16:9 Screen Aspect Ratio
The wide-screen picture format is intended to provide a more realistic and compelling visual presentation over the traditional 4:3 television aspect ratio. A wide-screen display is commonly referred to as a “16 by 9” format, meaning that the picture is 16 arbitrary units wide by nine units high. By contrast, a conventional display is 4 units wide by 3 units high, or “4 by 3.” Thus, the 16:9 display provides a wider image area that more closely matches the relative dimensions, or aspect ratio, of the cinema.