patrickm
Participant
Post count: 171

[quote=98469]Thats right, you could argue an example of picture quality is 1080p, an example of picture settings is if someone wants to use the “zoom” mode on their TV to make a 4:3 film fill the screen of their widescreen TV.

[/quote]

this is actually a good example, because image fidelity in this example is being violated. The original image is 4:3 (unlike games on a 4:3 crt TV, which were arbitrarily stretched according to how it was calibrated).

By altering the image from its original 4:3 ratio, the image is now less true to the original. So from the standpoint of picture quality, defined as image fidelity, the stretched image is objectively worse. The original artist(s) who created the content did not intend for it to be displayed that way. The same argument does not apply to displaying old games in a 4:3 aspect ratio, because all CRTs stretched and distorted the image by varying amounts, and there was only an acceptable range instead of one single standard.

But, whether or not one thinks image fidelity or respecting the art is important is ultimately subjective. :)