Within a PAL 16:9 video frame there are three distinct common title safety areas, they are:
16:9 Safe - basically the full width of the frame, suitable for 16:9 widescreen, and 16:9 letterbox viewing.
14:9 Safe - 14:9 is the middle ground between 4:3 and 16:9 - it is a slight crop, so the safe area is not the full width of the frame.
4:3 Safe - This means that graphics will remain fully visible after a 4:3 center-cut crop of the image. It is only around 65% of the frame width.
I’ve created a few PSD files that illustrate these safe areas (for PAL and HD frame sizes). They can be downloaded here framesizes.zip
These guides should conform to BBC and EBU recommendations. Other broadcasters may have their own specifications.
#1 by Rachel - April 11th, 2009 at 04:22
I am working on a show, shot and cut in 16×9. The producers want the titles to be in 4:3 safety. I got the Digital Heaven plug in and there are 2 versions for 4:3 as follows;
Center Cutout (5%/10%)
Center Cutout (BBC/EBU)
The titles are out of title safety for
Center Cutout (5%/10%)
But in for Center Cutout (BBC/EBU)
What is the difference. Should I be worried that the titles will be cut off on some TV sets?
#2 by Dylan - April 11th, 2009 at 16:11
The BBC/EBU standard is a compromise for 4:3 safety in 16:9 framing - basically it reduces the action safe margin to 3.5% and the title safe margin to 5%. The idea being that most modern 4:3 televisions will actually display everything within the 5% margin no problem. And you’re not losing quite as much screen space for your graphics.
Which one is appropriate will depend on the client and broadcaster. The 5/10% will meet traditional 4:3 title safe limits when center-cut, the BBC/EBU one wont.