# Not trying to be picky but

**URL:** <https://forums.plex.tv/t/not-trying-to-be-picky-but/943918>\
**Category:** Plex Experience Preview\
**Created:** [October 4, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/not-trying-to-be-picky-but/943918 "2026-10-04T17:34:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sych0x51](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@sych0x51](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sych0x51)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/not-trying-to-be-picky-but/943918/1 "2026-10-04T17:34:50Z")

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![IMG_3244](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/7/8/a/78a60c33a62666bcfaa7315be043a5f637352fca.jpeg)

Letterbox? Do the devs even know what letterbox is? This app, as far as I know, is not designed for a CRT so it’s bewildering the developers of one of the best media players in the world don’t know the definitions about said media

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**Author:** ![tom80H](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/tom80h/32/19753_2.png) [@tom80H](https://forums.plex.tv/u/tom80H)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/not-trying-to-be-picky-but/943918/2 "2026-10-04T17:50:54Z")

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Letterbox doesn’t mean it’s for a CRT.  
It just means the picture should be displayed in its entirety – if the video and screen aspect ratio don’t match, there’ll be black bars (boxing the picture).

- for older content in 4:3 resolution, that means you’re getting black bars to the left and right
- for cinematic content that’s shot/distributed in 21:9, that means you’re getting black bars to the top/bottom of the video.

# 

> **[Letterboxing (filming)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterboxing_(filming))**
>
> Letter-boxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting video-graphic image has mattes of empty space above and below it; these mattes are part of each frame of the video signal. The term refers to the shape of a letter-box, a slot in a wall or door through which mail is delivered, being rectangular and wider than it is high. The first use of letter-boxing in consumer vid...

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**Author:** ![d2freak](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/d2freak/32/111000_2.png) [@d2freak](https://forums.plex.tv/u/d2freak)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/not-trying-to-be-picky-but/943918/3 "2026-10-04T18:01:09Z")

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> [@tom80H](#):
>
> It just means the picture should be displayed in its entirety

Yes but probably something like “Original” would be a better wording for this.

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**Author:** ![sych0x51](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@sych0x51](https://forums.plex.tv/u/sych0x51)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/not-trying-to-be-picky-but/943918/4 "2026-10-04T18:06:02Z")

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> The resulting video-graphic image has mattes of empty space above and below it

yea…