Ultrawide formats
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Ultrawide formats refers to photos, videos,[1] and displays[2] with aspect ratios greater than 2. There were multiple moves in history towards wider formats, including one by Disney,[3] with some of them being more successful than others.
Cameras usually capture ultra-wide photos and videos using an anamorphic format lens, which shrinks the extended horizontal field-of-view (FOV) while saving on film or disk.[4]
Historic Ultrawide Cinema[edit]
Historically ultrawide movie formats have varied between ~2.35 (1678:715), ~2.39 (1024:429) and 2.4. To complicate matters further, films were also produced in following ratios: 2.55, 2.76 and 4. Developed by Rowe E. Carney Jr. and Tom F. Smith, the Smith-Carney System used a 3 camera system, with 4.6945 (1737:370) ratio, to project movies in 180°.[5] Disney even created a 6.85 ratio, using 5 projectors to display 200°. The only movie filmed in Disney's 6.85 ratio is Impressions de France.[3]
Wide aspect ratios[edit]
Suggested by Kerns H. Powers of SMPTE in USA, the 16:9 aspect ratio was developed to unify all other aspect ratios. Subsequently it became the universal standard for widescreen and high-definition television.
Around 2007, cameras and non-television screens began to switch from 15:9 (5:3) and 16:10 (8:5) to 16:9 resolutions.
Extra-wide aspect ratios[edit]
Univisium is an aspect ratio of 2.00:1, created by Vittorio Storaro of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) originally intended to unify all other aspect ratios used in movies.
It is popular on Smartphones and cheap VR[clarification needed] displays. VR displays halve the screen into two, one for each eye. So a 2:1 VR screen would be halved into two 1:1 screens. Smartphones began moving to this aspect ratio since late 2010s with the release of Samsung Galaxy S8, advertised as 18:9.
Ultra-wide aspect ratios[edit]
21:9 is a consumer electronics (CE) marketing term to describe the ultra-widescreen aspect ratio of 64:27 (2.370) = 1024:432 for multiples of 1080 lines. It is used for multiple anamorphic formats and DCI 1024:429 (21.482517:9), but also for ultrawide computer monitors, including 43:18 (211⁄2:9) for resolutions based on 720 lines and 12:5 (213⁄5:9) for ultrawide variants of resolutions based either on 960 pixels width or 900 lines height.
The 64:27 aspect ratio is the logical extension of the existing video aspect ratios 4:3 and 16:9. It is the third power of 4:3, whereas 16:9 of widescreen HDTV is 4:3 squared. This allows electronic scalers and optical anamorphic lenses to use an easily implementable 4:3 (1.33) scaling factor.
21:9 movies usually refers to 1024:429 ≈ 2.387, the aspect ratio of digital ultrawide cinema formats, which is often rounded up to 2.39:1 or 2.40:1
Ultrawide resolution can also be described by its height, such as "UW 1080" and "1080p ultrawide" both stands for the same 2560×1080 resolution.
| common name | aspect ratio | resolution |
|---|---|---|
| WFHD | 64∶27 | 2560×1080 |
| WFHD+ | 12∶5 | 2880×1200 |
| WQHD | 43∶18 | 3440×1440 |
| WQHD+ | 12∶5 | 3840×1600 |
| UW4K | 12∶5 | 4320×1800 |
| UW5K (WUHD) | 64∶27 | 5120×2160 |
| UW5K+ | 12∶5 | 5760×2400 |
| UW6K | 43∶18 | 6880×2880 |
| UW7K | 12∶5 | 7680×3200 |
| UW8K | 12∶5 | 8640×3600 |
| UW10K | 64∶27 | 10240×4320 |
| decimal | simple | n∶9 |
|---|---|---|
| 2.370 | 64∶27 | 211⁄3∶9 |
| 2.38 | 43∶18 | 211⁄2∶9 |
| 2.40 | 12∶5 | 213⁄5∶9 |
Super-wide aspect ratios [edit]
In 2016, IMAX announced the release of films in Ultra-WideScreen 3.6 format,[6][failed verification] with an aspect ratio of 18:5 (36:10).[7] A year later, Samsung and Phillips announced 'super ultra-wide displays', with aspect ratio of 32:9, for "iMax-style cinematic viewing".[8] Panacast developed a 32:9 webcam with three integrated cameras giving 180° view, and resolution matching upcoming 5K 32:9 monitors, 5120x1440.[9] In 2018 Q4, Dell released the U4919DW, a 5K 32:9 monitor with a resolution of 5120x1440, and Phillips announced the 499P9H with the same resolution. 32:9 Ultrawide monitors are often sold as an alternative to dual 16:9 monitor setups and for more inmersive experiences while playing videogames, and many are capable of displaying 2 16:9 inputs at the same time.
32:9 aspect ratio is derived from 16:9 being twice as large. Some manufacturers therefore refer to the resulting total display resolution with a D prefix for dual or double.
Super wide resolutions refers to that with aspect ratio greater than 3.
| common name | aspect ratio | resolution |
|---|---|---|
| DWXGA+ | 16∶5 | 2880×900 |
| DFHD | 32∶9 | 3840×1080 |
| DFHD+ | 16∶5 | 3840×1200 |
| SWFHD+ | 18∶5 | 4320×1200 |
| DQHD | 32∶9 | 5120×1440 |
| DQHD+ | 16∶5 | 5120×1600 |
| SWQHD+ | 18∶5 | 5760×1600 |
| 16:5 5K | 16∶5 | 5760×1800 |
| 32:9 6K | 32∶9 | 6400×1800 |
| 18:5 6K | 18∶5 | 6480×1800 |
| DUHD | 32∶9 | 7680×2160 |
| DUHD+ | 16∶5 | 7680×2400 |
| 18:5 8K | 18∶5 | 8640×2400 |
| decimal | simple | n:9 |
|---|---|---|
| 3.2 | 16∶5 | 28+4⁄5∶9 ≈ 29∶9 |
| 3.5 | 32∶9 | 32∶9 |
| 3.6 | 18∶5 | 32+2⁄5∶9 |
Ultra-WideScreen 3.6 video never spread, as cinemas in an even wider ScreenX 270° format were released.[10]
4:1 (36:9)[edit]
Abel Gance experimented with ultrawide formats including making a film in 4:1 (36:9). He made a rare use of Polyvision, three 35 mm 1.3 images projected side by side in the 1927 film Napoléon.
AT NAB 2019, Sony introduced a 19.2-metre-wide by 5.4-metre-tall commercial 16K display.[11][12] It is made up of 576 modules (48 by 12) each 360 pixels across, resulting in a 4:1, 17280x4320p screen.
Multi-Screen Theaters[edit]
Developed by CJ CGV in 2012, ScreenX uses three (or more) projectors to display 270° content,[10] with an unknown aspect ratio above 4. Walls on both sides of a ScreenX theatre are used as projector screens.
Developed by Barco N.V. in 2015, Barco Escape used three projectors of 2.39 ratio to display 270° content, with an aspect ratio of 7.17. The two side screens were angled at 45 degree in order to cover peripheral vision. Barco Escape shut down in February 2018.
Comparison[edit]
| Decimal value | Aspect ratio | Format name | Resolutions | Lens & Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.185 | 32:27 | DVCPRO HD | 640×540, 1280×1080 | 1x |
| 1.25 | 5:4 | DV PAL | 720×576, 1280×1024, 1500×1200 | 1x |
| 1.3 | 4:3 | Video Graphics Array | 320×240,640×480, 960×720, 1440×1080, 1600×1200 | SDTV |
| 1.5 | 3:2 | DV NTSC / laptops | 720×480, 1920×1280, 2160×1440, 2256×1504, 2400×1600, 3000×2000 | 1x |
| 1.6 | 8:5 | 16:10 widescreen (PC only) | 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600, 2880×1800, 3072×1920, 3840×2400 | - |
| 1.6 | 5:3 | European Widescreen | 400×240, 800×480, 1280×768 | Super 16 mm |
| 1.7 | 16:9 | Widescreen | 1920×1080, 2560×1440, 3840×2160, 7680×4320 | Anamorphic 1.5x on 32:27, HDTV |
| 1.618 | 16:10 | 16:10 Tallboy | 640×400, 960×600, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200, 2560×1600, 3840×2400 | - |
| 1.85 | 37:20 | "Flat" DCI | 1998×1080, 3996×2160 | 1x |
| 1.8962 | 256:135 | "Full" DCI | 2048×1080, 4096×2160 | 1x |
| 2.0 | 2:1 | VistaVision / Univisium | 2160×1080, 2400×1200, 2880×1440, 3200×1600, 3600×1800, 3840×1920, 4320×2160, 4800×2400, 5760×2880 | VR cameras (most) |
| 2.3468531 | 1678:715[13] | Cinemascope (1950s–1970s) | analog | Anamorphic 2x on 35 mm with optical audio |
| 2.370 | 64:27 | "21:9" ultrawide | 2560×1080, 5120×2160, 7680×3240, 10240×4320 | Dashcam, Anamorphic 1.33x on 16:9, 1.25x on DCI 256:135, 2x on 32:27 |
| 2.386946 | 1024:429 | "Scope" DCI cinema format | 2048×858, 4096×1716, 8192×3432 | 1x |
| 2.38 | 43:18 | "21:9" ultrawide (PC only) | 3440×1440, 5160×2160, 6880×2880 | - |
| 2.4 | 12:5 | 24:10 ultrawide | 2880×1200, 3840×1600, 4320×1800, 5760×2400, 7680×3200 | - |
| 2.55 | 51:20 | Cinemascope 55 | analog | Anamorphic 2x on 35 mm without optical audio |
| 2.6 | 8:3 | Cinerama / 24:9 ultrawide (PC only) | 240×640, 2880×1080, 3840×1440, 5120×1920, 5760×2160, 7680×2880, 10240×3840 | - |
| 2.76 | 69:25 | Ultra Panavision | analog | Anamorphic 1.25x on 70 mm |
| 3.2 | 16:5 | 32:10 super wide (PC only) | 2880×900, 3840×1200, 5120×1600, 5760×1800, 7680×2400, 10240×3200 | - |
| 3.5 | 32:9 | 32:9 super wide (PC only) | 3840×1080, 5120×1440, 7680×2160, 10240×2880 | - |
| 3.6 | 18:5 | 36:10 super wide (ultra-widescreen 3.6) | 4320×1200, 5760×1600, 6480×1800, 8640×2400 | 1x |
| 4.0 | 4:1 | Polyvision | analog / 3 images 4:3 projected side by side | 3x |
See also[edit]
- 14:9 aspect ratio
- Graphics display resolution
- Angle of view
- Field of view in video games
- Dot pitch
- Pixel density
References[edit]
- ^ A History of Widescreen and Wide-Film Projection Processes
- ^ All About Ultrawide Monitors, the Latest Trend in Gaming and Productivity
- ^ a b p20, Sherlock, Daniel J. "Wide Screen Movies" Corrections, 1994–2004
- ^ Red Camera: Anamorphic lens intro
- ^ Smith-Carney System
- ^ "Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience in Ultra-Widescreen". IMAX.com. Dec 7, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Kristopher Tapley (Dec 5, 2016). "'Ultra Widescreen' Version of Terrence Malick's 'Voyage of Time' Set for Release". variety.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ super ultra-wide -Samsung News
- ^ Panacast
- ^ a b Introducing Screen X, Cinema in 270 Degrees
- ^ Waniata, Ryan (2019-04-10). "Sony's massive new MicroLED display stands 17 feet tall and packs 16K resolution". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
- ^ Dent, Steve (2019-09-13). "Sony's Crystal cinema display supports 16K, but could cost millions". Engadget. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ "Wide Screen Apertures and Aspect Ratios". The American WideScreen Museum. October 17, 2000. Retrieved November 2, 2018.