Understanding Aspect Ratios

What is an aspect ratio?

• Have you ever wondered why some things you watch on television have black bars around the picture? Do you want to know why the image on your television looks stretched out? The answers to these questions include the term aspect ratio. What is an aspect ratio and how does it affect you? It is the ratio between the width and the height of a film image. Simply stated, it is the size of the picture.

The Most Typical TV Aspect Ratios

• 16:9 (also written 16x9 and said “16 by 9”)– This indicates that the display dimensions

are 16 units wide and 9 units high.– This is also known as widescreen.

• 4:3 (also written 4x3 and said “4 by 3”)– This indicates that the display dimensions

are 4 units wide and 3 units high.

The only two you really need to know

16:9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

12

6

3

54

8

7

4:31

1 42 3

3

2

Why are there different Aspect Ratios?

• Old Analog Formats are nearly all 4:3 since this was the standard television ratio from the beginning.

• Standard Definition (SD) television continues to be 4:3 although SD can be recorded to appear 16:9 or “widescreen.”

• High Definition (HD) television is always 16:9.

4:3

16:9

Why is this an issue?

• Material in 16:9 format needs to properly fit on a 4:3 television (or 4:3 material on a 16:9 television) without changing its aspect, meaning without stretching or squishing the material.

16:9 on a 16:9 display

16:9 on a 4:3 display without adjustments

4:3 on a 16:9 display without adjustments

4:3 on a 4:3 display

Converting Material

• In order to avoid a stretched or squished picture the material must be converted. There are several different ways to achieve this.– The techniques to fit 16:9 material on a 4:3

screen include:• Letterbox• Edge Crop• Pan and Scan

16:9 Material on a 4:3 Screen

16:9 Letterbox

16:9 Material Converted to a 4:3 screen

16:9 Material

If a program is letterboxed it will

appear with a black bar above and below the

picture.

16:9 Material Converted to a 4:3 Screen

4:3 Edge Crop

16:9 Material

16:9 Letterbox

If a program is edge cropped the

picture fills the screen and the right and left

edges are lost to view.

Panned Right

16:9 Material Converted to a 4:3 Screen Using Pan & Scan

16:9 Material

If the main focus of the picture is on the right a

program can be panned right with

the left edge being lost to view.

16:9 Material Converted to a 4:3 Screen Using Pan & Scan

Panned Left

16:9 Material

Panned Right

If the main focus of the picture is

on the left a program can be panned left with the right edge

being lost to view.

Converting Material

• In order to avoid a stretched or squished picture the material must be converted. There are several different ways to achieve this.– The techniques to fit 4:3 material on a 16:9

screen include:• Pillar Box• Full Screen Zoom

4:3 Material on a 16:9 Screen

4:3 Material Converted to a 16:9 Screen

4:3 Material

16:9 Pillar Box

If a program is pillar boxed it will

appear with a black bar to the right and left of

the picture.

4:3 Material

16:9 Pillar Box

4:3 Material Converted to a 16:9 Screen

16:9 Full Screen Zoomed

If a program is zoomed in the picture fills the screen and the top and bottom

edges are lost to view.

What happens when you want to watch something on television

besides circles?

Awww! The children at Disneyland!

16:9 Source Material

How do we put them in 4:3 space?

Squeeze? Edge Crop? Letterbox?

No! Probably Not.

How do we put them in 4:3 space?

Letterbox!

Oh, look! Now they’re at Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

4:3 Source Material

Stretch? Zoom?

Pillar Box?

How do we put them in 16:9 space?

How do we put them in 16:9 space?

No! Acceptable.

Acceptable.

Why are we telling you this?• Here at Eleven we currently broadcast in SD (with

plans to switch to HD soon). Most of what we air is 4:3 format. However, if we receive material in a 16:9 format we convert it (usually by making it letterboxed) before it gets to your television set.

• If you are watching Eleven on a 4:3 television then the programs will appear just as we are broadcasting them without any adjustments on your set.

• If you are watching Eleven on a 16:9 (or high definition) television then you may have options concerning how you see the picture. If you have not chosen the aspect on your set, your set will choose for you. This means that the best option may not be selected. (Keep reading.)

Eleven on a 16:9 Television

• Since we broadcast in 4:3, your television must convert the picture. Most high definition televisions give the viewer the option of choosing the aspect. It may be a button on the remote labeled “aspect” or in the menu under aspect. Consult your user’s manual for information on your specific television.

Following is an example.

This is what we are broadcasting.Your television is set to stretch the picture. (This may be labeled “wide” or “16:9.”)

Why does everything on my television look stretched out and fat?

A Couple of Options

You can choose to zoom in on the picture.(This may be labeled “zoom.”)

Or, you can choose to have it pillar boxed.

(This may be labeled “normal” or “4:3.”)

A matter of preference

In Conclusion

• If you are watching Eleven on a 4:3 television…– the programs will appear on your screen

just as we are broadcasting them without any adjustments on your set.

– you may see black bars above and below the picture if the program has been letterboxed.

4:3

In Conclusion

• If you are watching Eleven on a 16:9 or high definition television…– you have options for viewing the

programs.– you can change the aspect usually with

a button on your remote or in the menu.

16:9

Stretch Full Screen Zoom Pillar Box