3.4.2 Scaling and Cropping
Sometimes the picture does not fit the array. If the source picture is video from a DVD, the aspect ratio is probably 1.77 (16x9), the same as HDTV.
✎The aspect ratio of a picture is its width divided by its height. 1024 ÷ 768 = 1.33
The aspect ratio of a Bay Cat X is 1.77 (16x9), the same as HDTV. When the source picture’s aspect ratio is not the same as the Bay Cat X array, you have to do something to make the picture fit. You have some basic choices:
•Fill the area both ways. This will produce some distor- tion in the picture. Circles will not be round.
•Put the picture in without distortion and crop off the sides (or top and bottom).
•Put the picture in without distortion and fill the extra space with black or some other solid color.
•Force an aspect ratio, such as 16 x 9 or 4 x 3.
Below is a 1.77 picture shown on a 3x3 array of
Bay Cat Xs. The picture fills the array nicely, and there is no distortion or cropping.
Let’s start with a 1.33 (4x3) picture, the aspect ratio of nor- mal TV, and put it on this same array of Bay Cat Xs. Here is the original picture.
Scale Mode determines how the picture will be made to fit the array.
•Fill All means that the picture will touch the borders of the array all around, even if this means stretching (and distorting) the picture in one direction. The picture had to be stretched sideways to fill the screens.
•Letterbox means expand the picture until the first edges
•Crop means expand the picture until the second edges touch the border and let the other edges of the picture fall outside the array and get cropped. Here the width is
filled, there is no distortion, but the top is cropped off. This would happen when the Justify is BOTTOM.
•Widescreen means force the aspect ratio to 16 x 9 (1.77), the standard for many DVD movies.
•Normal forces a 4 x 3 (1.33) aspect ratio, the ratio of standard television.
Justify determines how the picture will be placed in the array.
•If the picture is too wide for the array and is cropped on the sides, you can choose Left, Center, or Right.
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