The Shape of Screens to Come

The advent of compatible high-definition television {HDTV) will require specially prepared software to accommodate various image formats because excessive cropping and anamorphic distortion are an inevitable result of displaying programs in formats different from their intended design. An analysis of problem areas in film and video which suffer from excessive cropping is provided and related to the development of HDTV. The solutions offered also pertain to the development of a consumer widescreen television system, fully compatible with NTSC, which can serve as a testbed for the wide format of HDTV.