Question:

How can I remove or reduce the black bars on my widescreen TV while watching movies in 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 aspect ratios?

Answer:

The two most widely used widescreen aspect ratios in the film industry – 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 -  are wider than the 16:9 aspect ratio used by the television industry. As a result, when you watch movies from any source and they are formatted in either of these film industry widescreen aspect ratios, your wide screen TV adds black bars above and below the picture to fill the screen. As you can see in the examples above, movies formatted in the 1:85:1 aspect ratio have relatively thin black bars. Movies formatted in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio have relatively thick black bars. 

In many cases, you cannot remove or reduce these bars. Although some adjustments may be able to be made see below.

• If your Blu-Ray, DVD players, or other external devices has aspect ratio and picture size controls, use the Zoom option to remove or reduce the bars.  For instructions, see the owner’s manual of that device.

Note: Not all DVDs respond to the aspect ratio and picture size controls built into DVD players.

• Using your TV to remove the bars: Depending on the soucre and signal you are watching, your TV will present you with different picture size and aspect ratio options. If they are available, use the Wide Fit or Zoom options. These options will eliminate or reduce the bars. However, they may also distort and/or crop the picture. Click here to see when aspect ratios are available.