Film resolution

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newuser123

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I am baffled by the various resolutions I find in films.

Does 1920 x 1080 refer to the resolution or aspect ratio?

1920:1080 is 16:9 but there are films with a ratio of 2.4:1 so how is that represented?

Have also seen 1920 x 1024 which equates to 1.875:1 and 1280 x 720 so what do these mean?

Thanks
 
Numbers like 1920:1080, 1280:720, 800:640, etc are typically computer screen resolutions. It's the dimension of the pixels, so there are 1920 columns and 1080 rows. You can multiply the numbers to get the actual number of pixels (light points) in the screen. This would also attribute to the aspect ratio, though, because the pixels at each resolution are all the same size, so you would end up with a certain ratio with a certain resolution.

I hope that clears it up for you!
 
alow said:
Numbers like 1920:1080, 1280:720, 800:640, etc are typically computer screen resolutions. It's the dimension of the pixels, so there are 1920 columns and 1080 rows. You can multiply the numbers to get the actual number of pixels (light points) in the screen. This would also attribute to the aspect ratio, though, because the pixels at each resolution are all the same size, so you would end up with a certain ratio with a certain resolution.

I hope that clears it up for you!
Click to expand...

If I understand you correctly, from my examples, 1920 x 1080 is the highest resolution?

Widescreen TVs are 16:9 so wtaching a 2.4:1 film, one would expect "black bars" at he top and bottom.

But what would be the resolution of this 2.4:1 film or is it impossible to work out just from this information?
 
To answer you fully, I think this should clear it up. They have a list of practically all computer resolutions and the associated aspect ratio. The resolution gives you an aspect ratio, but it is more related to the quality of the image. The more pixels in a display, the sharper the image quality. 800x600 is the same aspect ratio as 1400x1050, but 1400x1050 will look much better. So theoretically, the resolution of something with a 2.4:1 ratio could be 2400x1000, but I don't think there's a standard computer resolution that fits that ratio.
 
newuser123 said:
If I understand you correctly, from my examples, 1920 x 1080p is the highest resolution?
Click to expand...
Yes. For now.
Not to be confused with 1080i ;)

Widescreen TVs are 16:9 so watching a 2.4:1 film, one would expect "black bars" at he top and bottom.
Click to expand...
Correct.

But what would be the resolution of this 2.4:1 film or is it impossible to work out just from this information?
Click to expand...
That is typically the cinema screen aspect ratio. Cinemas resolution can vary depending on the screen and technology involved, 2K or 4K.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinema
 
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