Why is television square?

Well, technically speaking, they weren't ever square. They're all rectangular, but they used to be pretty close. Back in the days of CRT televisions and monitors, they used a 4:3 aspect ratio, usually with a curved screen. read more

But the original TV standard was designed around the assumption of a 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio, in large part because that’s roughly what movies of the time were shot in. The so-called “Academy standard” AR for motion pictures (used through 1952) was actually 1.375:1, not 1.33:1, but due to the practice of “overscan” in televisions 1.33:1 was a good choice. read more

Well, technically speaking, they weren’t ever square. They’re all rectangular, but they used to be pretty close. Back in the days of CRT televisions and monitors, they used a 4:3 aspect ratio, usually with a curved screen. read more