A format for viewing DVDs, letterboxed DVDs are shrunk from original widescreen aspect ratios to 4:3 (e.g. movies are all filmed in widescreen ratios of 16:9 or larger) where black stripes become evident on the top and bottom of a 4:3 screen but preserves the original aspect ratio (no cropping).
A process which displays a wide-screen image (aspect ratio of 1.85:1, 2.35:1, etc.) on a normal aspect (4:3 or 16:9) screen by adding black bars to the top and bottom of the image.
The full display of a wide aspect ratio 16:9 picture on a display of aspect ratio 4:3 will result in black bars above and below the picture. This arrangement is referred to as “Letterbox” and is often seen during movies shown on television.
A technique for displaying films in their original format by placing black matte regions on the top and bottom of the image area. This allows a widescreen image to be placed on a standard TV with its 4:3 aspect ratio. DVD-Video players can typically apply this feature automatically.
Video: A wide-screen image on a standard 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, generally seen between black bars above and below the image.
Viewed picture format with full horizontal screen occupation and reduced vertical screen occupation, i. e. with black bands above and/or below the active image area.
A video image that results from displaying an image of widescreen aspect ratio on a television set of standard aspect ratio. The picture is presented between black bars above and below the image. Contrast with "windowbox."
A way to preserve a presentation's original aspect ratio, when the projector has a different aspect ratio than the original presentation.
The format sometimes used to show wide-screen movies on traditionally shaped 4:3 TV sets. A letterboxed movie has black bars above and below the image—hence, the name (you feel like you're looking at the world through a mail slot in an old office door). (See wide-screen.)
This format presents films in their original theatrical aspect ratios. Most theatrical movies are shot on film that is from 25% to 90% wider than a standard TV display. For example, a film shot in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio loses almost half the original picture when it is cropped to fill your TV screen, which is 1.33:1. The black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. Even though the image is smaller, you can actually see more of the picture.
This process, which is used on many laserdiscs and some TV broadcasts, is used to achieve a widescreen image, where the image is considerably wider than standard NTSC fare. The end result is a wider picture with black bands on the top and bottom of the screen, which reduces the overall resolution of the image. Another option with greater detail, but is less widely used is anamorphically squeezing the picture.
An image format in which a wide-screen film is transferred by filling the video frame area with the entire width of the film frame and masking any surplus image showing above and below.
Letterboxing means copying the widescreen format with aspect ratio of 16:9 to video format with aspect ratio of 4:3. The result of this process is that the full picture is presented only on the middle part of the screen, with black bars above and below it. This arrangement is referred to as “Letterbox†and you can see it on your 4:3 TV while watching movies. On a 16:9 TV letterboxing does not block out so much of your screen and makes your experience more profound.
Format used widely on laserdisc and some DVDs to fit widescreen movies (1.85:1 and 2.35:1, for example) on the average, 1.33:1 TV screen. The image is shrunk to fit the screen, leaving blank space on the top and bottom. This process sacrifices some vertical detail that must be used to record the black bars.
Refers to a way that wide-screen images are displayed on a standard 4:3 screen. In letterbox format, the image is bounded by black bars on the top and bottom to create a widescreen image.
This is another term for a widescreen picture. A letterbox transfer is usually one which is not Anamorphic. Any transfer with an aspect ratio greater than 4:3 and is not anamorphic is letterboxed. The name comes from the effect caused by the black bars displayed when outputting a widescreen picture to a television screen of a lower ratio.
The method of displaying a widescreen image on a standard 4:3 aspect ratio display. The width of the image is the width of the display, but the height is less, meaning that there are black bars above and below - like a letterbox.
"The process of formatting a wide-screen film onto video in which the entire width of the image is visible and there are blank bands above and below the image in order to accommodate the different aspect ratios of wide-screen film and the television screen. "(AMIM)
to add black bars to the tops and bottoms of images that are a different aspect ratio than the display monitor. Many films are shot on wider formats than NTSC's 4:3 aspect ratio. When these movies are played on a television, black bars can be added to the top and bottom to preserve the entire original image. The other option of handling different aspect ratios is to "Pan and Scan" the image to make it the same ratio as the television.
Letterbox is the process by which a studio will insert black bands above and below the visible picture to “frame” the original theatrical wide-screen presentation for viewing on a traditional 4:3 (1.33:1) television set. Many DVD players also down-convert anamorphic “squeezed” wide-screen content to fit in a 4:3 display via the use of letterbox bands.
Term used for one method of adapting a 16X9 aspect ratio to 4X3 which results in a black or patterned bar at the top and bottom of the 4X3 image. Since this technique does not involve altering original images or scenes in any way, it is considered the "most honest" form of conversion.
A technique for showing wide-screen movies on television that preserves the original aspect ratio by filling the top and bottom parts of the screen with black bars.
Format used widely on laser disc and many DVDs to fit wide-aspect-ratio movies (1.85:1 and 2.35:1, for example) into a smaller frame, such as the 1.78:1 area of an anamorphic DVD or the 1.33:1 area of a laser disc or video tape. The image is shrunk to fit the screen, leaving blank space on the top and bottom. This process sacrifices some vertical detail that must be used to record the black bars.
A thin wide passage in caving, often a tight squeeze & requiring some effort to pass the constriction
The process or form of video where black horizontal mattes are added to the top and bottom of the display area in order to create a frame in which to display video using an aspect ratio different than that of the display. The letterbox method preserves the entire video picture, as opposed to pan & scan.
Solid color bands on the top and bottom of a video frame. Allows the complete widescreen image to display on SD television.
A description of how widescreen (16:9) programmes display on a standard (4:3) TV. The whole of the widescreen transmission displays, but black bars will appear at the top and bottom of the screen.
When a program or movie which has originally been created for theatre viewing on a 16 by 9 screen is shown on a 4 by 3 television screen so that there is a black area above and below the picture. This is done to preserve the entire original picture. See also Pan and Scan.
Term used to describe viewing a widescreen image on a NON-widescreen TV monitor. The result is a full width image with black bars at the top and bottom of the TV monitor screen. Similar to "Widescreen." Also see: Full Screen/Widescreen.
This term describes the appearance of a widescreen HDTV image on a TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Black bars are seen above and below the widescreen image. The effect resembles a mail slot in a door.
A video playback mode that shows black bars at the top and bottom of the image to allow playing of widescreen (16:9) DVD movie without cutting off any sides of the image on a standard 4:3 TV or display. This is achieved by reducing the overall image scale/size and thus height producing the familiar black bars at the top and bottom of the TV screen.
One technique for accommodating widescreen programming on a standard 4:3 screen. Letterboxing presents the widescreen picture with black bars across the top and bottom. Cinema purists love letterboxing because it preserves the director's original vision. Others are disturbed by a picture that does not fill their 4:3 screen.
provides horizontal bands at the top and bottom, in essence, to create a widescreen picture in a traditional television set.
Placing a wide screen image on a conventional TV by placing black bands at the top and bottom of the screen.
the effect of watching visuals shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio on a 4:3 screen.
The use of upper and lower black mattes to keep films in their original aspect ratio.
Those black bars at the top and bottom of the screen that let a 4:3 width-to-height ratio TV display a movie filmed with a wider aspect-ratio (up to 16:9). Getting more and more common on video tapes in America. In anime, you will, of course, only see these on movies that were released theatrically in Japan (and even then, some movies weren't filmed in widescreen ratio).
The appearance of black bars at the top and bottom of a picture when 16:9 or 14:9 widescreen material is shown on 4:3 sets. See also pillar box and postage stamp.
Video released with the width-to-height ratio decreased in order to preserve the entire picture, rather than chopping off the right and left ends. Those black bars at the top and bottom of the screen that let a 4:3 width-to-height ratio TV display a movie filmed with a wider aspect-ratio (up to 16:9). Seen on movies that were released theatrically in Japan.
Image of a wide-screen picture on a standard 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, typically with black bars above and below. Used to maintain the original aspect ratio of the original source (usually a theatrical motion picture of 16X9 aspect ratio or wider).
Format for showing an entire movie image in its wide format on a standard 4-by-3 aspect ratio video display by fitting the image width into the width of the more square format and placing black bars above and below the image (when the wide picture is fit into a comparatively narrow space, the height of the picture does not equal that of the display).
Letterbox describes a video frame that the image fails to fill vertically, requiring bars without picture information at the top and/or the bottom of the image
Method of displaying or recording pictures with a wider aspect ratio than that of the display screen. The image has black bars top and bottom.
Video mastering process whereby a film source with an aspect ration greater than that of the video master (4:3 for NTSC/PAL and 16:9 for HDTV) is transferred to the video master in such a way that no film image is cut off to the left or the right, requiring the addition of black bars at the top and at the bottom of the image so that it entirely fills the screen - in other words, the technique of shrinking the image just enough so that its entire width appears on screen, with black areas above and below the image. The advantage of this technique is that the film images are shown as originally intended by the film's creators, not interfering with their shot composition and artistic intentions. The disadvantage is that the entire image must be shrunk, which makes viewing on smaller TVs more difficult.
Letterbox refers to the image of a wide-screen picture on a 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, typically with black bars above and below. It is used to maintain the original aspect ratio of the source, often a theatrical motion picture.
The way a 16:9 aspect ratio image is displayed on a 4:3 screen, with black bars visible above and below the image.
When a widescreen picture is viewed on a 4:3 TV screen, a black border may appear at the top and bottom of the screen creating a "letterbox" effect, but allowing the viewer to see the whole width of the wide-screen image. For example, this allows movies to be broadcast as originally formatted for theaters, allowing the viewer to see the image as originally produced, rather than a cropped or "panned and scanned" version (techniques used to downsize an image to fit a 4:3 screen).
Converts widescreen content into 4:3 content by placing black bars at the top and bottom of the picture.
Letterbox is the term used for watching a movie in wide screen format on a regular 4:3 aspect ratio television. This viewing format is often accompanied by a black bar on the top and bottom of the screen and a picture that is in the aspect ratio of 16:9.
Adding black bars to the top and bottom of a 4:3 screen to change the aspect ratio to 16:9, creating a “widescreen” playing area.