Ultrawide formats
Aspect ratios greater than 2, spanning cinema to monitors.
Ultrawide formats encompass photos, videos, and displays whose aspect ratio exceeds 2. Over time, various pushes for wider formats occurred—Disney’s among them—with mixed success. To capture ultra-wide images or footage, cameras typically employ anamorphic lenses, which compress the broad horizontal field of view to conserve film or storage space.
In cinema, historic ultrawide ratios have ranged from roughly 2.35 to 2.4, with additional films made in 2.55, 2.76, and even 4.00. The Smith-Carney System, developed by Rowe E. Carney Jr. and Tom F. Smith, used three cameras to project movies at a 4.6945 ratio across 180°. Disney went further with a 6.85 ratio, using five projectors for a 200° display; the only film shot in this format was *Impressions de France*.
The 16:9 aspect ratio, proposed by Kerns H. Powers of SMPTE in the US, was designed to unify all other ratios and later became the global standard for widescreen and high-definition television. Around 2007, cameras and non-TV screens began shifting from 15:9 and 16:10 to 16:9 resolutions.
The 2:1 Univisium ratio, created by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, was originally intended to unify movie aspect ratios. It gained popularity on smartphones and cheap VR displays, where a 2:1 screen splits into two 1:1 halves for each eye. Smartphones started adopting this ratio in the late 2010s, beginning with the Samsung Galaxy S8, marketed as 18:9.
The term 21:9 in consumer electronics refers to the ultra-widescreen ratio 64:27 (about 2.37:1), used for anamorphic formats, DCI cinema (1024:429), and ultrawide computer monitors. This ratio is the third power of 4:3, making it a logical extension of 4:3 and 16:9, which simplifies scaling for electronics and lenses. In practice, 21:9 movies often mean 1024:429 (roughly 2.39:1 or 2.4:1). Ultrawide resolutions are also described by height, such as “UW 1080” or “1080p ultrawide,” both referring to 2560×1080.
In 2016, IMAX released films in Ultra-WideScreen 3.6 format (18:5 ratio), but it never caught on, as cinemas moved to the even wider ScreenX 270° format. A year later, Samsung and Philips announced “super ultra-wide” displays with a 32:9 ratio, marketed for IMAX-style viewing. Panacast developed a 32:9 webcam with three cameras for a 180° view, matching 5K 32:9 monitors at 5120×1440.
- Minimum aspect ratio
- greater than 2
- Historic cinema ratios
- ~2.35 (1678:715), ~2.39 (1024:429), 2.4, 2.55, 2.76, 4.00
- Smith carney system ratio
- 4.6945 (1737:370)
- Disney 6.85 ratio
- 6.85 (5 projectors, 200°)
- 21:9 marketing ratio
- 64:27 (21⅓:9) = 1024:432
- Super ultrawide 32:9 derivation
- 16:9 doubled
- Barco escape aspect ratio
- 7.17
Lore & Background
Historically, ultrawide movie formats have varied between ~2.35, ~2.39, and 2.4, with films also produced in ratios of 2.55, 2.76, and even 4.00. The Smith-Carney System, developed by Rowe E. Carney Jr. and Tom F. Smith, used a 3-camera system to add a 4.6945 ratio for projecting movies in 180°. Disney created a 6.85 ratio using 5 projectors to display 200°, with the only movie ever filmed in this ratio being Impressions de France.
In consumer electronics, 21:9 is a marketing term for the ultra-widescreen aspect ratio of 64:27, which is the logical extension of 4:3 and 16:9 (being 4:3 cubed). This ratio allows electronic scalers and optical anamorphic lenses to use an easily implementable 4:3 scaling factor. 21:9 movies usually refer to 1024:429 ≈ 2.387, often rounded to 2.39:1 or 2.4:1. Ultrawide resolution can also be described by its height, such as 'UW 1080' and '1080p ultrawide' both standing for the same 2560×1080 resolution.
Super ultra-wide aspect ratios include 18:5 (36:10) announced by IMAX in 2016, and 32:9 announced by Samsung and Phillips in 2017 for 'iMax-style cinematic viewing'. 32:9 Ultrawide monitors are often sold as an alternative to dual 16:9 monitor setups and for more immersive experiences while playing videogames, and many are capable of displaying two 16:9 inputs at the same time. Super wide resolutions refer to those with aspect ratio greater than 3.
Reader's Guide
Ultrawide formats have shaped both cinema and consumer display technology. The article notes that the 16:9 aspect ratio, suggested by Kerns H. Powers of SMPTE, was developed to unify all other aspect ratios and became the universal standard for widescreen and high-definition television. Around 2007, cameras and non-television screens began switching from 15:9 and 16:10 to 16:9 resolutions. The Univisium 2:1 ratio, created by Vittorio Storaro of the ASC, was originally intended to unify all other aspect ratios used in movies and became popular on smartphones and cheap VR displays. Smartphones began moving to this aspect ratio since the late 2010s with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S8, advertised as 18:9.
In cinema, the Smith-Carney System and Disney's 6.85 ratio represent early ambitious attempts at ultrawide immersion. The 21:9 marketing term for 64:27 aspect ratio is used for multiple anamorphic formats and DCI 1024:429, as well as for ultrawide computer monitors. The 32:9 super ultra-wide format, derived from doubling 16:9, has been adopted by manufacturers like Dell and Phillips for 5K monitors with 5120x1440 resolution. Ultra-WideScreen 3.6 video never spread, as cinemas in an even wider ScreenX 270° format were released. Multi-screen theaters like ScreenX (developed by CJ CGV in 2012) and Barco Escape (developed by Barco N.V. in 2015) pushed aspect ratios above 4, with Barco Escape achieving a ratio of 7.17 before shutting down in February 2018.
Did You Know?
- The Smith-Carney System used a 3-camera system to project movies in 180° at a 4.6945 ratio.
- Disney created a 6.85 ratio using 5 projectors to display 200°, with only one movie ever filmed in that ratio: Impressions de France.
- The 64:27 aspect ratio is the third power of 4:3, allowing easy scaling from 4:3 and 16:9.
- Barco Escape used three projectors of 2.39 ratio to display 270° content with an aspect ratio of 7.17, but shut down in February 2018.
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