HDV - So What Should I Do?

Within a decade, most households will have a 16:9 HDTV, and viewers will become more accustomed to watching high definition TV.

For most of you, shooting in the 16:9 aspect ratio will be a new experience. The tricky part is framing shots that look good in both the 16:9 aspect ratio AND 4:3 (traditional NTSC TV). Most of you will have to presume that some people will want to view your video on a traditional TV using the letterbox feature, while others would prefer to trim off the sides of the 16:9 image.

While most DVD players include a widescreen view, most players don't upconvert the standard-definition DVD content to a high-definition signal. The majority of HD content is currently delivered by over-the-air digital TV stations, cable and satellite outlets. However, most of us don't have direct access to those outlets. There are two formats competing for the direct delivery of true HD content to the end user: Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Currently, you can encode your content using formats that can be viewed with a computer, but not with most of today's set-top players, (e.g., QuickTime HD, WMV HD, Nero Digital, etc.) Still other options will enter the market for downloadable HDTV. It will take years to sort all of this out, but you do need to look ahead and plan for both aspect ratios at some point in the f…