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| What are Aspect Ratios? |
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For example, conventional television sets use screens with a 4:3 aspect ratio (also referred to as 1.33:1). The first number in the ratio, before the colon (:), refers to the screen's width, the second to its height. In other words, on a 4:3 set, there are four units of width for every three units of height. No matter how large the screen may get, the ratio stays the same. |
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All current TV programmes are formatted in the 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio. Even films were originally shown in cinemas that way. But when TV came along, filmmakers knew they needed something special to lure people back to the cinemas and the enhancement they came up with was wider screen images. Since the original widescreen films, studios have offered numerous variations. Screens in cinemas have a wider shape than a television does. The aspect ratios of cinema screens are typically 1.85:1 to 2.35:1. |
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All new digital televisions and HDTV (High Definition Television) sets will conform to the new 16:9 aspect ratio (1.78:1). This was adopted as a compromise between the 1.85 ratio that American cinematographers tend to prefer and the 1.66 that European cinematographers use. |
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