Most displays get advertised with either 16:9 or 4:3 display ratio. However, if you compare the resolution with the display ratio, it's most often neither of both.
For example, the resolution of my notebook display is 1366×768.
But 1366/768 = 683/384 != 688/387 = 16/9
Another common resolution is 1920/1200 = 8/5
But for some resolutions it's correct:
- 1024/768 = 4/3
- 800/600 = 4/3
Is there a technical reason / user experience reason for this? Why do displays have other ratios than what they get advertised?
(I assume that every pixel is a perfect square. Is this assumption wrong?)
Best Answer
Not every display resolution has to be 16:9 or 4:3.
My laptop and my TV have the well known 16:9 ratio.
My regular display has 16:10, at least they are marketed as 16:10, however the image below has them as 8:5. The broken screen that still sits on top of the locker behind me has a resolution of 5:4.
The image below shows most of the standard resolutions that are available.
I actually like 16:10 more than 16:9 and would pay a fair amount more money to get one of these instead. This however is personal opinion but should exemplary show you why there are not only two but a lot more standards to choose from.
Why do I like it so much? Not all movies are 16:9, there are a lot of 4:3 shows out.
When playing games I like it more to have a bit more vertical space to place menus, HUDs etc.
This of course comes down to personal preference. Personal preference between individuals is different and so are displays.
Why are displays marketed as 16:9 if they are not?
If this is done knowingly, I'd call that a scam.