Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 8, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
This brings the entire WDR television programme to screens in the same format as the ARD Tatort for many years, as well as the ARD Tagesschau since mid-2007 and many other ARD and ZDF programmes. Annoying switching effects between 4:3 and 16:9 broadcasts are therefore a thing of the past. The new format offers a wider image section that corresponds more closely to natural vision, with its advantages particularly evident on modern flat-panel screens. Computer monitors can also display widescreen format. Older television sets show a narrow black bar at the top and bottom of the image in 16:9 format. By completing the transition to 16:9, WDR is creating an important prerequisite for the gradual introduction of high-definition television (HDTV), which will bring a further significant improvement in picture quality.
