Aspect Ration

The ratio of the width to the height of an image or screen. It is commonly expressed as two numbers separated by a colon, as in 16:9 or 4:3.  Courtroom systems can display in either high definition widescreen (16:9) or standard definition (4:3). Older courtrooms may still be using standard definition projectors and screens that limit the resolution to 1024 x 768. Therefore, it is important for the trial technology consultant to query the courtroom setup as soon as possible to determine what aspect ratio the demonstratives should be created in. Creating demonstratives in an aspect ratio that does not match the equipment can force the demonstratives to appear smaller than expected with extra black space either on the sides or the top of the presentation. Even in courtrooms with widescreen monitors, it is still possible to have a projector that does not support a 16:9 aspect ratio. In this instance, the trial team may consider providing a higher resolution projector in lieu of utilizing the existing equipment.