CP9 said:
i have seen a lot of old series ratio 4:3 in my 16:9 monitor, but those two big black bars are starting to irritate me, now i need to pick up series in 16:9
I've never shied away from watching 16:9 anime on the old 4:3 screens I still use (like right now), nor have I done so more recently with 4:3 content on my newer 16:9 screens. While I don't entirely understand the aversion to black bars, I can answer the question with some confidence.
Negative-Travis said:
Overall, I'd say you're completely safe with post-'05 anime.
Not quite. I did run through and count them awhile back, and while I can't find the exact numbers, I can say this much:
First 16:9 TV anime: Betterman (Spring 1999), Vandread (Fall 2000)
After that, 16:9 anime gradually increased year to year.
In the Fall 2006 season, the 16:9 numbers jumped considerably, to the point where 4:3 became a small minority.
The last otaku-market 4:3 TV anime aired in 2007, those being Manabi Straight, Saint October (both Winter '07), and Lovely Complex (Spring '07). After that, the only 4:3 anime have been all-ages/kodomo shows like Chi's Sweet Home and the last 4:3 TV anime I've been able to find, Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia (Spring '09). Most long-running anime such as Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece switched to 16:9 around April of 2008. Some hentai continued to be made in 4:3 through the late 00s, though I don't know exactly when that practice stopped.
So the shortest answer would be "Fall 2007."
when hd(720p) became the standard resolution
Again, not quite. There were a number of TV series in 2007 and 2008 (after the 16:9 transition was done) whose broadcasts were low-res (=720x480 anamorphic/letterboxed), or as the fansubbers released them, 400p. Even some of the 720p broadcasts for 2006-2009 anime were eventually regarded as upscales of low-res animation, as evidenced by the way people threw out their HDTV-rips of shows like Honey & Clover 2, Shigofumi, and Myself; Yourself in favor of DVD-rips.
MajinSaga said:
Get a new tv or monitor.
No, get an
old monitor: a 4:3 screen as a secondary display -- works for 4:3 content and hiding the flaws in low-res anime that become more visible on large screens. It shouldn't be too hard to find one via Craigslist > Free or charity electronics shops.
Paul said:
2020 for ultra HD. Can't wait for dat 8k resolution.
Oh yeah, I can't wait to see how awesomely TV stations can upscale anime that'll still be made (as it is today) at 540p or 720p to 4K or 8K or whatever.