HD 101: Why there are black bars on HDTVs

It never fails, one of the first thing just about every new HDTV owners asks is; why are there black bars on my new widescreen TV? And this is the reason why just about every HD discussion forum has a sticked thread at the top of the forums explaining why this still happens. So in this edition of HD 101, we figured we'd have our go at trying to give a simple answer to an age old question. The most basic explanation is because the image you want to watch isn't the same shape as the your TV. Of course that seems too obvious and now you're thinking; but why not, they're both widescreen? But rather than getting into the why are there so many shapes -- called aspect ratios from here on out -- we'll show you the various formats and the different ways they might be displayed on your HDTV. Just about all HDTVs have an aspect ratio of 16x9, or 1.78:1. This basically means that if the screen was 16 inches wide, then it would be 9 inches tall. This is much wider than older TVs which were 4x3 or 1.33:1. Things would be complicated enough if there were only two aspect ratios, but life is just not that simple. The most obvious examples that break out of these two are the ones used for most films; 1.85:1 and its wider brother 2.35: -- the only other one worth mentioning here is usually used for computer monitors, which is 1.6:1. Now It is pretty obvious that when we watch 4x3 content on a 16x9 HDTV -- or vica versa -- that we'd see black bars to make up the difference. But obviously this isn't the only scenario, because not only does it matter what the original aspect ratio of the material is, but it also matters what it was optimized to be displayed on.

4x3 on a 16x9 HDTV
Pillar box

We'll start out with an easy one. We've all seen this right, turn on your brand new HDTV switch to an SD channel and you are greeted with black bars on each side to make up the difference. Sure it isn't ideal, but at least the part of the image that is full doesn't look out of wack.

Stretching

Ok, so you paid all that money for a TV, you want to use up the whole thing right? So you hit the stretch button and now you can see how fat this women just got because it's all stretched out. Although this might seem like a good idea at first, the fact that everything looks out of proportion starts to get to most people.

Non-linear stretch

If you hate black bars, then at this point you're thinking, "now we're talking." Sure it seems great at first because her face doesn't look bad at all. But just wait, because as soon as the camera pans from right to left you might just lose your lunch. Just stretching the edges seems like a great idea because most of everything you care about is in the middle, but it isn't worth it either.

Cropping

In this example, the image is simple cropped on the top and bottom -- some TVs call this zoom because the image is zoomed in on, which effectively cuts off the top and bottom. At least with this one though you won't feel sick when the camera pans and no one looks fat, but who knows what you might be missing. Just look at the logo for a glimpse of how much of the image is lost.

A combination of two
We don't have a good example of this one, so we'll just explain it. Basically this is what some channels like TNT HD do. The image gets cropped and at the same time a non-liner stretch is performed. On top of this, sometimes little black bars might be left on the sides which will either be not noticeable or won't be seen at all since most TVs have a little overscan. This is without a doubt the most tolerable of all the modified ways to show 4x3, but for us, when we do watch 4x3 content, we'd just as soon see the black bars.

Widescreen optimized for 4x3 and then displayed on a 16x9 HDTV

This is the most annoying example ever. Here we have a widescreen image optimized for a 4x3 TV and then displayed on a 16x9 TV. Believe it or not this is how all early DVDs were done, but luckily it's hard to find new ones like this. There really isn't any excuse for this these days, but it isn't hard to find. The only consolation is that it is the easiest to deal with, because all you do is activate the crop or zoom feature on your TV to eliminate the black bars. Of course the image will probably still look terrible since it isn't HD and now it's been zoomed.

2.35:1 framed in 16x9

This is the best example that gets new HDTV owners in a tizzy. Here they are trying to enjoy their brand new HDTV and now they are faced with the realization that even though they thought life with black bars was over, it isn't. This can be avoided very easily by using the crop feature, and since the bars aren't that big, most won't notice. That being said there are many out there -- present company included -- that can't stand it when 2.35:1 is cropped to 16x9. So when you see the term OAR used online, this is what they want to see. It basically means, black bars or not, they want to see everything in its Original Aspect Ratio.

1.85:1 framed in 16x9

The last example is one you'll almost never even notice. The reason is that because 1.85:1 is so close to 1.78:1 (16x9) that the very small black bars on the top and bottom usually get cropped off in overscan. On top of this, most movie channels will crop 'em out anyways. The easiest way to see an example of this is to pop in a 1.85:1 Blu-ray Disc and disable your display's overscan -- every manufacturer seems to have its own name for this, Samsung calls it 'Just Scan' while Pioneer calls it 'Dot by Dot,' for example.

So these are the examples of why you'd see black bars on your HDTV. Ultimately the black bars aren't the end of the world and in fact they allow you to enjoy the image the way it was intended to be consumed. So rather than fight them, just kick back and enjoy the part of the image that is there -- we prefer to think of the image as twice as wide, rather than half as tall. The only other thing we'd like to point out is that HD comes in many different aspect ratios and although content specifically created for HDTVs is 16x9, an old movie shot at 4x3 can have just as much detail as a newer movie can.

Got a basic HD topic that you'd love for us to explain? Tired of Google's complicated answers when you asked for a simple explaination? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your topic could be next.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 1:28PM]

I just don't get people who complain about the black bars on HDTV's and who need these explanations. It's obvious that shows and movies are shot in many different aspect ratios, ranging from 4:3 up to 2.40:1 or greater. Deductive reasoning dictates that in the absence of a shapeshifting TV, you have to choose between black bars or picture stretching/cropping. These people seriously choose the latter? I choose black bars, because I want to see everything the filmmakers intended for me to see, and I want to see them without distortion. I don't want my 2.40:1 movies to be stretched or cropped to fit my 1.78:1 screen...I want to see it in its full glory.

So only stuff shot in 1.78:1 will actually take up an entire 16:9 screen without being distorted. Why do black bars bother people so much? I like what I read in a forum once (it might even have been Engadget): if you don't like black bars, don't look at them. And don't look at the "Exit" signs when you're in the theater.

@Kevon27
Fine, use up your full screen. But some people (like me) would rather see the full, undistorted image, even it is SLIGHTLY smaller.

@Miggity
Well, if those people don't know they're missing 40% of the picture when they buy full-screen DVD's, "ignorance is bliss" never was more apropos. Try this painful thought experiment: you're watching a 2.40:1 movie, cropped to pan-n-scan, then stretched to fit your 1.78:1 TV, and you think you're watching HD.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 23rd 2009 12:28AM]

Isn't it the motion picture industry came up with the 16:9 aspect ratio to begin with and aren't they pretty much forcing us to upgrade to HDTV's? (And yes I do own an HDTV). This is the reason why standards are important, so we don't have issues. If you've ever read up on why we have standards to begin with. They should conform to the standard. Why can't the industry just use 16:9 lenses on all their cameras? Perhaps some are still using older equipment with different aspect ratio lenses from the past? IMAX movie cameras not included. To the poster that said "Those directors need to start thinking that a movie only has a very, very short life in the movie theater, then it's off to bluray and dvd", he is right of course. It's the consumer who are buying/renting/streaming DVD's/Blu-Ray discs. And to the poster that said "and to me what is most important is viewing the movie how the director wanted it to be shown", but why can't said directors, film movies in this new 16:9 aspect ratio? Certainly a story can be told within this 16:9 aspect ratio and all it's beautiful high resolution glory so it fills the entire screen... Am I wrong?

Maybe one of these days the motion picture industry and the HDTV manufacturers will get together and settle all this. Or someone will start a grassroots movement to light a fire under their butts to settle this once and for all.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 12th 2009 7:52PM]

Thank you, Patrick! You've hit the nail on the head. I've never understood why people whine about the black bars. As for some of these "posters," (hah) the mental midget who said something about "sissy-artsy-fartsy-director's version" - WTF is up with that? Clearly, that was the most stupid thing I've read all day! Why don't you film your television with an 8 millimeter camera and watch the film instead of the broadcast? That makes about as much sense.....

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 1:57PM]

This article sets out to explain something technical (but not really that complicated) in simple terms, and then UTTERLY FAILS to do so.

Congratulations.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 2:07PM]

exactly. you can simply say this.

Older programs and programs that weren't made in HD will have black bars on the left and right. Use the strech button on your tv to get rid of them.

Movies with bars on the top and bottom were filmed cinematically. Use the strech buttton to get rid of them.

I paid for an HDTV and i should get it to fill the entire screen. I'm not going to "kick back and enjoy" black bars.

[Ordeith Posted Feb 19th 2009 6:20PM]

Justin:

So you would take a clear and properly formatted video that has black bars, and destroy them by stretching and distorting them.

You paid for the content, why ruin it?

[minimalist Posted Feb 19th 2009 7:40PM]

Hey, that's your prerogative Justin. But I prefer to not have my content clipped or stretched or zoomed. As long as TV makers give us the option to view the content in both ways its all good.

As soon as one of us does not have a choice and the content has been altered beyond repair (pseudo 16x9 stretch-o-vision broadcasts, pan and scan DVD's, overzealous 16x9 TV owners that think movies makers should be "forced" to adopt their standard, etc) I take issue.

I say leave the content alone and let the customers make the decision about how to display it on their screens. Don't make that decision for them.

[tastysheriff Posted Feb 19th 2009 4:00PM]

I hate to be 'that guy?, but the phrase is "I'd just as soon see the black bars." not "just assume see".

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 2:51PM]

First of all ... great article guys. Very accessible to all readers.

RE: John B
"...gives them the right to supersede the planning and vision of the entire filmmaking crew ..."

Well some of it is artistic vision and how the director uses the screen. But the history of aspect ratios is interesting. Initially all movies were shot in 4:3. This was the best aspect ratio for one eye to discern and the size was chosen with this as one of the reasons. Two eyes can discern a wider aspect ratio and the brain prefers it. When television sets began to become popular, movie studios thought that they would lose revenue as people would go to theaters less. They made a decision to move away from the 4:3 ratio so that movies screened in theaters would be "better" and people would have a good reason to go to theaters. Now 2.35:1 continues to give people a reason to see movies in theaters as this ratio is even more natural for the brain working with two eyes. Some people feel that 2.35:1 compared to 16x9 is very much like 16x9 compared to 4x3. Personally I would love for everything to always be shot in 2.35:1 and for all panels to be made in that ratio :)

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 3:14PM]

"On top of this, most movie channels will crop 'em out anyways."

No, they usually "open" the mattes to 1:78:1. You don't lose picture, you gain some. Can also note that 2.35 movies shown in 1:78:1 on HBO or whatever, are also opened on the top and bottom, not cropped from the sides. That's because the original film is 4:3. So there's more information to be seen, even if the filmmaker didn't intend for you to see it. Usually called "open matte".

[MiggityMikeB Posted Feb 19th 2009 7:22PM]

I did not know this. This is good info.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 3:18PM]

My favorite example of aspect ratio affecting a movie is "The Hunt for Red October." In the original 4:3 VHS, at the end of the movie all you see is one guy holding up a wire. It's not until you watch the 16:9 DVD that you see he's about to cross it with another wire, presumably to detonate one of the nuclear warheads on board.

Sorry if I spoiled the ending for anyone, but if I did... it's been 19 years, what the hell were you waiting for??

The first time I saw that on DVD, I was like, "Wow. How can they justify leaving that out just to make it better fit the screen?" and then I thought, "What else have I missed?"

Now I understand people complaining about letterboxing on a 27" TV, it essentially makes it like a 19". But if you have a 42", 50", 60" TV... isn't it big enough? My only complaint is that for a while after watching letterboxed TV shows and movies, there are visible lines on my TV. LCDs don't suffer image retention, my a$$.

[MiggityMikeB Posted Feb 19th 2009 7:14PM]

My widescreen "epiphany moment" was The Fifth Element during the car chase and Bruce Willis gets ambushed by six waiting cop cars. In the 4:3 version there is only four cops. In widescreen it was six. As a young stupid teenager at least I realized early that widescreen was really the only way to go.

[darklighter Posted Feb 19th 2009 3:21PM]

I'm disappointed there was no adding in this "addition".

[kcmurphy88 Posted Feb 19th 2009 3:26PM]

I would have wished that you used example images that weren't so freaking dark. It is VERY hard in your examples to see where the bars end and the image begins. Try, say, Pushing Daisies or something with a little color.

[BenD Posted Feb 19th 2009 3:26PM]

Pushing daisies is 16x9 how would that have been useful? Plus it wasn't on TV when I was doing this.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 23rd 2009 5:43PM]

Or you could try to properly calibrate your screen. Some of the images are indeed a bit dark, but the borders are always visible.

[MiggityMikeB Posted Feb 19th 2009 3:35PM]

This article should be made into pamphlet form and be required reading for all new HDTV purchases.

[HC Posted Feb 19th 2009 5:47PM]

In all honesty, the only people who still complain about black bars are the "oldies" who grew up watching 4:3 almost all their life... no offense. I meant I dont want to get low-ranked but its the truth. My dad still complains of the black bars even though we have a 55" tv and it looks fantastic at 1080p. I guess when you are so used to seeing a picture a certain way its disorienting seeing it differently.

To those who wonder why there aren't any televisions that support 2:35:1 and 2:39:1... there soon will be with Philips etc... But be prepared for pillarboxed 16:9 television content with black bars on the side just so you can watch your movies without the black bars on top.

Quick question though, does anyone know why most movies are now shot in 2:39:1 form? It used to be 1:85:1 right?

[MiggityMikeB Posted Feb 19th 2009 7:17PM]

This is not true I know plenty of other people my age in their late 20's who purposely stretch out their 4:3 like idiots even after I've explained it to them in detail.

[minimalist Posted Feb 19th 2009 9:23PM]

It is not just really age. Its just that most people aren't very geometrically minded or they just don't care enough about the issue. I can't tell you how many people , both young and old, have gotten that glazed over look when I explain to them the basics of aspect ratio. Many just want to be told "press button A to make it fill the screen" and that's as much as they want to go. Any more than that and they turn you off.

As geeks into HD we take for granted how obvious this stuff is but aspect ratios remain a complicated mystery for many people.

And this is a great post Ben. I'd love to see more like this.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 6:17PM]

Are there really people that don't know this?

[MiggityMikeB Posted Feb 19th 2009 7:19PM]

A lot.

[oppizzippo Posted Feb 19th 2009 9:25PM]

Good post Ben!

C

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 19th 2009 11:54PM]

I made a post for this blog concerning TVS TELEVISIONS but didn't get an email to reply to.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 20th 2009 12:36AM]

Maybe film studios should consider moving over to a 16:9 film format sense the majority of new tv have a 16:9 aspect. I know the usual aspect ratio movie are film in is wider than the 16:9 but putting it in a 16:9 aspect would solve the bar issue ... if its even an issue.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 20th 2009 12:53AM]

The studios don't really want to cater to your television. The whole reason that they created widescreen was to differentiate themselves from the experience at home. Why do you think that they're going hog wild with 3D now?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 20th 2009 8:33AM]

The problem with my Pioneer Kuro is that it came out-of-the-box with a pronounced overscan problem, so much so that most sub-titles such as in "Dances with Wolves" with the English translation of the Indians' speech are below the bottom of the screen. There is no mention in the manual of a 'service' screen provided for making adjustments. Do I have to resort to having a technician come to the house to make the necessary adjustments or would this be taken care of when having the Kuro calibrated ?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 20th 2009 9:09AM]

Check out the widescreen DVD for the movie The Rock. This is a case where what they have done is really bad.

They've added black bars to the top and bottom of the image. This works for 4:3 TVs but the image looks horrible on a 16:9 TV.

Example Rendering:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2wr3ez7&s=5

I've played with the 4 options on my TV (Normal, Zoom, Wide Zoom, Stretch) but no matter what the image ends up looking disproportional.

I think the only way to get it to work is to have the DVD player output in 4:3 mode and then use the Zoom feature on the TV.

:S

OAR: 2.35:1

[Demolition Man Posted Feb 20th 2009 5:41PM]

That's because the single disc DVD is not Anamorphic Widescreen. Its a letterbox 4x3 transfer. The only way here in the USA/Region 1 that you can get "The Rock" in Anamorphic Widescreen is the 2 disc Criterion edition which is fantastic.

Or the Bluray release which too is fantastic.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 20th 2009 11:41PM]

True the Criterion 2 disc edition is far superior (thanks for pointing that out). It pisses me off though because I feel cheated. It specifically says 2.35:1 on the rear of the case of the 1 disc version. In any case yet another thing to be aware of.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 20th 2009 7:26PM]

The real question is, why don't all movie studios just make 16:9 the standard for filming all new movies?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 21st 2009 7:11PM]

I've been trying to find a simple answer to my question as to why HBO does not carry movies in letterbox form......I emailed them and they replied 'their source' does not have that capability....their SOURCE???? just who or what is this mysterious source? and if I pay for a premium movie service, I sure as heck should be able to see them in letterbox!!! I realize LB is not the most popular way to watch movies, so why can't they have them on during the middle of the night? then they could be recorded or DVR'd.....this is such a blatant disregard for the way movies should be seen!!!

So far no one has been able to tell me why this should be so......isn't there SOMEONE out there who can shed some light on this? or perhaps give me some ideas as to who else I can ask about this??????

Granted not everyone is so concerned about letterboxing, but any assistance will be much appreciated!!!!!!

Ben Grego

[BenD Posted Feb 21st 2009 7:12PM]

HBO doesn't like getting calls about black bars so they crop them. It isn't any more complicated then that. But even if they didn't do this movies on HBO still wouldn't be watchable thanks to the normalized audio and overcompressed video.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 24th 2009 11:51AM]

This is a great article, I am sending it to all my noob friends and family members who still dont understand...especially my friends who think that stretching 4x3 to fit 16x9 to eliminate black bars on HD TV's looks good. In the end because I am a movie buff I prefer 2.35:1 over 1.85:1 but being the owner of a 16x9 TV either will do for me.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 9:21AM]

Great discussion on screen ratios, etc., but no one seems to be able to answer my original question; why no letterbox movies on HBO? they wouldnt have to have them on all the time, just during off hours......everyone now can either record or DVR stuff.....in another chat room, someone said people complained to HBO about those 'black bars' & they wanted them gone!!! I emailed HBO and they said 'their source' does not have letterbox....HUH??? just who or what is this mysterious source?????? As we all know, movies are made in widescreen format to be seen in that format...the 'director's vision' so to speak.......oh well, guess I'm just the voice in the wilderness........it's pretty pathetic that to see a movie in letterbox you have to stick with TCM (thank goodness for them!!) and join Netflix to get to see movies in their original, wider aspect ratio............

[BenD Posted Feb 27th 2009 9:25AM]

HBO is not going to get two versions of the same movie just so they can play it OAR off hours. Sometimes they have no choice but to show them OAR (the latest Star Wars movies come to mind), but if they have a choice they choose to crop because they believe the majority of their viewers prefer it.

It isn't just HBO, it is almost all the Time Warner properties, just look at TNT etc, they all do it. It seems to be a company wide policy.

Besides, HBO sucks in all aspects of quality. The bit rate is abysmal, the audio is always normalized and thus flat, and like you said they always crop 2.35 to 1.78. Personally, I'd rather watch a DVD then a movie on HBO.

Just move on to Blu-ray and let it go man.