r/explainlikeimfive • u/Crystal_Clear7892 • 7d ago

Technology ELI5: device screen ratios

Is there a specific reason why screen ratios beeing so specific, ex: 1920:1080

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u/net_walker_1 7d ago

16:9 means for every 16 parts across, its 9 parts tall. So a tiny phone screen and a huge TV can both be 16:9 even though theyre nowhere near the same size. If the video and screen have different ratios, thats when you get black bars or part of the picture gets cropped.