the original standard television had a 4 to 3 width to height ratio.

原本電視的標準規格是4:3 寬高比。

That shape was chosen to be a slight rectangle,

形狀類似長方形，

but still mostly square, thus having the maximal screen area for the given dimensions,

但大部分仍舊是方形的，這樣才能在有限的空間下有最大的螢幕空間。

and that's still the ratio on many TVs and computer monitors in today's homes.

即使是現在的電視或電腦螢幕仍是這個規格。

The problem is, hardly anybody today treats video content in a 4:3 ratio.

問題是：現在幾乎沒人將影片拍成4:3的規格。

See, this whole problem started when people wanted to watch movies from the theater in the comfort of their own homes.

當你想把電影院的大螢幕，搬到家裡環境時，問題就產生了。

Movie screens are considerably larger than our home television.

電影院的螢幕遠比我們家裡的電視螢幕還要大。

More important, the screen is a completely different rectangle

更重要的是：它矩形的寬高比還跟電視完全不一樣，

and can't mathematically fit on our TV screens without manipulation.

且沒辦法在不調整影像大小的情況下，放進我們的電視螢幕裡。

A typical TV is one and a third times wider than it is tall.

一般電視螢幕，它的寬度大約是長度的1.3倍。

Some movie screens could be up to three times as wide as it is tall.

然而，有些電影院的螢幕，寬度可以是高度的三倍之多。

So what're we gonna do to make it fit? Well, we have all kinds of options.

那我們該怎麼做才能將它放到電視螢幕上？其實有很多選擇。

Well, we could squeeze and stretch and mangle everything on to the screen, to make it all fill up,

我們可以對影片大小作任意形狀的調整，調整到放得進電視螢幕大小為止，

and everyone would look ridiculously thin and compressed.

這時每個人看起來都瘦得不像話，且都像被壓縮過一樣。

The good news is the sound would be just fine.

好消息是，音質是不受影響的。

Although I don't think people would be too happy about that option, particularly the actors in the movie.

雖然我不認為哪個人會覺得這提議不錯，尤其是電影裡的演員會更有意見。

We could just cut a chunk of the original movie like a cookie cutter and just see that frame of the movie.

我們也可以像切餅乾一樣把原始影片大小切掉一部份，直到放得進電視螢幕為止。

The problem with that would be that people and objects would be speaking

問題在於：可能發生人或者東西在說話時，

from off the screen, or even worse, they might be cut in half.

只聽得見聲音卻找不到人，或更慘的是，說話的人可能被切成一半。

Some movie editors use what's called the "pan and scan" technique

有些電影製作者用了一種叫做「全螢幕模式」的技術

to allow the full height of the TV screen to be used,

來讓影片可以容進電視的大小，

but pick and choose what section of the original movie should be shown on your screen,

但這就需要挑選那些原始片段應該要被放出來，

thus eliminating the annoying cutting of people.

這樣才能防止影片中人被切成一半的情況發生。

Imagine that job, staring at a 4 to 3 hole watching movies all day,

想像一下有個工作，要你每天盯著4x3的小螢幕看電影，

deciding for everyone which piece of the screen is the most important part for people to see.

然後去決定哪些片段值得被放上去。

Now let's do a little quick math.

讓我們快速地來算一下，

If we compare a major cinematic film produced on a 2.35 to 1 aspect frame with my standard 4 to 3 TV screen,

如果將一般電影的尺寸，也就是2.35:1，來跟電視螢幕，4:3，比較一下，

we find out that only 55% of the movie can actually fit on the screen at any one time.

會發現到只有55%的電影畫面可以一口氣顯示在螢幕上。

Just over half!

只比一半還多一點！

You've seen the disclaimer at the beginning of the movie on TV or DVD that says,

你們都看過影片開頭放的免責聲明：

"This film has been modified from its original format to fit on your TV screen."

「這部影片有被修改至能合乎你的電視螢幕規格。」

Well, what it should say is, "We are only displaying 55% of the movie of our choosing."

其實它想表達的是：「我們只呈現了55%我們所選的片段供你觀賞。」

Now for all the full-screen TV lovers, this is your dilemma:

現在，對於喜愛看全螢幕電視的人，問題來了：

do you want to see all the movie, or is 55% good enough? How about new TVs?

你想看完整的影片嗎？還是55%的內容對你來說就夠了？還是，你需要一台新電視？

Around the start of the century, some widescreen TVs emerged in a 16 to 9, or 1.78 times wider than it is tall.

在20世紀出頭，有些寬螢幕的電視已經進展到16:9，或說寬度是高度的1.78倍。

Well, this screen fits the movie a little better, but still only shows 75% of the original movie at one time.

這螢幕比之前的好一點，但還是只呈現了75%的影片內容。

Suppose someone made a TV for your living room that was actually 2.35 to 1 to show those full movies.

假設有人為你量身定做了一部2.35:1的電視在你房間，以便讓你能看到完整的影片。

Well, the TV with the same height as the most current 50-inch TVs -

跟現在50吋同高度的電視比，

that TV would be close to six feet long.

那部電視可能有六尺(1.82公尺)長。

And on top of that, you'd only use the full screen when you watched movies.

重點是，你還只會在看電影的時候用到全螢幕模式。

Most of the other content would have to be stretched, or have empty space on the sides of the screen.

其他大部分的內容，可能會被拉長，或是旁邊會有空白區域。

Of course, there is one more option.

當然，我們還有一項選擇。

We can just shrink the movie screen proportionally, to fit the width of your home television.

我們可以將影片等比例縮小到合乎家庭的電視螢幕。

Now, we can mathematically scale the original to fit exactly the width of the screen,

我們可以將寬度符合電視螢幕大小，

and this'll preserve the entire movie screen, but show the infamous black bars

這樣就可以保持完整的影片，但影片

along the top and bottom that so many television watchers abhor.

上下就會留下大部分看電影的人都討厭的黑色區域。

Of course, now you can argue that we're only using 75% of that screen,

當然，你也可以爭論說，我們只用了75%的螢幕大小，

and that is where the real question is:

那這就引生出了真正的問題：

"Do you want your full screen, or do you want to see the entire movie?"

「你想要全螢幕觀看，還是想要看完整的影片？」

Most likely, you just need a bigger TV.

或許，你只是需要換個更大的電視。