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Is History Repeating Itself?
A meditation on 21:9 vs 16:9 Aspect Ratio
Note: This article contains cultural references. If you were born before 1990, ask your dad.
Commercial
displays are going through a bit of a revolution – at least, that’s what some
manufacturers would have us believe.
Thanks to advances in production technology, we now have access to
ultra-wide 21:9 screens that provide a significantly broader canvas
And yes,
they look impressive. With around 33%
more display area than a standard 16:9 screen of equivalent height, they offer
additional space for digital signage, video meetings and collaborative
workspaces.
But let’s not get carried away – bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes, it’s just…wider.
A brief history of Aspect Ratios
To
understand the pros and cons of 21:9, let’s take a nostalgic trip back to 1998.
The era of
crop tops, tiny handbags and boy bands. Robbie
went solo; 5ive, Aqua & Fat Les stormed the charts. At the cinema we cried at Saving Private
Ryan, held our breath in Armageddon and were confused by The Avengers (the one
with Eddie Izzard and some bees, not the other one). England didn’t win the
World Cup. Again.
It was the
year of the £2 coin, the Ford Focus, DVD’s and the start of digital
television. An visual revolution was
starting.
Back then,
TVs (and commercial screens), were based on CRT technology so were big, bulky
and immovable. They were also 4:3 aspect
ratio. Want to know the spec of the
screen? Check out those horizontal
lines. How about that interlacing?
TV was
broadcast in 4:3, and most movies were released on VHS in the same aspect
ratio.
Then came the
game changer: flat screens. First
plasma, then LCD. These were larger,
slimmer and – crucially – widescreen. We
stopped obsessing over lines and instead became familiar with new buzzwords – 720P
HD, 1080i, and Full HD.
But the
content didn’t keep up. That fancy new
widescreen? It showed black bars on the
sides unless you were watching something special. Even today, catch and old episode of Top Of
The Pops to relive that nostalgic glory (and terrible haircuts).
With the
launch of digital TV, some content began appearing in widescreen. At last, we could use the missing third of
the screen. DVDs followed suit, with
options for aspect ratio settings to match your screen. Now you could stretch your content to fill
the display, but you would have squashed heads and pixellated everything. Anamorphic fill? No thanks.
Then came
Blue-ray in 2006. Finally, content
matched our screens. Native 16:9 was here,
and HD channels began broadcasting in earnest – only 8 years after flat screens
had hit the market.
Why the delay? Well, when TV cameras cost £25,000 apiece – and up to 20 of them could be used on a single show – broadcasters were reluctant to reinvest. Especially when no one was sure of HD wasn’t just another fad. Remember 3DTV? No? My point exactly.
Fast forward to Today : Welcome 21:9
Unlike
the shift from 4:3 to 16:9, which was driven by the consumer market, the
current wave of 21:9 displays is primarily a business-led evolution. These ultra-wide screens are designed to
offer more information on signage and provide richer experiences in meeting.
They’re
especially good for touch applications.
Wider screens mean that more people can interact together – and
crucially, no one needs a stepladder to reach the top.
However,
we nor find ourselves in a familiar place: a transitional period. We’re stuck between current 16:9 HD resolutions
and new 5K resolutions in 21:9 aspect ratio.
As
always, early adopters face challenges.
The infrastructure to support native 5K content simply doesn’t exist
yet. It’s Betamax, LaserDisc and HD-DVD
all over again.
If
your application already supports 5K (or at least a lower resolution 21:9 ratio),
then great. You’re ahead of the
curve. But if not, your fancy new
display may be stuck with the same black bars we saw in the early 2000’s, or
you can use built-in image stretching.
And while this tech has come a long way, it still can’t prevent everyone
on a Teams call looking like Danny DeVito.
Let’s be honest – no one wants their meeting persona to look like something from a hall of mirrors. So once again, you’re left with a dilemma : underutilise the screen or settle for distorted content.
When (and when not) to position 21:9 screens
Here’s
the deal: if your application can run on a PC where you can force a 21:9
resolution, go for it. Ultra-wide
screens are fantastic in that case.
If
not? You may be better served sticking
to 16:9.
For
example, a Windows based Microsoft Teams Room (MTR system works well with
ultra-wide displays. Whilst they may not
support full 5K, you choose resolutions like 3440x1440 or 3840x1660 to preserve
21:9 and fill the screen. Plus, you get
the full benefit of Front Row, which much better use of the available space
than the default view.
However,
Android based MTR’s do you offer that flexibility. Either stick to a 16:9
screen or proceed with caution.
If
you’re running an application on an OPS module, that’s fine too – as long as
your screen accepts OPS or has the correct module. Always double check compatibility before you
buy.
Planning
a Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) setup?
Be wary. Most laptops run 16:9 native
resolutions. If you mirror the display
onto a 21:9 screen, you’ll get black bars.
If you extend the desktop, some laptops may support 21:9 – but this
depends on the machine.
Running
multiple ultra-wide displays for collaborative work? You’ll need a high-spec PC with dedicated graphics
card capable of powering multiple 5K screens.
This is not the time to skimp.
Cabling & infrastructure: not all cables are created equal
Most
screens and computers today support HDMI 2.0, but this does not handle 5K
resolution. You can, however, use HDMI
to run 21:9 format at lower resolutions (3440x1440 or 3840x1660), if the
computer supports it.
HDMI2.1
and 2.2 are newer and support full 5K resolution, but they are rare in
commercial screens, computers or AV infrastructure.
DisplayPort
will support 5K at 21:9 ratio. , but it’s generally found on higher end
desktops, not laptops – unless you add an extra graphics card.
USB-C
can support 5K too, but here’s the catch: USB-C is just the shape of the
port. The cable inside could do anything
– from charging your phone to transmitting high-speed video and data. A full-featured Thunderbolt cable is what you
need. And there’s a second issue:
passive Thunderbolt cables max out at 3 meters before the signal degrades. Active cables can run up to 15 meters, but
they’re expensive. And because they are
optical, they are also fragile.
If
you’re using switchers or extenders (like ReThink, LightWare, WyreStorm etc),
don’t expect 5K support just yet. Most
of these max out at 4K, and any higher resolution will be scaled back.
But
there is good news. Higher spec versions
of these products are on their way. Just
like the migration from 4:3 to 16:9, there is lag between screen technology and
the back end infrastructure. Hopefully,
this time it won’t take 8 years.
In summary - your cut out and keep guide for customers
- - Advances in screen technology tend to happen before
advances in content for the screens
- 21:9 ultrawide screens are still new to the market
- The majority of content and meeting room
infrastructure is suited for 16:9 resolutions
- 21:9 ratio screens need a dedicated computer to
support ultra-wide resolutions
- 21:9 ratio screens are best suited to applications such
as Front Row on Windows MTR or collaborative planning
- 16:9 ratio screens are best suited to Bring Your Own
Meeting (BYOM) environments where content is routed via a sharing device or video
infrastructure.
- Windows and MacOS both support 21:9 resolutions if
directly connected – Android does not.
- Switchers, matrices and other infrastructure currently
do not support ultra-wide resolutions
- Wireless sharing devices currently do not support
ultra-wide resolutions
- Most laptops will only support ultra-wide resolutions
on an extended desktop (screen 2). - If
you mirror your primary laptop screen it will be 16:9.
- Most screens have an HDMI2.0 input which will support
21:9 ratio at lower resolutions (3440x1440 or 3840x1660). To support 21:9, 5K resolution DisplayPort or
USB-C Thunderbolt cables should be used.
Passive Thunderbolt has a limited cable length. Active Thunderbolt is required to run longer
distances.
- If you provide 16:9 resolutions to a 21:9 screen you
can either:
Display the native image, which will show black bars
on either side of the screen
OR,
Set the screen to stretch the image, which degrades image quality
It is important that you understand your requirements before recommending a 21:9 screen and they understand why they may not be able to get a full, native full screen image on an ultra-wide screen
Still unsure?
Speak to Nick in the Ascentae support
team. He still remembers Betamax.