TV to remove letterboxing, you have still delivered the footage with a maximum of 270 lines, which is sub-optimal. You should (IMHO) deliver the footage with as high quality as possible. If you know for sure there is nobody watching this on a 16:9 TV; then it doesn't matter.

Thanks Terje.

/Ulf

OT: btw. Terje, do you have Norwegian roots? The name sounds like norwegian.

Born and raised in Norway, spent the last ten years or so in California, currently in New York, and probably back to Norway within a year or so.