Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio is the width of an image divided by its height. TV aspect ratio differs from area to area as different parts of the world have varying television standards. However, in the United States the aspect ratio for standard broadcast television is four to three - that is, for every four units of width there are three units of height. In Europe for digital TV and in the case of the new high definition television, the aspect ratio is sixteen to nine, a somewhat wider aspect ratio that is more of an aspect ratio for widescreen monitor use and takes up more of the frame.

Aspect ratio converters are used when you go to a foreign country that uses a different aspect ratio and you want to make use of your own television from home. The aspect ratio converter changes the dimensions of the image without distorting it or stretching it in a bad way; this makes it possible for you to watch foreign television programs on your existing television. Sometimes to change the aspect ratio active video line entries are dropped from the incoming signal; this is a way of degrading the signal but it is necessary to change the size without distorting the width and height information.

An aspect ratio video line chart is a way to compare the sizes of different aspect ratios so you can see how the image sizes compare to one another. You can read an aspect ratio line chart for television aspect ratio or for monitor aspect ratio. The chart demonstrates the difference between aspect ratios for different standards. With the change in TV broadcasting laws in the United States from television broadcasters using the old analog system to using the new digital high definition broadcast system, the United States will be moving to the same aspect ratio as much of the rest of the world, which will unify the standards. The new aspect ratio that will be used for digital television in the United States is wider and allows the camera to capture more of the set, a wider view. This is an improvement in the quality of television not only in the size of the area that will be displayed but the quality of the picture, which can be expanded to several times its normal size without losing clarity. The new aspect ratio will improve the transfer of film and television around the world by making it directly transferable without editing to fit a screen.