# Aspect ratio **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439 "2018-10-24T12:58:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wbsherm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@wbsherm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/wbsherm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/1 "2018-10-24T12:58:50Z")
Alot of the DVDs I can access on Plex show either a 16:9 or 2:35:1 aspect ratio but are much smaller than the screen with black bars on all four sides. Is there any way to fix this? When I try to change the aspect ration or zoom using the remote for my TV it says “not available”. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 1:02pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/2 "2018-10-24T13:02:16Z")
> [@Live TV and DVR frequently (but inconsistently) letterbox the entire recording (top, bottom, and sides)](https://forums.plex.tv/t/live-tv-and-dvr-frequently-but-inconsistently-letterbox-the-entire-recording-top-bottom-and-sides/319583/2): > > This tv show was made at a time when tv sets were 4:3 aspect ratio. It appears that the station is broadcasting it with black borders added to the sides of the original picture, so the video is now 16:9 And that is what Plex is recording. It doesn’t alter the video stream in any way. It doesn’t know that what it is recording is actually a 4:3 video with black borders added to the sides. If you now play this “16:9 video” on a screen that is taller than 16:9, you will see black borders on all … > [@Ripped movie to mkv, small picture](https://forums.plex.tv/t/ripped-movie-to-mkv-small-picture/222475/3): > > see [https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/302396/movies-playing-with-large-black-box](https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/302396/movies-playing-with-large-black-box) white = the original movie picture in 16:9 aspect ratio black = the letterboxing added to the picture on the original DVD, which forms a 4:3 tv frame grey = the border which results in Plex attempting to show you the full “4:3” video on a 16:9 screen (which in fact is not a 4:3 video but Plex cannot know that since the video stream has technically a 4:3 aspect ratio) ---
**Author:** ![wbsherm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@wbsherm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/wbsherm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/3 "2018-10-24T14:40:00Z")
I don’t think this is the problem. These movies were originally shown in either 2:35:1 or 16:9. The 2:35:1 films would letterbox if shown on a 16:9 TV but what happens is that both of these formats are shrunk to a smaller image and are letterboxed on all four sides. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![wbsherm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@wbsherm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/wbsherm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/4 "2018-10-24T14:41:08Z")
If I play the DVD from which these came, they show on my TV without the letterboxing on all for sides and the image fills the TV screen, except for the 2:35:1 films which have letter boxing on the top and bottom. ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/5 "2018-10-24T14:42:14Z")
The original aspect ratio of the movie has nothing to do with it. It all depends on how they were stored on the DVD. On older DVD releases they were letterboxed with big black borders on top and bottom, within a 4:3 frame. ---
**Author:** ![FordGuy61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@FordGuy61](https://forums.plex.tv/u/FordGuy61)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/6 "2018-10-24T14:57:30Z")
Sounds like the “Ripped movie to mkv, small picture” that @OttoKerner linked above. Analyze the movie using [MediaInfo](https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo). It will show a 4:3 display aspect ratio and 720x480 width x height. These are anamorphic DVDs, where the widescreen picture was squeezed into a 4:3 frame. A disc player recognizes this and expands the video appropriately. Unfortunately, Plex does not handle such DVDs well, showing bars on all four sides. The solution is to transcode the movie with Handbrake (or similar). It will adjust things appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![wbsherm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@wbsherm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/wbsherm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/7 "2018-10-24T16:48:01Z")
This is extremely helpful. Thank you. What do I transcode these films to on Handbrake? ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/8 "2018-10-24T17:36:26Z")
You use whichever quality settings you are comfortable with. The preset “HQ 480p30 Surround” is a good starting point for NTSC-DVD sources. ---
**Author:** ![wbsherm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@wbsherm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/wbsherm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/9 "2018-10-24T17:47:23Z")
Thanks so much! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/aspect-ratio/323439/10 "2019-01-22T17:59:51Z")
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