Since the dawn of smartphone video, the internet has been inundated with vertical (or portrait) videos. There has been a growing opposition to these videos since, the argument goes, they’re more frustating to watch than normal horizontal videos.

Glove and Boots have, thus far, made the most eloquent case:

As you can see, there are many arguments against vertical videos. However, the crux of these arguments is that “all screens are horizontal” thus inappropriate for vertical video. As a rebuttal, may I present Exhibit A:

Years before smartphones even existed, we’ve been displaying vertical video without any issue! In fact, you may even consider us the bad guys in this fight, since we’re constantly encouraging our clients to turn their traditional cameras sideways to shoot vertical video for our screens.

Turning our screens on end allows them to fit within areas traditionally reserved for static posters. And we’re not alone here, more and more businesses are installing vertically-oriented screens to use for advertising, information or entertainment. The out-of-home sector is ripe with unique screen sizes and orientations.

But what about your home computer? May I present Exhibit B:

Many display manufacturers now include a rotatable mount as standard. And all popular operating systems also allow for software rotation:

That’s all well and good, but most people will never rotate their computer screens – especially if they have a laptop. But allow me to present my final piece of evidence:

It seems many people forget that most phone and tablet users watch videos directly on the device, not on their computer. Reports from over a year ago showed that 53% of tablet owners and 41% of smartphone owners watch video on their devices at least once per month. In that environment, it’s not difficult at all to rotate your device for optimal viewing.

Ultimately, those against vertical video, are really against vertical video on YouTube, on the desktop. Watch it nearly anywhere else, like our Smart Screens, and it fits the world perfectly.