How can I shoot my short film in a different aspect ratio?

Can 16:9 Aspect Ratio able to play HD video?

• It might be a dumb question, but I don't really understand the whole concept. I have a 1920x1080 HD camcorder, and use it to film videos. When I edit these videos on my computer, should I use 16:9 aspect ratio when editing? Or 4:3? Or does it not matter at all? There is also a Custom aspect ratio, that I can set myself, if I need to do this, then what should the aspect ratio be? Thanks in advance!

• Answer:

  When importing, you will select your cameras native video. For example when you start a project in Premiere or Avid, you can select DV or HDV. This is not as critical as the next step, but select the HDV. When you set up your sequence, look for AVCHD then select your 1080i or 1080p, then select your frame rate and size (1920 X 1080) When you import your files, they remain AVCHD at whatever your camera settings are and should not require any changes. when done editing, you can convert to any format you can use. Keep it AVCHD (H.264 or mpeg) if you are going to Blu-ray or will play the file directly from your computer to the 1080i Television or projector. If you know the formats, you can control your conversion for DVD or even youtube, if not, let your software handle it.