What is "pan and scan"

a. (context film English) Formatted to fit within proportions of a

1. 33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, with sides of the original widescreen image (especially

2. 35:1 aspect ratio) cropped off. alt. (context film English) Formatted to fit within proportions of a

   1. 33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, with sides of the original widescreen image (especially

   2. 35:1 aspect ratio) cropped off. n. 1 (context uncountable film English) The method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images, especially 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 aspect ratio, so that they can be shown within the proportions of a

      1. 33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, by cropping off sides of the original widescreen image, as opposed to letterboxing. 2 (context film English) A movie recording employing this technology. vb. 1 (context film English) To adjust widescreen film images so that they can be shown with standard television aspect ratios by cropping the original image, i.e. using pan and scan methods. 2 (context film English) To crop out (a character or object) when performing the pan and scan process, resulting in the deletion of a character or object.

Pan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown within the proportions of a standard definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus on the composition's most important aspects.

Some film directors and enthusiasts disapprove of pan and scan cropping, because it can remove up to 45% of the original image on 2.35:1 films or up to 53% on earlier 2.55:1 presentations, changing the director or cinematographer's original vision and intentions. The most extreme examples remove up to 75% of the original picture on such aspect ratios as 2.75:1 or even 3:1 in epics such as Ben-Hur, King of Kings or Lawrence of Arabia.

The vertical equivalent is known as "tilt and scan" or "reverse pan and scan". The method was most common in the days of VHS, before widescreen home media such as DVD and Blu-ray.

Center cut is similar with the difference as the name suggests that it is simply a direct cut of the material from the center of the image with no horizontal panning or vertical tilting involved. This method doesn't require the permission or availability of the film maker or director to identify the most important part of each frame. Most video displays have three options for 16:9 widescreen frame formatting, which are either center cut, letterbox or full frame. The first two options are reliant on the video stream's aspect ratio flag being set correctly.