joltman

Is there any kind of standard term for 4x3 content that doesn't factor in the TV size? In the 4x3 TV days, it was full screen, or standard, but those terms aren't appropriate when you have 4x3 content on a 16x9 screen.

JordanGLC

Do you mean like 1.33:1?

Solid Snake

Joltman...isn't he supposed to be Tila Tequila? I think that is what a thread said.

joltman

Jordan, yes, and Solid Snake...???

joltman

After searching, I guess you had me confused with joltadict (so was joltaddict really Tila Tequila?)

joltman

Oh, and Jordan, I think I misunderstood you, while 1.33:1 is the same as 4x3, that wasn't the kind of term I was looking for, I was looking for an actual term, like how it used to be called 'full screen'.

LPMA

Pillarbox?

Rexxriot

Academy ratio

joltman

Technically, academy ratio is 1.37 not 1.33, and pillarbox would refer to 4x3 content on a 16x9 TV, but not to 4x3 content in general.

LPMA

Well then I think 4X3 is your best option.

JimRochester

How about; The old fashioned TV screen size when it was square and not a rectangle? Never mind, 4x3 is probably better.

Larry C.

I call it shitty.

Jay G.

4x3 is TV-size neutral, as it's a ratio of width to height, as is 16x9, 1.33:1, 1.37:1, 1.66:1, 1.78:1, 1.85:1, 2.35:1, etc.

Lastdaysofrain

Tube Ratio?

Jay G.

There were 16:9 CRT TVs, so that terms not accurate.

Honestly, 4x3 is the most accurate term, and is totally independent of TV size. You can have a 55" 4x3 TV, or a 1" 4:3 TV. "Fullscreen" only worked when 4x3 TVs were the standard, and "widescreen" has referred to a variety of aspect ratios, as long as they were wider than 4x3.

joltman

I know that, but again, I was looking for an actual term for 4x3 content.

So I guess the answer to my original question is, no, there is not a standard term for it.

Jay G.

My apologies. I guess I was mislead by the title of the thread being: "TV size-neutral term for 4x3 content?", and that your OP asked this:
It seemed to me that you didn't understand that the ratio was independent of TV size.

Maybe what you meant was you're looking for a term that is independent of TV screen shape, i.e. not describing the ratio.

I would argue that 4x3 is the standard or "actual" term for that image ratio, as it's become the standard term used by everyone as "fullscreen" has fallen out of favor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_...)#4:3_standard

Again, what I think you mean is that you're looking for a "plain English" term, one that doesn't use numbers, similar to how "Fullscreen" was previously used for it. In that case, you are correct, there's no term used to describe it currently aside from the ratio.

Double_Oh_7

Square.

Drexl

I'm glad they don't have a common term these days. It's best that they just tell you the aspect ratio, as you only need to understand some basic math and it doesn't imply any benefit to one or another. I never liked terms like "standard" and "full frame," as they seemed to lend pan & scan/open matte an air of legitimacy. "Full frame" in particular suggests that you are losing part of the image in the widescreen version (which may be technically true in open matte, but it doesn't tell the whole story).

I usually end up calling it 4:3. It's the easiest to say and the simplest expression of the ratio. Pillarboxed could work, but it only makes sense in the context of a widescreen display (which I think the OP wanted to avoid), and it could refer to any ratio less wide than 16:9. I might say "pillarboxed to 4:3" if it's on a BD.

I only use the term Academy Ratio for old films. It doesn't seem right to refer to modern 4:3 material with a term denoting a standardized ratio, when that ratio is certainly not the de facto standard today. And of course if you're nitpicking, 1.33:1 is not quite the same as 1.37:1. (Although I think often these films are presented 4:3 on video anyway as it's so close.)

Jay G.

It's not though. It's closer to a square than any other widely used aspect ratio, but it's still slightly wider than it is tall. Anyway, this isn't a standard term by any means.

What do you use when you say it out loud? Do you say "Four Three," "Four by Three," "Four to Three," or something else?

Cropping 1.37:1 to 1.33:1 (4:3) was certainly the norm for SD video. However, I think 1.37:1 material presented in HD is typically the full image pillarboxed in a 16:9 frame.

Drexl

Probably "four by three," although with 1.33:1 I'd say "one point thirty-three to one."

Spottedfeather

full frame ?

joltman

I thought about Full Frame, but that doesn't apply to all 4x3 content, ie not pan & scan

Drexl

"Full frame" really should just mean the entire filmed image, which may not be 4:3. Cinemascope films, for instance, should be considered full frame.