It is important to be aware of the potential pitfalls when editing and
displaying various aspect ratios.
First, I should share what the aspect ratio is -- this is the ratio that your video image/program fills on the TV monitor. For years we only had the 4:3 aspect ratio* when creating video (film/theater works with yet a different aspect ratio). But in recent years with the introduction of first, wide-screen video and the now consuming craze of HD (High Definition), both of which use the 16:9 aspect ratio - it is important to understand this concept.
It is unlikely that you will find video cameras, new ones at least that shoot only 4:3. Most if not all new camcorders/video cameras shoot Wide-screen SD (Standard Definition) if not HD (High Definition). I am a strong proponent of shooting in wide-screen. Here is a comparison between the two aspect ratios:
The light violet represents a 4:3 15" TV monitor and the light green represents a 16:9 19" TV monitor.
At first I was a little reluctant to embrace the Wide-screen but then I got more into it and now fully believe it is _the_ way to go with your video, whether you are shooing for profit or for pleasure. For one, the wide-screen format more closely matches the human field of vision (the human field of vision is more rectangular than the square-ish representation presented by the older 4:3 aspect ratio).
So - the challenge is, what if you have a 4:3 program and play it on a 16:9 or Wide-screen monitor or vice versa. I believe (and this is preference here, not gospel) the best viewing option is to set your monitor for for borders. These borders keep the program (video) in the original aspect ratio and then 'place' it on the monitor with the borders to fill in the space that the video does not otherwise occupy.
If you have a 4:3 aspect ratio video and display it on a 16:9 TV/monitor - with the mattes (black borders) activated you will add what is called 'Pillar-boxes' (like two pillars on each side of the video).
And if you playback a 16:9 (Wide screen) program on a 4:3 monitor - if/when you have the option to preserve the aspect ratio, to keep it wide-screen you would be adding mattes (black borders) at the top and bottom (since 16:9 is wider than it is tall). This is called 'Letter-boxing' and many of us are more familiar with this as we are used to seeing hollywood films on our TV in the wide screen format with these black mattes (borders) at top and bottom of the screen.
. The ability to add the mattes is usually done by the DVD player - if your player is not performing the operation to your preference, you sometimes need to adjust the player settings (in the DVD player menu).
Then there is the issue of when a producer, in the editing process, adds letterbox or pillar-box effects and then plays it on the incorrect monitor... there is some undesirable effects which I will present tomorrow.
* In my research for today's post I found it interesting that the 4:3 aspect ratio was first standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences after the development of optical sound on film. The early TV engineers modeled their 'box' after this aspect ratio and tapped into a catalog of films that would play satisfactorily on TV (films from the 1940s & 1950s). The film industry, however, moved to the cinematic wide-screen aspect ratios when their movie going attendance dropped with the rise of TV, as a means of separating and distinguishing them from this other growing media.
Additional info on the history of aspect ratios can be found here: Aspect Ratios - Wikipedia
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