Appendix 2
Reference Data
Standard Data Resolutions
The following figures are the industry accepted digital equivalents for various analogue formats, and the standard formats for several native digital formats. These are typically derived from the average resolving power of each format, as well as using a number that is easy for computers to work with (any number that is a power of two: 256, 2048, 4096, etc.)
| Format | Picture aspect ratio | Standard pixel resolution | Pixel aspect ratio |
| Apple iPod video | 1.33 | 320 × 240 | 1.0 |
| Apple iPhone video | 1.5 | 480 × 320 | 1.0 |
| Sony PlayStationPortable | 1.76 | 480 × 272 | 1.0 |
| SD video (PAL, DV) | 1.33 | 720 × 576 | 1.067 |
| SD video (NTSC, DV) | 1.33 | 720 × 486 | 0.9 |
| SD video (PAL, square pixels) | 1.33 | 768 × 576 | 1.0 |
| SD video (NTSC, square pixels) | 1.33 | 648 × 486 | 1.0 |
| DVD video (NTSC, 4:3) | 1.33 | 720 × 480 | 0.9 |
| DVD video (PAL, 4:3) | 1.33 | 720 × 576 | 1.067 |
| DVD video (NTSC, 16:9) | 1.78 | 720 × 480 | 1.185 |
| DVD video (PAL, 16:9) | 1.78 | 720 × 576 | 1.69 |
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| Format | Picture aspect ratio | Standard pixel resolution | Pixel aspect ratio |
| Blu-ray | 1.78 | 1920 × 1080 | 1.0 |
| HD video @720* | 1.78 | 1280 × 720 | 1.0 |
| HD video @1080 (certain types**) | 1.78 | 1440 × 1080 | 1.33 |
| HD video @1080 | 1.78 | 1920 × 1080 | 1.0 |
| DVC Pro HD @59.94i | 1.78 | 1280 × 1080 | 1.5 |
| 16 mm | 1.37 | 1712 × 1240 | 1.00 |
| Super-16 | 1.65 | 2048 × 1240 | 1.00 |
| “Academy” aperture (2k) | 1.37 | 1828 × 1332 | 1.00 |
| “Academy” aperture (4k) | 1.37 | 3656 × 2664 | 1.00 |
| Cinemascope (Squeezed, 2k) | 2.35 | 1828 × 1556 | 2.00 |
| Cinemascope (Squeezed, 4k) | 2.35 | 3656 × 2664 | 2.00 |
| Cinemascope (Unsqueezed, 2k) | 2.35 | 2048 × 872 | 1.00 |
| Cinemascope (Unsqueezed, 4k) | 2.35 | 3656 × 1556 | 1.00 |
| Full Aperture (2k) | 1.33 | 2048 × 1556 | 1.00 |
| Full Aperture (4k) | 1.33 | 4096 × 3112 | 1.00 |
| 8-perf “VistaVision ” (3k) | 1.5 | 3072 × 2048 | 1.00 |
| 8-perf “VistaVision” (6k) | 1.5 | 6144 × 4096 | 1.00 |
| Red (16:9, 4k) | 1.78 | 4096 × 2304 | 1.00 |
| Red (2:1, 4k) | 2.0 | 4096 × 2048 | 1.00 |
| Digital Cinema (4k) | 1.9*** | 4096 × 2160 | 1.00 |
| Digital Cinema (2k) | 1.9*** | 2048 × 1080 | 1.00 |
*DVCPRO HD (at 720p60) is actually 960 × 720, with a pixel aspect ratio of 1.33
**These include DVCPRO HD100 (at 50i), HDCAM, and 1080i HDV formats
***Digital Cinema specifications allow for a variety of aspect ratios, but footage must be letterboxed to fit the standard area
This table is kept up-to-date (and annotated) at www.surrealroad.com/research/archives/2005/standard-data-resolutions.
Standard Video Characteristics
The following table lists key characteristics of popular analogue and digital video formats. Figures shown are the maximum supported by the format specification in each case.
(continued)
(continued)
This table is kept up-to-date (and annotated) at www.surrealroad.com/research/archives/2008/standardvideo-characteristics.
Film Dimensions
The following table lists the physical dimensions for various film formats.
| Format | Width (mm) | Height (mm) | Aspect ratio |
| 16mm | 10.26 | 7.49 | 1.37 |
| Super-16 | 12.52 | 7.42 | 1.69 |
| 35mm (Academy) | 21.94 | 16.00 | 1.37 |
| 35mm (Cinemascope) | 21.94 | 18.59 | 2.35 (unsqueezed) |
| 35mm (Full aperture) | 24.89 | 18.67 | 1.33 |
| Vista-vision (8-perf) | 37.71 | 25.17 | 1.5 |
This table is kept up-to-date (and annotated) at www.surrealroad.com/research/archives/2008/film-dimensions.
Common Digital Image Formats
The following table lists key characteristics of common digital image file formats.
Common Digital Audio Formats
The following table lists key characteristics of common digital image file formats.
(continued)
Safe Areas
The following table lists safe areas for different aspect ratios.
