4:3 is better because it fits the application better. What are you doing at your computer? Probably work or browsing the web. If you watch YouTube videos then you have a chicken-and-egg issue... YouTube content is 16:9 because that's what your device is (to see what I mean: look at all the vertical videos today... the content follows the device). YouTube/TikTok creators aren't using aspect ratio in an artistic manner because few of these people are even aware that they could have a say in the matter. Unlike say, Kubrick, who deliberately picks a ratio for each of his films. They are using what the prosumer cameras are designed for, which is all 16:9.
The point is: you're getting black bars if you watch theatrical content whether it's 4:3 or 16:9. The width of your computer monitor is a constant. So we lost vertical screen space for what? Nothing, that's what. Slightly less black bars on the top and bottom when we watch a Marvel movie on our desktop computer or laptop.
> So we lost vertical screen space for what? Nothing, that's what. Slightly less black bars on the top and bottom when we watch a Marvel movie on our desktop computer or laptop.
It's not "nothing" that we lost; on a X" display with Y total pixels, the marvel movie will be larger and higher resolution on a 16:9 than it will be on a 4:3. This is true for any of the post 1960ish popular ratios for films: 15:9, 1.85, and 2.35.
Similarly, 4:3(1.33) content will use more pixels than it would on a 1.85 or 2.35 ratio screen.
I’m confused by this. Film aspect ratios are even higher than 16:9, at 1.85:1 and 2.39:1. I don’t understand why you complained about 16:9 being not cinematic while suggesting 4:3 is better, could you elaborate?