The term aspect ratio refers to the format (width to height) in which your home cinema sources are produced. Standard NTSC television is broadcast in a 1.33:1 format, more commonly known as 4:3 (Diagram A). Major motion pictures are produced in the wider 1.85:1 aspect ratio. When transferred to video, many movies adapt the 1.33:1 format, resulting in images which do not fully capture the scope of the film as intended by the director.
Today, many laserdiscs are available in the movie‘s original 1.85:1 format. However, if your screen is designed for a 1.33:1 format, your 1.85:1 laserdisc image includes black strips at the top and bottom of the screen, otherwise known as “letterbox” format (Diagram B).
To enhance the quality of your projected images, your installer/ designer may recommend a projector with an aspect ratio controller to eliminate the black “letterbox” bars. To heighten the cinema experience further, Zoher and Co. can supply a widescreen system.
With the right projector and screen, laserdiscs featuring a 1.85:1 aspect ratio will fill your entire screen, providing a larger picture and more impact for your viewers (Diagram C).
The common cinema film aspect ratios used today are 1.85:1 and 2.39:1; the two common videography aspect ratios are 4:3 and 16:9
Formulas to calculate a custom screen size:
NTSC (1.33) 4:3
Diagonal / 1.667 = Height
Height x 1.33 = Width
Width / 1.33 = Height
Height x 1.667 = Diagonal
HDTV (1.78) 16:9
Diagonal x 0.49091 = Height
Diagonal x 0.87247 = Width
Height x 2.0395 = Diagonal
Width x 1.14585 = Diagonal
Height x 1.78 = Width
Width x 0.561837 = Height
Letterbox (1.85) Widescreen
Diagonal x 0.4762 = Height
Diagonal x 0.88 = Width
Height x 2.10 = Diagonal
Width x 1.135 = Diagonal
Height x 1.85 = Height
Width x 0.5405 = Height
Standard Screen Sizes:
4:3 Format
Diagonal Inches Feet
74" 60 x 45 5' x 3'9"
84" 68 x 51 5'8" x 4'3"
94" 76 x 57 6'4" x 4'9"
113" 92 x 69 7'8" x 5'9"
130" 104 x 78 8'8" x 6'6"
143" 116 x 87 9'8" x 7'3"
16: 9 Format
Diagonal Inches Feet
68" 60 x 34 5' x 2'10"
77" 68 x 38 5'8" x 3'3"
86" 76 x 43 6'4" x 3'7"
104" 92 x 52 7'8" x 4'4"
117" 104 x 58 8'8" x 4'10"
131" 116 x 65 9'8" x 5'
