aspect ratio of 16:9, and comes up in conversation of 16:9 mode often. An aspect ratio is a way of describing the ratio of how long a picture is to how wide it is. In video, the standard aspect ratio is 4:3; that is, 4 inches long for every 3 inches tall. In film, the standard aspect ratio is 16:9. This is why you will sometimes see black bars on the top and bottom of the screen on a movie which has been converted to television. It is because the actual movie is too wide to display on the whole screen. While the television you have at home is likely designed for a 4:3 aspect ratio, many people want that film widescreen look. (Some even have a 16:9 aspect ratio TV.) For this reason, many camcorders include a “widescreen mode.” Some very expensive camcorders can produce images that are truly in the 16:9 ratio; however, most consumer camcorders, because of the 4:3 size of their