When did 4:3 stop being used?

How 4:3 Gave Way to Widescreen

For most of the 20th century, if you turned on a television, you were greeted with the familiar 4:3 aspect ratio—a nearly square image that defined how generations watched everything from I Love Lucy to Friends. Meanwhile, in movie theaters, filmmakers embraced wider formats like 1.85:1 and 2.35:1, reserving the grand, cinematic experience for the big screen. For decades, 4:3 was the standard at home, while widescreen remained the signature of film.

That began to shift in the early 2000s, when 16:9 televisions—matching the 1.78:1 aspect ratio common in cinema—started flooding the market. This wasn't just a minor upgrade; it was a cultural shift. Broadcasters, DVD producers, and eventually streaming platforms adapted to the new standard, making letterboxing on widescreen content a thing of the past for most viewers.

As flat-screen TVs replaced bulky CRTs, 16:9 became the new normal. By the late 2000s, even legacy 4:3 content started feeling outdated when stretched or letterboxed on modern sets. The transition wasn't instant, but by the time HD broadcasting became widespread, the writing was on the wall: the era of 4:3 was over.

Today, 4:3 survives mostly in nostalgia—occasionally used for artistic effect, like in WandaVision or The Queen’s Gambit—but its dominance is long gone. The shift from 4:3 to 16:9 wasn’t just about technology; it marked the moment when home viewing finally caught up with the cinematic experience.