16 by 9 vs 4 by 3

Basically. I have been wonder how to calculate what size wide screen monitor and TV to get so that I don't loose any space while in 4 by 3 mode vs tho old equipment I'm upgrading from.

For example: (hopefully I can be clear enough on this)

I have a 17" crt monitor I'd like to upgrade to a widescreen LCD. I know that some games will be incompatible with this format, so I will have black bars on the sides. I want the size of the picture with the black bars to be the same as the picture on the 17" crt.

Also... We have a 27" TV that seems the perfect size for the room it's in. If I were to go to an LCD, how big would I have to get to not loose space to the bars from the CRT? 30," 32," or all the way to 37"?

First off, I wouldn't worry about the black bars in games. All my games run widescreen, some need misc hacks. If they don't do wide resolution, they'll likely stretch the image anyway, which you don't really want. It's tv/movies that will have the black bars.

I upgrade from a 19" CRT to a 20" wide LCD. From my calculations it was a even trade. The height was about the same, but overall screen was wider. For comparison my 20" Dell is 17" wide by 10.5" high viewable. As for your tv, do the same. Measure your 27" and take a tape measure to best buy and compare there screens.

20" widescreen is equal to a 17" LCD in physical size and a 17 or 19 in pixels (26 more to be exact) then of course wider.

a 24" wide is = to a 20" normal LCD

1280x1024 LCDs (many 17 and 19 inch ones) are actually 5:4 (not 4:3). I'm not sure why this is (I think sometimes the people who make these types of decisions just like to confuse people). I have a similar expierence, my 20" 2005FPW is about as high as my 19" CRT was (maybe a little shorter), and I think that it is about the same as a 17" LCD.

The deal with 17 and 19 inch LCD's is that they are mostly 5:4 indeed.
The standard is 4:3, actually.
Try dividing 4 by 3, and then 1280x1024. doesn't equal, right?
Now try dividing 1280 by 960. That's the "real" resolution.

Widescreen LCD's have a 16:10 aspect ratio, wich in turn is again different from TV widescreen format, wich is 16:9.
IE: most 24 inch widescreen LCD's use a 1920x1200 resolution, wich is 16:10.
However, 1080i/p is 1920x1080. See where I'm getting at?
17/19" CRT's, 17/19" LCD's, computer widescreens and TV widescreens ALL use different AR.

SO, that gives us the following info:
When watching a 4:3 movie on a CRT, no black bars. 4:3 movie on 17/19" LCD, black bars on top and bottom.
When watching widescreen movie on PC widescreen monitor, black bars on top and bottom. If you watch a widescreen movie on a widescreen TV, no black bars.