There are three different aspect ratios accepted in Digital Cinema.
- 1998 x 1080 (called "Flat", with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1),
- 2048 x 858 (called "Scope", with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1), and
- 2048 x 1080 (called "Full Container", with an aspect ratio of 1.90:1).
2048x1080 is an accepted aspect ratio in Digital Cinema, but is seldom used in the field. So if the source is 2048x1080 and you do not want to create a FULL CONTAINER DCP, there two options:
1) Crop top and bottom of the 2048x1080 picture by 111 pixels on the top and bottom to create a Scope DCP at 2048x858. This cropping is performed automatically in Xport if you choose the “Scope” option in Aspect ratio. (1080-858/2 = 111)
2) Crop the left and right of the 2048x1080 picture by 25 pixels to create a FLAT DCP at 1998x1080. This is not performed by default - the GEOMETRY options in Compressor must be utilized to perform this crop.