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pan and scan

[ pan uhn skan ]

noun

, Television.
  1. a technique for changing the aspect ratio of a wide-screen film, usually by selecting the significant section of each film frame and cropping the sides, so that it can be transmitted in 4:3 aspect ratio.

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Other Words From

  • pan-and-scan adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of pan and scan1

First recorded in 1980–85; pan 2( def ), scan ( def 6 )

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