Aspect ratio police
 
 

This site is dedicated to the preservation of visual content the way it was intended to be seen.


Standard definition (4x3) source material should not be stretched out on 16x9 displays so everybody looks fat. This is also very deceptive to consumers because they think they’re watching HDTV but they’re not.


Widescreen movies broadcast in 4x3 “pan and scan” and even 16x9 “pan and scan” has got to stop!  Widescreen films should be letterboxed to the proper aspect ratio. Period.


Broadcasters and other public venues that show content in the wrong aspect ratio will be cited here.


Those who do it right will be acknowledged.


“A Little History” (above) will give you some background information.


Check the blog for citations, kudos, and more updates.

Welcome
The image at the top is a 4x3 image correctly pillarboxed on a widescreen TV. The lower image is simply stretched to fill the 16x9 screen.