Widescreen aspect ratio used for video display. The displayed image is 16 units wide (horizontal measure) by 9 units tall (vertical measure) creating a rectangular effect similar to the screen at a movie theater. It is a compromise aspect ratio situated between the nearly square 4-by-3 ratio of most current television sets and the often wider ratio used for many movies. The 16-by-9 ratio was determined to provide the best compromise eliminating the black bars for letterbox format movies (or decreasing them to thin lines for movies filmed in a wider aspect ratio) while minimizing the bars required for traditional television material recorded in the 4-by-3 ratio.

The 16:9 aspect ratio is the new standard to be used for digital television broadcasts. As we progress into the digital television age, the 16:9 aspect ratio will become standard and create wider televisions that show complete movies and more movie-like television shows.