Archive:Ultra Widescreen (21:9 aspect ratio) skins for Kodi
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Kodi's skinning engine (GUI layout engine) can handle CIH (Constant Image Height) skins using resolutions with 21:9 (2.33:1) aspect ratio display output for CHP (Constant Height Projection) / CHD (Constant Height Display). Displays supporting this type of input are now more commonly known today as "Ultra Widescreen" or "Cinema Widescreen". And this and the similar aspect ratios to 21:9 (2.33:1) are known in cinema and movie-theater terminology as CinemaScope (2.35:1 / 2.35 Scope), Panavision, Cinerama, Technirama, Anamorphic Widescreen (2.39:1), Cinema Display, and Cinema 21:9, or simply 2.39 aspect ratio, and it is also incorrect described (rounded) as 2.40:1 or 2.40 for Blu-ray Disc film releases (1920×800 resolution).
Skins supporting these aspect ratios CIH for CHP/CID output from Kodi is designed to show films/movies recorded in CinemaScope or the modern anamorphic format of 2.39:1, and a anamorphic vertical stretch 21:9 television or projector which allows for displaying all content at equal height, allowing for a more balanced viewing experience. The main benefit of this screen ratio is the absence of the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen when viewing content in this format, and a constant display height when displaying other content with a lesser aspect ratio.[1]
Overview
The 64:27 aspect ratio is the logical extension of the existing video aspect ratios 4:3 and 16:9, as it is the third power of 4:3, where 16:9 of traditional HDTV is 4:3 squared. This allows electronic scalers to use an easily implementable 4:3 (1.33:1) scaling factor.
21:9 (2.33:1) is the approximated screen aspect ratio of the true value 64:27 (2.370:1) in comparison to the common ratio of 16:9 (1.77:1).
The term "21:9" was chosen as a marketing term, probably first used by Philips. Due to its common denominator, 21:9 is more relatable to 16:9, the aspect ratio of regular HDTVs, rather than the correct 64:27 or 21\tfrac{1}{3}:9. If it actually were 21:9, the fraction could be expressed more elegantly in the reduced form as 7:3.
Examples
This first image is an example of a native CinemaScope (2.35:1) video shown in Kodi using Ultra Widescreen (21:9 aspect ratio) skin. Skins can of course take many forms, this is just an example.
This second image is an example of a native Widescreen (16.9) video shown in Kodi using Ultra Widescreen (21:9 aspect ratio) skin. Again, the skins can of course take many forms, this is just an example.
Film formats and 21:9
Film formats and 21:9
Format | Aspect ratio |
---|---|
Cinemascope by Panavision (1950s–1970s) | 2.35:1 |
"21:9" (64:27) / "Ultra Widescreen" televisions | 2.37:1 |
Anamorphic, modern cinema widescreen format | 2.39:1 |
HDMI output standardization
As of May 2013, video timings in this 64:27 aspect ratio are supported by the technical specification that defines video timings for the HDMI interface, CEA 861-F:[2]
- 1280×720p, anamorphic widescreen pixel aspect ratio of 4:3
- 1680×720p, near-square pixel aspect ratio of 64:27
- 1920×1080p, anamorphic pixel aspect ratio of 4:3
- 2560×1080p, square pixel aspect ratio
- 3840×2160p, anamorphic pixel aspect ratio of 4:3
All of the above timings are supported at frame rates of 23.97/24, 25, 29.97/30, 50 and 59.94/60 Hz, as well as 100 and 119.88/120 Hz for the non-UltraHD timings.
An additional resolution of 5120×2160p ("5K") could be added at a later time to provide a non-anamorphic UltraHD signal in 21:9. Variations of the 8K UltraHD resultions could also be considered, at 7680×4320p anamorphic and 10240x4320p non-anamorphic.
Kodi skins supporting 21:9 aspect ratio
Aeon Nox 21:9
Alaska 21:9
WIP and POC skins for 2.35 aspect ratios:
Numax - pure.cinema
"Numax - pure.cinema" proof-of-concept 2:35.1 CIH format skin by DoghouseCinema
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References
- http://www.widescreen.org/aspect_ratios.shtml
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21:9_aspect_ratio
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_widescreen
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_format
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CinemaScope
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavision
See also
Users:
Development:
External Links
- Kodi community forum discussion threads about 21:9 aspect ratio and related anamorphic 2.35 vertical stretch:
- Understanding HDTV Aspect Ratio
- HD Advisor Tutorial – 2.35:1 Constant Height Projection
- DIY Anamorphic / Panamorphic Projector Lens
- ↑ http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Joshua_Zyber/HD_Advisor/HD_Advisor_Tutorial__2351_Constant_Height_Projection/2798 HD Advisor Tutorial – 2.35:1 Constant Height Projection
- ↑ CEA-861-F