TV's Frink said:

Ok. But the black bar hate has got to stop. What did those black bars ever do to anyone?

*sobs*

Well, I wasn't speaking for myself, my friend. I said I knew other people who would appreciate a zoomed version, and I do.

I don't mind black bars myself, but I can see why many people don't like buying a big widescreen TV and having a significant portion of the screen effectively unused. Many grew up with Star Wars as a pan and scan presentation on a 4:3 television, so having it as pan and scan on a 16:9 television is still an appreciable advance for them, is still widescreen and gives a nice big picture.

I have argued the case for the black bars myself, and for 16:9 itself as being the best compromise between the many aspect ratios in existence, but ultimately such argument is fruitless. Many people simply hate the black bars, and that's all there is to it. I don't always agree, but I understand it.