is there a list of different ratios when it comes to screen dimensions?

[snafubaby]

If i am not mistaken, 16:9 is widescreen. What would be 4:3? What about 3:2? Please advise.

[jagabo]

I don't understand your question. 16:9 is the shape of most HDTVs (there are a few models with 21:9). 4:3 is the aspect ratio of old standard definition TVs -- what you use to watch before HD TVs came along. 3:2 is usually the storage (frame size) aspect ratio in D1 and DVD video. That frame may contain a 4:3 or 16:9 picture.

[manono]

16:9 is just a display ratio. Even some DVDs, such as documentaries mixing 1.33:1 and widescreen footage, can be encoded as 16:9 but have so-called 'fullscreen' portions. And 4:3 DVDs can and sometimes do contain widescreen movies with big black bars above and below.

If i am not mistaken...

You are mistaken. Maybe this article on aspect ratios will help:
http://www.doom9.org/aspectratios.htm

[hello_hello]

If you're actually asking about screen dimensions/resolutions, there's a pretty extensive list here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_display_standard

[jagabo]

I wish they would stop using acronyms for frame dimensions. It's getting to the point where the acronyms will soon be longer than just listing the values. Quick, what is WSXGA+? Why not just write 1680x1050?

[sanlyn]

I had an old text file with every acronym, screen size and display ratio in the world. But I named the file with an acronym and can't find it!

[ranchhand]

I worked in AV for 10 years, and I agree with Jagabo.... I soon learned not to whip out the acronyms to confused clients...just used ARs. (oops, just used another acronym, I mean, Aspect Ratios)

[Cornucopia]

@sanlyn, if you aren't joking - use grep (search within file for text sequence).

Really only a few dimension ratios you need to worry about in Video/Film:

(DAR)

• 4:3 (aka 1.333:1) - Old school standard TV screen & pre-WS Film (Academy) standard (<1950's, though it was often 1.37:1) - sometimes mistakenly called "Fullscreen"
• 14:9 (aka 1.555:1) - Fairly common semi-widescreen pre-HD format seen in UK/Europe
• 16:9 (aka 1.777:1) - HD TV Widescreen standard
• 1.85:1 - Film (Flat) Widescreen standard
• 2.25 - 2.55:1 - Film (Scope) Widescreen standard (not much of a standard, varies with company), could also be called "Ultra-widescreen" - most commonly 2.35:1

edit: Widescreen.org is a good place to check out also.
Don't think you need to worry about PAR or SAR at this point.

Those are the common "ratios". Were you also wanting the actual DIMENSIONS as well? That would be large (though there are a few common ones), but unnecessary to list since the above are usually stretched/shrunk to fill whatever the display's actual dimensions happen to be.

Scott

[sanlyn]

No, Cornucopia, no joke. Actually spent most of a day on the internet putting that file together, thought I'd do a quickie search and post here. But, shucks, it's on an external drive. Which drive? That's another good question. Maybe after I finish wrapping some presents with the mrs.....

[Cornucopia]

There's a number of good "disc catalogging" apps to use which allow one to do offline searches. One I used to use most often: CDWinder/CDFinder (does automatic scanning of files on disc, etc).
V-E-R-Y helpful. Thought you might want to know, even though it is OT for this thread.

Scott

[jagabo]

I still don't know what the OP is asking. Aspect ratios are just the ratio of the width to the heigth. Of individual pixels, of the frame size, or of the final displayed picture.

Maybe he's asking physical screen dimensions for 16:9 and 4:3 TVs? Then Pythagoras is your friend.