I haven't really looked into this, but just assumed I was getting a widescreen for my next TV when the time comes. The wide fits the DVD's properly, and TV will either have the bars on the side or will be stretched to fit. I would expect the picture quality doesn't differ much on traditional vs. wide with a similar quality TV. Those black lines on the top and bottom have always annoyed me during movies....it seems like so much of the screen real estate is lost.