Why TV Screens Are Rectangular?

The main reason is human vision.

Our eyes see more side-to-side than up-and-down. A rectangular screen matches how we naturally see things.

Content and aspect ratios are also important.

TV screens started being rectangular because of early movies.

These movies were filmed on long rectangular strips.

This 4:3 ratio became standard for both movies and TVs. When TVs came around in the mid-1900s, they used this ratio so movies looked right at home.

Later, movies began using wider ratios like 16:9 and 21:9. TVs changed to match.

Wider screens let us see more action, making it feel like we’re part of the movie. Filmmakers also have more space to be creative with their shots and stories.

Could TVs have been round?

Yes, early televisions actually did experiment with curved screens.

The very first electronic televisions, developed in the 1920s, used cathode ray tubes (CRTs) with round screens.

This was because the glassblowing technology of the era was more suited to creating round shapes.

However, these screens also had a significant drawback: they limited the viewable area due to the curvature. As manufacturing techniques improved and display technologies shifted away from CRTs, rectangular screens became the standard.

Rectangular screens offered several advantages over their circular counterparts.

They were more efficient to produce, as flat panels of glass could be cut more easily and with less waste.

Additionally, rectangular screens offered a larger viewable area for a given amount of display material.

This was important for conserving resources and keeping costs down.

And, since most shows and movies were made to fit a rectangular screen, it showed them without any weird stretching or cutting off parts.