When choosing a projector, TV,
computer monitor or laptop screen one of the first things you will need to
consider is the format of the screen that you need for you application.
Traditionally these electronic display devices used a format described as
“standard” 4:3 aspect ratio, but a more recent format called “widescreen” 16:9
is becoming an increasingly popular choice, especially for televisions and
laptops. Whether to choose the widescreen format or standard format is an
important decision because it will have a big effect on how your displayed
image looks. This Bamboo AV Advice article should help you to understand the
differences between standard format and widescreen to make sure you choose the
format that is right for you.
Why
are there two aspect ratio formats?
Historically televisions have used
an aspect ratio that is close to a square shape, called 4:3 (4 units measured
horizontally to every 3 units measured vertically). This is because at the time
of their first production, films were also displayed using a 4:3 aspect ratio
known as the “Academy ratio”. By having TV screens match this 4:3 aspect ratio,
movies previously photographed on film could be viewed on regular TVs.
However, during the 1950s there was
a wholesale change within the film industry to use widescreen images, brought
about by reductions in the number of people going to see films at cinemas. Only
recently, TVs that conform to the same 16:9 aspect ratio that film producers
use have started to be manufactured. These have become extremely popular and
have come down in price since their initial launch. More and more broadcasters
are switching the aspect ratio of their television programmes from the
traditional 4:3 aspect ratio to a 16:9 widescreen format. The revitalization of
the European television industry has been largely attributed to the
introduction of digital widescreen offerings.
Standard
4:3 format aspect ratio
A standard aspect ratio television
screen is a TV with a resolution that matches the NTSC or PAL broadcasting
standards. These TVs are designed for analog signals and use a square-like 4:3
aspect ratio. Devices with a standard 4:3 aspect ratio are incapable of
outputting High Definition content. In this respect, standard format
televisions are inferior to widescreen televisions, and there are many other
benefits to using widescreen devices which are covered in more detail below.
Standard 4:3 television screens are
gradually being phased out, as are standard definition analog television
broadcasts. Within consumer electronics shops non-widescreen televisions are
becoming increasingly rare. Furthermore, the majority of countries in North
America and Europe now have set dates in the near future when these analog
signals will be turned off permanently.
Widescreen
16:9 format aspect ratio
The widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio is
the image standard of the future, designed to succeed the traditional 4:3 square
aspect ratio. To take advantage of the benefits “true” widescreen can offer,
you need to own both a widescreen television and videos coded in a 16:9 aspect
ratio, such as High Definition television content, which only comes in
widescreen format.
Although widescreen 16:9 format is
synonymous with High Definition content, 16:9 is also commonly used with
standard definition television and DVDs. The reason for this is because DVD
film producers and TV broadcasters offer both 16:9 and 4:3 outputs.
Other
display devices
- Projector panels
Nearly
every fixed resolution projector on the market at the moment uses the standard
4:3 aspect ratio. This means that the panel inside the projector, on which the
desired image is to be mapped, is 1.3 times wider than it is high. Although 4:3
is currently the norm, sooner or later the 16:9 aspect ratio will take over in
much the same way as it has with television sets.
- Laptops
Initially
all laptops were developed with a 4:3 aspect ratio. However, widescreen laptop
screens are now becoming more prominent due to the extra 25% of screen size
offered and the trend towards high definition content. Furthermore, as the
surface area of the device is limited, a laptop with a wide screen is more
suitable for implementing a full sized keyboard.
- Computer monitors
Widescreen
16:9 displays are becoming increasingly popular in computer monitors due to
their ability to show multiple windows on-screen at the same time. The aspect
ratio that the majority of widescreen computer monitors use is actually 16:10
rather than 16:9.
The
benefits of a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio
The benefits of the widescreen
aspect ratio format are numerous, so it is easy to see why widescreen devices
have become so popular so quickly. These benefits are summarized below.
- The future format
In only a
few years time, videos in widescreen format will be the only type available.
Furthermore, widescreen televisions will soon become the only type of TV
available for purchase.
- Same size picture as films
All movies
are now shot using a 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning if you have a widescreen
display device the video will be displayed without the black borders present in
4:3 television screens.
- Blu-ray format
Blu-ray is
the next generation DVD format that outputs films in High Definition. To make
use of this it is necessary to have a widescreen 16:9 High Definition
television.
- High definition content
High
Definition content is only output in 16:9 aspect ratio resolutions of 1280×720
or 1920x1080.
- Increased viewing area
Pictures displayed using a widescreen aspect
ratio show 25% more of an image than 4:3 aspect ratio pictures.
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