Sturman Electronics - Screen Sizes

443 Crown St

West Wollongong

NSW 2500

Phone: 02 4226 6690

Fax: 02 4226 5990

Email: sales@sturmans.com.au

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Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of a screen is the ratio of its width by its height. This impacts on the shape of the picture that you see. Choosing the correct aspect ratio for a screen is the first choice in determining the correct screen size.

Square The square shape was made popular by the use of overhead projectors and older computer generated images.
Video 4:3 This was the standard shape of all analog TVs and VCRs. Older notebook computers have displays that are 4:3 but these are slowly being superseded by notebooks with widescreen monitors. Older video cameras also capture in this format as a standard though most cameras after 2008 have also started to capture footage in 16:9.
HDTV 16:9 The standard shape for high definition widescreen TVs, broadcast and DVDs. This is the most popular shape for home theatre rooms as it can be used to watch Austar, TV and DVDs. Notebooks with widescreen displays also use this (16:9) aspect ratio but some computer monitors have a slightly taller (16:10) shape.
Cinemascope 2.35:1 The commercial theatre format. This aspect ratio however is becoming more and more common in home theatre rooms with the popularization of anamorphic lenses which can be added to a standard 16:9 projector.

Screen Size

The size of the screen is also important and very personal. Some might prefer a bigger screen than others. Below is a GUIDE on screen size which will give you an idea of how big or small to go depending on your situation.