1 January 1970 01:00 BST - Submitted by Dr Ivan B. Tonklemousse

Today we’re in the midst of a massive change from 4:3 to 16:9 ‘Widescreen’ aspect ratio television.

Most broadcast television is now shot in 16:9 aspect ratio and this means that to be future proof we all need to equip for Widescreen and understand how it is achieved within today’s PAL Standard Definition (SD) broadcast transmission system.

It’s a common misconception that there are more pixels in a recorded 16:9 SD image than a 4:3 one because in reality all PAL D:1 images are actually 720x576 pixels, it’s just that a true 16:9 image is anamorphically squeezed into 720x576 pixels…

720:576 is not even 4:3 because D:1 images incorporate non-square pixels to achieve the correct aspect ratio, i.e. each pixel is 1.067 times wider than it is tall, so when you multiply 720x1.067 you get 768pixels, 4/3 of the 576 frame height.

In simple terms: A true Widescreen image looks tall and thin if viewed on a non-Widescreen monitor and conversely a 4:3 image looks short and squat if forced to fill a Widescreen monitor or television.
Low end cameras with 4:3 CCD blocks often offer a ‘Widescreen’ shooting mode but beware: This is not true Widescreen. The camera circuitry merely inserts a ‘letterbox’ effect into the viewed and recorded image and the net result of this approach is that the actual image area does not utilise the full 576 vertical lines, meaning that it is much lower resolution and of course lower quality. To view this image on a Widescreen monitor or television the picture has to be zoomed into. The result is poor.

So how can you record true 16:9 images on a 4:3 Camcorder?

Enter the Anamorphic Lens or anamorphic lens converter attachment. These devices cleverly squeeze a wider 16:9 image into the camera’s 4:3 optics & CCD block, forcing the camcorder to acquire a true 16:9 Anamorphic image that will display correctly on a 16:9 monitor, using the full 576 lines of vertical resolution.

We offer converters for Canon XM1, XL1, Sony VX2000, DSR-PD150, Toshiba TU-48P etc…

The only down-side of these converters is that whilst shooting and monitoring your shots using the viewfinder (or flip out screen) you will actually see a tall thin image (anamorphically compressed) because 4:3 camcorders have 4:3 viewfinders, not Widescreen ones. Of course if you attach an external monitor with a 16:9 display mode your pictures will display properly with no distortion.

True 16:9 cameras and camcorders have a 16:9 CCD aspect ratio, meaning that they record true 16:9 images into 720x576 pixels and their integrated Widescreen viewfinders ensure that whilst shooting you always see an undistorted 16:9 image.

So, in a nutshell – To shoot good quality true Widescreen you need either:

1. A true 16:9 camcorder such as the JVC DV700WE or Sony DSR-500WSP.
2. An Anamorphic lens / attachment plus maybe a Widescreen monitor. Aspect Ratio Converters (ARCs)

An aspect ratio converter provides a high quality electronic conversion of a 4:3 image into a 16:9 image and vice-versa by utilising special interpolation techniques. ARCs are widely used in television post production and broadcasting to allow the use of 4:3 images in 16:9 programmes and vice-versa. ARCs also provide multiple simultaneous transmission formats from any source. Ultimately though, an ARC is no match for shooting in the correct format in the first place, so if you want great Widescreen images you’ll need a great Widescreen camcorder.

Now I’m not going to add too much confusion to the matter by discussing 16:9 / 4:3 switchable camcorders or HDTV (HD) equipment in detail in this article. I’ll just comment that HD is true widescreen from start to finish and that when you shoot 4:3 on a switchable camcorder you add between 10 and 15% to the effective focal length of your lens… Meaning that your subject appears closer and your angle of view is narrowed.

If you found this article useful or if there’s a subject you’d like to be covered in a future feature then please let us know.

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