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So what's the point in widescreen on TVs?
- Thread starter mrsir2009
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The short of it is that our field of vision is wider than it is tall.
The short of it is that our field of vision is wider than it is tall.
Wide screen gives you more resolution and a larger viewing area. Take a 4:3 standard def tv and add wings to it. That is what you are getting with 16:9.
You are actually gaining picture size with the black bars even though it looks like you are losing content. Ever hear the term "this movie has been formatted to fit your screen", it means they are chopping the ends off.
You are actually gaining picture size with the black bars even though it looks like you are losing content. Ever hear the term "this movie has been formatted to fit your screen", it means they are chopping the ends off.
Wide screen Tv's work better with the human eye, if you have noticed you can see more width then height. So wide screen takes better advantage of what you can see without moving your head. There's no point in having a really tall screen if you have to move your head up and down to view it. We can however make screens much wider without requiring you to move your head.
It's because most activity takes place along, or very close to, the horizon line - which is wide, and not tall.
Look out your front window - chances are the street extends toward your left and toward your right. A car driving by does so from right to left, or vice versa. Kids playing do so on a plane even with the ground, more or less horizontal in your your line of sight.
Now look down - you'll see the ground. Nothing very interesting there, at least not comparison.
Look up - sky. And it all looks more or less the same. Nothing really going on there, either.
So our eyes, and our brains, are used to seeing and processing the world around us in "widescreen" because that's where pretty much everything is.
Look out your front window - chances are the street extends toward your left and toward your right. A car driving by does so from right to left, or vice versa. Kids playing do so on a plane even with the ground, more or less horizontal in your your line of sight.
Now look down - you'll see the ground. Nothing very interesting there, at least not comparison.
Look up - sky. And it all looks more or less the same. Nothing really going on there, either.
So our eyes, and our brains, are used to seeing and processing the world around us in "widescreen" because that's where pretty much everything is.
Stretch your arms out infront of you.
Pull your arms back as if they're going across the horizon.
Wiggle your fingers (so it's easier to see).
Stop when you lose sight of those fingers.
Repeat the same but vertically.
Combined eyes see in a rectangular/oval (point is... it's wider than it is tall) area.
I may not be fussed about my TV and film being in HD, but anything less than widescreen is a pain to watch on modern TVs.
Pull your arms back as if they're going across the horizon.
Wiggle your fingers (so it's easier to see).
Stop when you lose sight of those fingers.
Repeat the same but vertically.
Combined eyes see in a rectangular/oval (point is... it's wider than it is tall) area.
I may not be fussed about my TV and film being in HD, but anything less than widescreen is a pain to watch on modern TVs.