geekyThose of you with "modern" flat panel televisions, when watching an older standard definition program, whether on broadcast, DVD, or Blu-ray, if it was originally filmed/taped in 4:3 format, do you watch it in the "Original Aspect Ratio" like this:
Or do you change your settings to view it in the "Fixed Aspect Ratio", like this:
The "Fixed Ratio", in my opinion doesn't look bad, but you lose a tiny amount of the video, not enough to make much of a difference though. In "Original", you have the black bars on the left and right of the screen, but you're seeing the picture the way it was shot. The bars don't bother me either (I tend to just "blank them out" in my mind), it's just a concern I have about screen "burn-in", although both Leo Laporte and Scott Wilkinson both say modern TV's don't suffer from burn-in as fast as older ones.
Anyone have a longer experience with HDTV's than I do, and want to give their opinions, feel free to comment. Inquiring minds want to know...