When Did Widescreen Become Popular?

Largely between the 1990s and early 2000s, at varying paces in different nations, 16:9 (1.78:1) widescreen TV displays came into increasingly common use.

When did TV aspect ratio change?

For decades, the wider formats (1.85 and 2.35) were seen as “movie formats” and 4:3 was seen as a “TV format”. It wasn't until the early 2000s that 16:9 (1.78) televisions hit the market in masses, and changed the aspect ratio game forever.

When did widescreen movies become popular?

Widescreen grew in popularity during the 1950s, and since 1960 nearly every American feature film has been widescreen.

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.