Multimedia Speakers

Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers, are external speakers and are usually equipped with a male 1/8 inch stereo jack plug (usually color-coded lime green per the PC 99 standard) for computer sound cards.

However, some have an RCA connector, and some people connect the output of their computer sound cards to a conventional stereo system.

There are also USB speakers which are powered from the 5 volts at a few milliamsp provided by the USB port, per the standard. Computer speakers are usually a simplified stereo system without a radio or other media sources built in.

Computer speakers range widely in quality and in price. Typically, the computer speakers packaged with computer systems are both small and simple. There are also advanced forms of computer speakers that have graphic equalization features (bass, treble, etc.) and sometimes built-in amplifiers.

It is common to connect active/powered computer speakers to a power strip. The power outlet should, as always, preferably be grounded for safety.

Aspect Ratio Incompatibility

The television industry's changing of aspect ratios is not without difficulties, and can present a considerable problem.

Displaying a widescreen aspect (rectangular) image on a conventional aspect (square or 4:3) display can be shown:

1- in "letterbox" format, with black horizontal bars at the top and bottom

2- with part of the image being cropped, usually the extreme left and right of the image being cut off (or in "pan and scan", parts selected by an operator or a viewer)

3- with the image horizontally compressed


A conventional aspect (square or 4:3) image on a widescreen aspect (rectangular with longer horizon) display can be shown:

1- in "pillar box" format,

2- with black vertical bars to the left and right with upper and lower portions of the image cut off (or in "tilt and scan", parts selected by an operator)

3- with the image horizontally distorted


A common compromise is to shoot or create material at an aspect ratio of 14:9, and to lose some image at each side for 4:3 presentation, and some image at top and bottom for 16:9 presentation. In recent years, the cinematographic process known as Super 35 (championed by James Cameron) has been used to film a number of major movies such as Titanic, Legally Blonde, Austin Powers, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

This process results in a camera-negative which can then be used to create both wide-screen theatrical prints, and standard "full screen" releases for television/VHS/DVD which avoid the need for either "letterboxing" or the severe loss of information caused by conventional "pan-and-scan" cropping.