Vocabulary Question: "Inverse-Anamorphic Video"?

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Level 1

36 points

Vocabulary Question: "Inverse-Anamorphic Video"?

I have a question not particularly tied to Final Cut Studio, but just a general vocabulary question:

Is there an accepted term for video with a 4:3-aspect-ratio pixels, like we so often see nowadays when older, 4:3-aspect-ratio video is stretched out horizontally to fill a 16:9-aspect-ratio screen?

The only phrase I can think of to name it would be "inverse anamorphic," in the sense that an anamorphic, 35mm print of a widescreen movie, as distributed to movie theaters, is called an "anamorphic print," and that is where the aspect ratio of the pixels is less than 1:1. Since this is a case of 4:3-aspect-ratio video (aspect ratio >1), I guess "inverse-anamorphic" is ... a plausible guess as to what to call it...

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.3), 8x2.8GHz, 2560x1600 Cinema HD

Posted on Jun 18, 2015 3:15 AM

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Answer 1

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Shane Ross

Level 8

43,110 points

Jun 18, 2015 10:28 AM in response to mr88cet

On HDTVs...at least mine...that feature is called FULL. It takes the whole 4:3 image and stretches it to fill the screen. And I hate it, with a passion. HORRIBLE!!! Then there's JUSTIFY...and what that does is keep the center normal, but gradually the edges stretch out to fill the screen. So someone will look normal in the middle of the screen, but pan a little to the right and have them on the left of the screen, and they are stretched. Also, not the best, but better than FULL. Then there's ZOOM...and that basically zooms in on the 4:3 so it fills the screen, no stretching at all.

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Answer 2

mr88cet Author

Level 1

36 points

Jun 18, 2015 11:51 AM in response to Shane Ross

I also can't begin to tell you how much I despise this kind of video! Whoever came up with this notion that there's something in some sense acceptable about hosing up the aspect ratio of video or stills needs to be strung up by their toenails and tickle-tortured! :-) I was largely askingso that I could have a standard term to use when I complain about it to manufacturers that do this hideous nonsense.

Truthfully though, I think I must have hit "this solved my question" accidentally, because, although that's what TV remotes call this video mode, "full" or "justified" don't seem like a standardized, video-engineering terms.

Anybody know a standard term that any video engineer would immediately identify as this god-awful type of video?

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