Prevalence of 16:9 vs 4:3 for customer screens

[billvon 2,995]

What assumption do all you other video guys make when it comes to aspect ratio of playback for an average (non-HD) customer DVDs? A few months ago I decided to stop worrying about it and assume that everyone is at 16:9 now, but I have nothing to back that up except my own observations.

[DSE 5]

A-I think it's a very fair assumption that even SD customers want wide.
B-why would it matter anyway? Since you guys use Vegas/DVD Architect, then it will always display properly as either a letterboxed wide on a 4:3 display or as a filled wide on a wide display.
Unless you've changed the default flags in DVDA, it'll properly letterbox.

[PharmerPhil 0]

I assume people are so used to seeing both, that they don't really care and don't even have a preference. FWIW, until this year I was the only videographer at my DZ delivering 16:9; the others delivered 4:3. We never heard a single complaint or even a question about it one way or the other.

[billvon 2,995]

>We never heard a single complaint or even a question about it one way or the other.

That's sort of a problem across the board.

"How was the video?"
"Fine."
"Angle OK? Was the trailing exit for the G's OK, or do you want me to try to frame it from a regular exit?"
"Whatever. It was fine."

About the only people I can get to give me feedback are other videographers, and there aren't too many of them at Perris that do a lot of 4 and 8 way video.