What you need to know about monitor aspect ratio

Monitors with different aspect ratios differ from each other not only in height and width, but also in resolution. The 16:9 models reproduce a high-definition picture in the format of 1920 x 1080, and the 16:10 variants – with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Should you prefer a 16:10 monitor that displays 120 pixels more?

Why does the movie not play in full screen?

Fans of watching movies on a PC monitor have repeatedly faced the problem when the picture does not stretch to the entire screen either in height or in width. As a result, the image-free space remains.

This happens if the film format corresponds to the aspect ratio of the monitor. For example, a movie with an old TV format of 4:3 on a 16:9 screen will be enhanced with wide sidebars. When watching a 16:9 movie on a 5:4 monitor, the viewer will see horizontal bars surrounding the image at the top and bottom.

Full HD pictures on the 16:10 screen

A similar situation exists with the 16:10 monitor. The 16:9 model is smaller than the 16:10 model (with a similar diagonal) in height, but larger in width. For example, let’s compare two monitors with a diagonal of 24 inches and different aspect ratios: 16:9 has physical dimensions of 531 x 298 mm, and 16:10 – 516 x 323 mm. Since the classic FullHD format is native to a 16:9 monitor, on a smaller and taller 16:10 screen, a picture with a resolution of 1980 x 1080 will be complemented by horizontal black bars.

Tip: if you often watch series and movies with HD or FullHD resolution, buy a LG, Toshiba or SAMSUNG monitor with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Another “trouble” awaits the owner of the 16:10 monitor. The details of a FullHD picture on a 16:10 screen will be smaller than on a 16:9 display. The reason is the difference in size.

When playing a FullHD movie on a 16:10 screen, the image is automatically compressed in height (to fit in width). Thus, the image on a 24-inch 16:10 monitor will be displayed the same as on a 22-inch 16:9 screen.

Why do some movies play with stripes on a 16:9 monitor?

The 16:9 aspect ratio is typical for widescreen TV content with HD resolution. Manufacturers of licensed DVDs and BlueRay discs that record movies with 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio ensure exact compliance with this format. Such films are played on a 16:9 monitor without columns.

Some films are presented on discs in the original “cinema” formats – 21 x 9, 16.6 x 9 or 15 x 9. At the same time, the format of the discs themselves remains television – HD, FullHD, etc. (Ratio 16:9). In this case, the lines that help the picture fit into the 16:9 format are already present on the media itself.