How to tell if my TV has widescreen aspect ratio?

Question

I have a 25" Toshiba CRT TV (with built-in DVD/VCR combo), but unfortunately I lost the instruction manual and don't know the model number. I recently played a widescreen DVD with my TV and the "letterbox" effect was gone; does that mean my TV supports widescreen format? How can I tell if my TV has widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio or not?

Answer 1

its obvious, if your tv screen is a perfect square its not and if its a rectangle its widescreen

Answer 2

using measuring tape or a ruler, measure the X and Y dimensions of the screen. If x/y = 16/9 = 1.78 then you have a widescreen TV.

Answer 3

As Austin said, it should be pretty obvious from looking at the screen.

Even if you have lost the manual, there is still going to be a plate on the back of the set that has the model number. Read it and then go to the web site for the manufacturer and look it up.