I recently saw this image on TV: 
Note, it is a high definition segment (of Thomas and Friends), embedded on a low-definition program, broadcast on a high-definition digital television channel (Twin Cities Public Television, TPT-2), filtered through the low-definition analog channels of my cable-TV system (Comcast) onto a low-definition television (Sharp). The picture was taken with an iPhone.
This is progress. If there is a new generation of high definition television, will my programs, to retain backward compatibility, be even smaller, until eventually it is only a pixel on my screen?
This aspect ratio craziness should be resolved over the next year or so as broadcasters (and intermediaries such as cable companies) add equipment that is compatible with the Automatic Format Descriptor (AFD) standards. The AFD is a code embedded in the broadcast stream that will indicate how the picture should be adjusted for various types of displays. Currently, the necessary equipment is just coming onto the market.
yeah but i don't see how that will fix the fact that we are still selling two different aspect ratio tvs: both 16:10 and 16:9 are widely available for sale. its just senseless