Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of a certain image or picture is its width displayed on the screen divided by its height. In simpler terms, this is actually the ratio between the picture’s width and the picture’s height. Yes, it is as simple as that. The usual TV aspect ratio would be 4:3, or 1.33:1. This would be the ordinary monitor aspect ratio that most households would have. But the aspect ratio for widescreen monitor, like that of today’s HDTVs, it would be 16:9, or 1.85:1.

But if you would look at that wide screen in movie houses, you just cannot help but ask yourself, why is it always better to watch movies in movie houses, rather than on TV sets at home? And this is true even if your own TV set is already of the high-definition kind! There’s just something different about watching the movie in cinemas. And this can be attributed to the concept of aspect ratio.

It was in the 1950s when the standard aspect ratio value was pegged at 4:3 or 1.33:1. At this time, it was not just the pictures for movies that had this aspect ratio. TVs were also made to have this value for its aspect ratio. This is not really a problem because it would be easier for movies to be transferred to home video formats, with the picture sizes for movies fitting perfectly onto the television screens. But the convenience of watching videos of films in their very own homes became apparent to the American viewer in a while. And it was then that the market value of movies began to dwindle. So, the movie industry decided to experiment with different aspect ratios, so as to entice Americans to go to movie houses and watch movies once more. Movie studios decided to spice up the cinematic experience by providing movie screens with wider aspect ratios. This way, the movies would be viewed with more detail and clarity. The viewing pleasure of the people would be greatly enhanced then.

It was after the 50s when the Hollywood began to experiment with the production and the creation of films that required widescreen aspect ratios. There was even a time when 3D films were brought out in the market as well. Remember those glasses you were made to wear, with one lens being blue, and the other red? Yes, they were quite a hit in the market for a short time. But with the developments of new widescreen aspect ratios, the film industry began to recover quickly. There were two standard widescreen aspect ratios used at that time. These were the Academic Flat, set at 1.85:1, and the Anamorphic Scope, set at 2.35:1. There were also other settings on the aspect ratio video line chart at that time. But these two were the commonly used aspect ratios for films and such. Some examples of movies that have been filmed with the Academic Flat include The Birds and The English Patient. For the Anamorphic Scope, these include George Lucas’ very own Star Wars and Blade Runner.

With the wider aspect ratio this time around, viewers are given enhanced viewing pleasure, as well as more dynamic and concrete imagery. However, the existence of aspect ratios actually makes the conversion of movies into home videos difficult. This is because widescreen aspect ratios make it difficult for the whole picture or image to fit the television screen. This is why several films on DVDs come in the letterbox format, or what is commonly known as half-screen.

Some viewers have complained about the letterbox format, saying that the image should be fit as a whole onto the screen. But when they are shown the distorted product of forcing the image to fit wholly, they end up agreeing that the letterbox format is indeed the wiser of the two options.