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Pillar box (film)
Encyclopedia
The pillarbox effect occurs in widescreen
video displays when black bars (matte
s or masking) are placed on the sides of the image. It becomes necessary when film or video that was not originally designed for widescreen is shown on a widescreen display, or a narrower widescreen image is displayed within a wider aspect ratio
, such as a 1.85:1 image in a 2.35:1 frame. The original material is shrunk and placed in the middle of the widescreen frame.
Some older arcade game
s that had a tall vertical and short horizontal are displayed in pillar box even on 4:3 televisions. Some early sound films made 1928–1931, such as City Lights
, were filmed in an even narrower format to make room for the sound-on-film
track on then-standard film stock. These will appear pillarboxed even on 4:3 screens.
Pillarboxing is the vertical equivalent of letterbox
ing and is sometimes called reverse letterboxing. Its name is derived from its resemblance to pillar box
-style mailboxes used in the UK
and the Commonwealth of Nations
. The four-direction equivalent is called windowboxing
, caused when programming is both letterboxed and pillarboxed.
In order to use the entire screen area of a widescreen display (which is already significantly less than a fullscreen of equal diagonal measurement), and to prevent a reverse screen burn-in on plasma display
s, the simplest alternative to pillarboxing is to crop the top and bottom. However, this results in the loss of some of the image within what the producer assumed would be the safe area
. This overscan
may or may not bother the viewer, but it often cuts-off the channel banner or other on-screen display
s. Likewise, the vertical equivalent of pan and scan
is called "tilt and scan" or "reverse pan and scan". This moves the cropped "window" up and down, however it is rarely done. A third option is to stretch the video to fill the screen, but this is often considered ugly, as it severely distorts everything on the screen.
Because certain screen resolutions can be used for both fullscreen and widescreen (anamorphic), widescreen signaling
(such as the Active Format Descriptor) must be used to tell the display device which to use, or the viewer must set it manually, in order to prevent unnecessary pillarboxing or stretching on widescreen displays.
television network
s and TV stations use "stylized pillarboxing", meaning they fill-in the blank areas on the sides with their HD logo
or other still or motion graphics
, when the program being shown is only available in 4:3 aspect ratio (standard definition
).
The use of graphics assures viewers that they are watching the HD version of a channel, instead of their thinking they are watching the SD version, along with filling the entire screen with a video image rather than the regular black bars. This also tells widescreen television set
s with automatic resizing
not to stretch the video, and instead to present it in the proper aspect ratio (although conversely, this may cause fullscreen SDTV sets and analog cable TV headend
s to horizontally compress or to windowbox
the video).
Some networks that do this are ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, FSN HD, NFL Network HD, MLB Network HD, Big Ten Network HD, CNN HD, The Weather Channel HD, Comcast Sports Net HD (some programming is in SD wide screen on the HD channel), Tennis Channel HD, NBA TV HD, NHL Network HD, TBS HD
, Versus HD, Golf Channel HD and all regional sports networks. Even over-the-air
, The CW presents its 4:3 shows with grey
sidebars instead of black, and Ion Television used navy blue
since going HD in early 2009. Some TV shows present an "echo" of the edges of the program video in the sidebars, usually blurred. Local TV stations in the U.S. typically use graphics or a simple color gradient
for electronic news-gathering packages shown on their local HDTV news programs. This is because portable ENG cameras are often not in HD (due to their number and expense), even if the few permanent ones in the TV studio are.
Some channels have a similar format called "enhanced HD", in which extra informative graphics and text is shown on the side, such as expanded stock quotes, charts, and graphs on CNBC HD+ and Fox Business Network HD; or extra scores, headlines and statistics like on NFL Network HD.
Some Japanese anime
switched from SD to HD during their run. Sometimes a flashback to a scene produced in SD had to be shown. For instance, in Naruto
, the image of Naruto and Sasuke filled in the blank gaps as one of the SD-era flashbacks is being shown.
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
video displays when black bars (matte
Matte (filmmaking)
Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image with a background image . In this case, the matte is the background painting...
s or masking) are placed on the sides of the image. It becomes necessary when film or video that was not originally designed for widescreen is shown on a widescreen display, or a narrower widescreen image is displayed within a wider aspect ratio
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
, such as a 1.85:1 image in a 2.35:1 frame. The original material is shrunk and placed in the middle of the widescreen frame.
Some older arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s that had a tall vertical and short horizontal are displayed in pillar box even on 4:3 televisions. Some early sound films made 1928–1931, such as City Lights
City Lights
City Lights is a 1931 American silent film and romantic comedy-drama written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. It also has the leads Virginia Cherrill and Harry Myers. Although "talking" pictures were on the rise since 1928, City Lights was immediately popular. Today, it is thought of...
, were filmed in an even narrower format to make room for the sound-on-film
Sound-on-film
Sound-on-film refers to a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog sound track or digital sound track,...
track on then-standard film stock. These will appear pillarboxed even on 4:3 screens.
Pillarboxing is the vertical equivalent of letterbox
Letterbox
Letterboxing 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 videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image...
ing and is sometimes called reverse letterboxing. Its name is derived from its resemblance to pillar box
Pillar box
A pillar box is a free-standing post box. They are found in the United Kingdom and in most former nations of the British Empire, members of the Commonwealth of Nations and British overseas territories, such as the Republic of Ireland, Australia, India and Gibraltar...
-style mailboxes used in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. The four-direction equivalent is called windowboxing
Windowbox (film)
Windowboxing in the display of film or video occurs when the aspect ratio of the media is such that the letterbox effect and pillarbox effect occur simultaneously...
, caused when programming is both letterboxed and pillarboxed.
In order to use the entire screen area of a widescreen display (which is already significantly less than a fullscreen of equal diagonal measurement), and to prevent a reverse screen burn-in on plasma display
Plasma display
A plasma display panel is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays or larger. They are called "plasma" displays because the technology utilizes small cells containing electrically charged ionized gases, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent...
s, the simplest alternative to pillarboxing is to crop the top and bottom. However, this results in the loss of some of the image within what the producer assumed would be the safe area
Safe area
Safe area is a term used in television production to describe the areas of the television picture that can be seen on television screens.Older televisions can display less of the space outside of the safe area than ones made more recently...
. This overscan
Overscan
Overscan is extra image area around the four edges of a video image that may not be seen reliably by the viewer. It exists because television sets in the 1930s through 1970s were highly variable in how the video image was framed within the cathode ray tube .-Origins of overscan:Early televisions...
may or may not bother the viewer, but it often cuts-off the channel banner or other on-screen display
On-screen display
An on-screen display is an image superimposed on a screen picture, commonly used by modern television sets, VCRs, and DVD players to display information such as volume, channel, and time.-History:...
s. Likewise, the vertical equivalent of pan and scan
Pan and scan
Pan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown within the proportions of a standard definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus on the composition's most important aspects...
is called "tilt and scan" or "reverse pan and scan". This moves the cropped "window" up and down, however it is rarely done. A third option is to stretch the video to fill the screen, but this is often considered ugly, as it severely distorts everything on the screen.
Because certain screen resolutions can be used for both fullscreen and widescreen (anamorphic), widescreen signaling
Widescreen signaling
In television technology, widescreen signaling is a digital stream embedded in the TV signal describing qualities of the broadcast, in particular the intended aspect ratio of the image...
(such as the Active Format Descriptor) must be used to tell the display device which to use, or the viewer must set it manually, in order to prevent unnecessary pillarboxing or stretching on widescreen displays.
Stylized pillarboxing on television
Some high-definitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
s and TV stations use "stylized pillarboxing", meaning they fill-in the blank areas on the sides with their HD logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
or other still or motion graphics
Motion graphics
Motion graphics are graphics that use video footage and/or animation technology to create the illusion of motion or rotation, graphics are usually combined with audio for use in multimedia projects. Motion graphics are usually displayed via electronic media technology, but may be displayed via...
, when the program being shown is only available in 4:3 aspect ratio (standard definition
Standard-definition television
Sorete-definition television is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either enhanced-definition television or high-definition television . The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same resolution as...
).
The use of graphics assures viewers that they are watching the HD version of a channel, instead of their thinking they are watching the SD version, along with filling the entire screen with a video image rather than the regular black bars. This also tells widescreen television set
Television set
A television set is a device that combines a tuner, display, and speakers for the purpose of viewing television. Television sets became a popular consumer product after the Second World War, using vacuum tubes and cathode ray tube displays...
s with automatic resizing
Image scaling
In computer graphics, image scaling is the process of resizing a digital image. Scaling is a non-trivial process that involves a trade-off between efficiency, smoothness and sharpness. As the size of an image is increased, so the pixels which comprise the image become increasingly visible, making...
not to stretch the video, and instead to present it in the proper aspect ratio (although conversely, this may cause fullscreen SDTV sets and analog cable TV headend
Cable television headend
A cable television headend is a master facility for receiving television signals for processing and distribution over a cable television system. The headend facility is normally unstaffed and surrounded by some type of security fencing and is typically a building or large shed housing electronic...
s to horizontally compress or to windowbox
Windowbox (film)
Windowboxing in the display of film or video occurs when the aspect ratio of the media is such that the letterbox effect and pillarbox effect occur simultaneously...
the video).
Some networks that do this are ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, FSN HD, NFL Network HD, MLB Network HD, Big Ten Network HD, CNN HD, The Weather Channel HD, Comcast Sports Net HD (some programming is in SD wide screen on the HD channel), Tennis Channel HD, NBA TV HD, NHL Network HD, TBS HD
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
, Versus HD, Golf Channel HD and all regional sports networks. Even over-the-air
Over-the-air
Over-the-air has several meanings, depending on context. *Generally, over-the-air is synonymous for wireless.*Specifically, over-the-air can have the following meanings or is used in the following contexts:...
, The CW presents its 4:3 shows with grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
sidebars instead of black, and Ion Television used navy blue
Navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
since going HD in early 2009. Some TV shows present an "echo" of the edges of the program video in the sidebars, usually blurred. Local TV stations in the U.S. typically use graphics or a simple color gradient
Image gradient
An image gradient is a directional change in the intensity or color in an image. Image gradients may be used to extract information from images....
for electronic news-gathering packages shown on their local HDTV news programs. This is because portable ENG cameras are often not in HD (due to their number and expense), even if the few permanent ones in the TV studio are.
Some channels have a similar format called "enhanced HD", in which extra informative graphics and text is shown on the side, such as expanded stock quotes, charts, and graphs on CNBC HD+ and Fox Business Network HD; or extra scores, headlines and statistics like on NFL Network HD.
Some Japanese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
switched from SD to HD during their run. Sometimes a flashback to a scene produced in SD had to be shown. For instance, in Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, the image of Naruto and Sasuke filled in the blank gaps as one of the SD-era flashbacks is being shown.
See also
- LetterboxLetterboxLetterboxing 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 videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image...
- Windowbox (film)Windowbox (film)Windowboxing in the display of film or video occurs when the aspect ratio of the media is such that the letterbox effect and pillarbox effect occur simultaneously...
- WidescreenWidescreenWidescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
- Aspect ratioAspect ratioThe aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
- 14:914:914:9 is a compromise aspect ratio of 1.56:1. It is used to create an acceptable picture on both 4:3 and 16:9 televisions, conceived following audience tests conducted by the BBC...
- 16:916:916:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
- Motion picture terminologyMotion picture terminologyThe film industry is built upon a large number of technologies and techniques, drawing upon photography, stagecraft, music, and many other disciplines...
- Stretch-o-VisionStretch-o-VisionStretch-o-Vision is a neologism used to describe the practice of upconverting video from a standard aspect ratio to a widescreen aspect ratio. HDTV programming is broadcast in the 16:9 aspect ratio, a widescreen image. However, most SDTV programming is usually broadcast in the 4:3 aspect ratio....