7/25/2020 14:9 aspect ratio - Wikipedia

14:9 aspect ratio

14:9 is a compromise aspect ratio[1] of 1.56:1. It is used to
create an acceptable picture on both 4:3 and 16:9 televisions,
conceived following audience tests conducted by the BBC. It
has been used by most UK, Irish, French, Spanish and
Australian terrestrial analogue networks, and in the United
States on Discovery Networks' HD simulcast channels with
programming and advertising originally compiled in 4:3. Note
that 14:9 is not a shooting format; 14:9 material is almost The red outline frames an
always derived from either a 16:9 or 4:3 shot, and no approximately 16:9 picture. The yellow
televisions have ever been made in 14:9. outline, not including the black bars at
top and bottom, shows the same
picture cropped to 14:9, while the whole
yellow box frames a 4:3 picture.
Contents
Usage
With native 16:9 material
With native 4:3 material
Adoption by TV channels
Philippines
UK
United States
Argentina
Portugal
Mathematics
See also
References

Usage

With native 16:9 material

A common usage is for material shot in 16:9 format. During production, the important action is kept
within the centre of the picture, known as the 14:9 safe area. When the material is broadcast in a 4:3
format (such as for analog television), the sides of the image are cropped to 14:9 and narrow black
bars are added to the top and bottom. It is considered that viewers who are not used to wide-screen
will find this less distracting than the letterbox format that would result from broadcasting the full
16:9 picture in analogue, while still seeing more of the picture than would be visible if cropped into
4:3. When the same material is broadcast in 16:9 (such as for digital television) the full 16:9 frame is
left intact, but auxiliary signals tell the receiver that the picture is suitable for cropping to 14:9 if
necessary (for example, when the receiver is connected to a 4:3 display).

The major benefit in shooting 16:9 with protection for 14:9 (rather than 4:3) is improving the usable
screen real-estate for titles, logos and scrolling text. The visible enhancement is significant due to the
restrictive requirements of overscan. When shooting in 16:9 for potential 4:3 distribution the "Shoot
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And Protect" method (from the BBC's "Widescreen Book") is employed. As the name suggests footage
is shot in 16:9 but important visual information is protected inside the 14:9 or 4:3 safe areas.

With native 4:3 material

Another use is for material shot on a 4:3 format. When broadcast in 16:9, the top and bottom of the
original frame are cropped to 14:9, and black bars (called pillarboxes) are added to either side. When
broadcast in 4:3, the 14:9 crop is often used in preference to the original 4:3 frame. This is especially
common when 4:3 footage needs to be included in an otherwise 16:9 program, such as a news
broadcast, and was used in the 2000s by the BBC's children's channels (CBBC & CBeebies) to
broadcast older children's programming shot in 4:3 on a larger proportion of a 16:9 screen.

Adoption by TV channels

Viacom International Media Networks Europe uses 14:9 for its music videos that are in 4:3. Nearly all
of VIMN Europe's music channels around Europe (with the exception of VH1 Classic and the now-
defunct MTV Classic Italy) transitioned to widescreen from 2011 until 2014, all of the 4:3 music
videos are cropped to 14:9.

JimJam also uses 14:9 for reruns of classic children's programming as well.

Philippines

CNN Philippines was the first Philippine TV channel to air in widescreen format (albeit in 14:9) until
March 2017, when it was later transitioned to 16:9.

UK

In the UK, most channels broadcast in 16:9, but some channels such as Nickelodeon also use 14:9. On
these channels, the 14:9 cropping is used on adverts and shows which were produced in 16:9, such as
House of Anubis, iCarly, Victorious and Big Time Rush, to present a more consistent output.
Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland), along with its sister channels Nick Jr. (UK & Ireland) and Nicktoons
(UK & Ireland), were the only children's channels that were not shown in 16:9, but made the switch in
2013 (With NickToons remaining in 4:3 until February 2017). The HD channel, Nickelodeon HD was
already shown in 16:9 before this, with 4:3 programming shown in the pillarbox effect.

United States

Because 14:9 is not widely used in the United States, pillarboxing and stretching are commonly used
in the United States (stretching is primarily used by Turner's Flexview). Only the HD simulcast
channels of Discovery Networks used 14:9 for its previous episodes of their productions. Weigel
Broadcasting uses 14:9 extensively as a compromise format on older shows without widescreen
versions airing on their networks, including Decades, Heroes & Icons, MeTV and Start TV. Some
television networks use it on a more selective basis, with AMC and Sundance TV using it when
showing episodes of M*A*S*H.

Argentina

It is also used on the ISDB-Tb HD service of the Argentinian public television, TV Pública, in order to
adjust their old programs and 4:3 SD studio cameras to 16:9 format.

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Portugal

The public broadcaster RTP used the 14:9 format to convert 16:9 broadcasts to the 4:3 format it still
used until 2013 (for the majority of the programs broadcast). However, since June 8, 2012, they
began to broadcast 16:9 material in its original aspect ratio, with the correct flag, thus ending the
broadcasts featuring the 14:9 format and since January 2013, the majority of broadcasts are in 16:9
(since late 2017 downscaled from the native HD feed). Private broadcaster TVI started using the 14:9
format in August 2012 to broadcast 16:9 material instead of using 4:3 Pan & Scan, as they refused to
broadcast in 16:9. However, on October 3, 2015, it began to broadcast in full widescreen.

Mathematics
The aspect ratio of 14:9 (1.555...) is the arithmetic mean (average) of 16:9 and 4:3 (12:9),
. More practically, it is approximately the geometric mean[2] (the
precise geometric mean is ), and in this sense is
mathematically a compromise between these two aspect ratios: two equal area pictures (at 16:9 and
4:3) will intersect in a box with aspect ratio the geometric mean, as demonstrated in the image at top
(14:9 is just slightly wider than the intersection). In this way 14:9 balances the needs of both 16:9 and
4:3, cropping or distorting both about equally. Similar considerations were used in the choice of 16:9
by the SMPTE, which balanced 2.35 and 4:3.

See also
Shoot and protect
Pillarbox

References
1. "16:9, 14:9, and 4:3 explained" (https://web.archive.org/web/20090129232458/http://www.channel
2020.co.uk/talk16x9.php). The Clerkenwell Workshops. Archived from the original (http://www.cha
nnel2020.co.uk/talk16x9.php) on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
2. US 5956091 (https://worldwide.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US5956091),
"Method of showing 16:9 pictures on 4:3 displays", issued 21 September 1999

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