(n.) Widescreen television; for high-definition television (HDTV) broadcast, a proposed ratio of 16:9, or 1.78:1, rather than the normal 4:3 aspect ratio for the screen. 16:9 is a ratio more similar to that of the film processors Cinemascope and Panavision, which exhibit aspect ratios in the range of 2.35:1. When the wider aspect ratio is shown on a standard screen, the result is called the letterbox effect.
widescreen TV
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