14:9 aspect ratio

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14:9 (1.5:1) is a compromise

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

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

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 14:9 until March 2017, when it was later transitioned to 16:9.

UK

In the UK, most channels broadcast in 16:9. On

The primary use of 14:9 in the US was for full screen channels in the 2000s to show content that had been produced in 16:9. One major show to receive this treatment was Star Trek: Enterprise.

The use of 14:9 to adapt full screen content for widescreen channels, by contrast, is much less common in the US, where pillarboxing and stretching are more commonly used (stretching is primarily used by Turner's Flexview). Only the HD simulcast channels of Warner Bros. Discovery 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 Catchy Comedy, Heroes & Icons, MeTV, Movies!, 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. The first disc of MythBusters: Big Blast Collection uses this ratio, as does the Mega Movie Myths disc.

Argentina

It is also used on the

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 8 June 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 3 October 2015, it began to broadcast in full widescreen.

Turkey

From 2005 to 2011, TRT broadcast (except TRT HD) Eurovision Song Contest by cropping to 14:9. Many channels of TRT were broadcasting 4:3 at the time; narrow black bars are added to the top and bottom.

Mathematics

The aspect ratio of 14:9 (1.555...) is the arithmetic mean (average) of 16:9 and 4:3 (12:9), ${\displaystyle ((16/9)+(12/9))\div 2=14/9}$. More practically, it is approximately the geometric mean^[5] (the precise geometric mean is ${\displaystyle {\sqrt {(16/9)\times (4/3)}}\approx 1.5396\approx 13.8:9}$), 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

See also

• Shoot and protect
• Pillarbox
• Widescreen signaling

References