So, going even further back into ancient tech history, can anyone explain why computer monitors were 4:3?
I would assume it's because, at least in the US, the NTSC broadcast television standard was 4:3 (as was the PAL format), and therefore CRT monitors of that aspect ratio were readily available to be used as computer displays.
And why was the NTSC standard decided to be 4:3? That I can only speculate about, but I do recall that many early films (prior to the wider screen formats - there were a handful of them), especially older B/W movies, were 4:3.
Perhaps someone with a better grasp of tech history than I can fill in the missing details, but it would be interesting to know where our 4:3 aspect ratio format originated from.
BTW, this reminds me of the story of where the British railway gauge standard came from. As I've heard it, early railways cars were gauged to fit existing carriages and carts, which were gauged to fit the existing roads, the oldest of which were Roman-built roads that were gauged to fit the standard Roman chariot gauge. And so the next time you see a huge freight train wending its way across the vast reaches of the American west, you have the ancient Romans to thank.
~Joe
