Why the shape of your screen matters - Brian Gervase

譯者: Zhiting Chen 審譯者: 庭芝 梁

You know, back in the '40s and '50s,

早在 1940 至 1950 年代，

the original standard television had a 4 to 3 width to height ratio.

電視畫面的寬與高比例是 4 : 3。

That shape was chosen to be a slight rectangle,

這個形狀稍微有點長方形，

but still mostly square, thus having the maximal screen area

但整體來說，還是接近正方形，

所以對觀眾來說， 這個比例的可視面積是最大的。

for the given dimensions.

And that's still the ratio on many TVs and computer monitors in today's homes.

直到現在，許多家庭的電視或電腦螢幕， 仍然維持這個比例。

The problem is, hardly anybody today treats video content in a 4 to 3 ratio.

但問題是， 很少人想用4:3的螢幕比例看電影。

See, this whole problem started

你看，當人們想舒服地坐在家中，

when people wanted to watch movies from the theater

觀看依照電影院螢幕比例 而拍攝的影片時，

in the comfort of their own homes.

問題就發生了。

Movie screens are considerably larger than our home television.

電影院的螢幕尺寸， 比家裡的電視大很多。

更重要的是，這兩種螢幕 是完全不同的長方形。

More important, the screen is completely different rectangle

and can't mathematically fit on our TV screens without manipulation.

如果影片不經過調整， 是無法符合電視螢幕的。

A typical TV is one and a third times wider than it is tall

常見的電視螢幕尺寸， 寬度是高度的1又1/3倍。

Some movie screens could be up to three times as wide as it is tall.

但是有些電影螢幕， 寬度幾乎是高度的3倍。

So what're we going to do to make it fit? Well, we have all kinds of options.

所以要如何將電影放到電視上播放？ 以下，我們有幾種方式：

Well, we could squeeze and stretch and mangle everything onto the screen,

首先，我們可以將畫面上的所有東西 擠壓、拉長與輾壓，

to make it all fill up,

把影片填滿整個電視螢幕。

and everyone would look ridiculously thin and compressed.

電影裡面的人會變得非常瘦， 好像經過壓榨一樣。

The good news is the sound would be just fine,

好消息是，聲音聽起來還是很正常，

although I don't think people would be too happy about that option,

但我不認為大家會喜歡這個方式，

particularly the actors in the movie.

尤其是這部電影的演員。

We could just cut a chunk of the original movie like a cookie cutter

我們也可以像切餅乾一樣， 將超出範圍的部分切掉，

and just see that frame of the movie.

只保留螢幕範圍內的畫面。

The problem with that would be people and objects

問題是，這種方式可能造成

影片裡的人物在畫面範圍外說話， 甚至更慘的是被切掉一半。

would be speaking from off the screen, or, even worse, they might be cut in half.

有些影片剪輯師，會使用一種 稱為「平移與掃描」的技巧，

Some movie editors use what's called the "pan and scan" technique

to allow the full height of the TV screen to be used,

也就是在垂直方向， 保留影片原本的高度，

but pick and choose what section of the original movie

但是在水平方向， 只選擇原始影片的重要部分

should be shown on your screen

呈現在電視螢幕上。

因此不會有切掉半個人的問題。

thus eliminating the annoying cutting of people.

想想看以下的工作： 有個人一整天盯著 4:3 比例的方框，

Imagine that job: staring at a 4 to 3 hole

watching movies all day, deciding for everyone

替大家決定畫面中 哪個部分比較重要。

which piece of the screen is the most important part for people to see.

Now let's do a little quick math.

現在，我們很快地計算一下，

如果我們要把一部

If we compare a major cinematic film produced on a 2.35 to 1 aspect frame

畫面比例為 2.35 : 1 的電影，

with my standard 4 to 3 TV screen,

和標準的 4:3 電視螢幕相比，

we find out that only 55% of the movie can actually fit on the screen

我們發現不論任何時候， 實際上只有 55% 的影片內容

能被放進電視螢幕。

at any one time.

Just over half!

只有比一半多一點！

You've seen the disclaimer at the beginning of the movie on TV or DVD

你可能在電視或 DVD 上， 看過電影播放前的版權宣告，

上面提到：這部影片的內容，

that says, "This film has been modified

已經修改為適合電視螢幕播出的尺寸。

from its original format to fit on your TV screen."

實際上，這段話的意思是：

Well, what it should say is,

"We are only displaying 55% of the movie of our choosing."

「我們只選出了55% 的電影畫面供您觀賞。」

Now for all the full-screen TV lovers,

現在，對於所有喜歡全螢幕影片的觀眾，

this is your dilemma:

難以抉擇的是：

do you want to see all the movie, or is 55% good enough?

你是希望看到完整的電影畫面， 還是 55% 的影片(但是畫質較好)？

How about new TVs?

發展新的電視如何？

在 21世紀初期， 寬螢幕電視開始出現，

Around the start of the century, some widescreen TVs

emerged in a 16 to 9, or 1.78 times wider than it is tall.

畫面尺寸的寬、高比例是16 : 9 ， 也就是說寬是高的 1.78 倍。

Well, this screen fits the movie a little better,

這個螢幕比較適合播放電影，

but still only shows 75% of the original movie at one time.

但仍然只能顯示 原本影片畫面的 75%。

Suppose someone made a TV for your living room

讓我們假設一下， 如果廠商想要生產的家用電視，

寬、高比例是 2.35 : 1， 能夠顯示完整的電影畫面。

that was actually 2.35 to 1 to show those full movies?

Well, the TV with the same height as the most current 50-inch TVs -

如果這一部電視的高度， 和目前的 50 吋電視相同，

that TV would be close to six feet long.

它的寬度會有將近 180 公分。

更大的問題是，你只有在看電影時 才會用到整個螢幕。

And on top of that, you'd only use the full screen when you watched movies.

Most of the other content would have to be stretched,

觀看其他大多數內容時，畫面會被拉寬，

或是在螢幕兩側留下黑邊。

or have empty space on the sides of the screen.

當然，我們還有其他選擇。

Of course, there is one more option.

We can just shrink the movie screen proportionally,

我們可以等比例縮小電影畫面，

to fit the width of your home television.

以符合家中電視的寬度。

We can mathematically scale the original to fit exactly the width of the screen

我們可透過數學運算， 讓原始影片符合螢幕寬度，

and this'll preserve the entire movie screen,

這樣就可以保留完整的影片內容，

but show the infamous black bars along the top and bottom

但在畫面上方和下方， 會出現討厭的黑邊，

that so many television watchers abhor.

很多電視機前面的觀眾 對此深惡痛絕。

Of course, now you can argue that we're only using 75% of that screen.

當然，你也可以爭論 我們只用到螢幕的 75% 這件事。

所以，真正的問題是：

And that is where the real question is:

你想要用到整個電視螢幕， 還是想看到完整的影片內容？

do you want your full screen, or do you want to see the entire movie?

更可能的是， 你只是需要買台更大的電視。

Most likely, you just need a bigger TV.