Definition: The ratio of width to height of a picture. Most movies have an aspect ratio geared to their being shown on a screen in a theater, which often poses problems when they are shown on a TV screen. In the 1930s, the aspect ratio for movies was standardized at about 1.37:1, which matches up well with the 4x3 TV screens that were standard for the first several decades television was available. But eventually movies were made with other aspect ratios, and the two most popular turned out to be 1.85:1 and about 2.35:1. The 1.85:1 aspect ratio matches up well with new standard TV screens, which are 16x9. Various approaches have been used to deal with the problem of a movie with an aspect ratio that does not match up well with the TV screen on which it is being shown, including having black bars around the picture.