What are the black bars that appear on screen during some films on FOX Classics?

Most films made prior to 1952 were shot in 4:3 aspect ratio. This means they appeared in a square shape format as visible on older box style television sets.

Thanks, in part to the threat of television cornering the entertainment market during the 1950’s, films began to be shot in new aspect ratio’s known as Widescreen, Vista Vision or CinemaScope which looked good and went down well with the public. This format is also known today as 16:9 and is commonly seen on most flat-screen style televisions. Films and television programs are increasingly broadcast in 16:9.

While FOX Classics transmits in 16:9, we will never resize, squeeze or distort the films we broadcast. If a film was made before 1952 it will generally appear with black ‘bars’ either side of the picture on a widescreen television. If the picture appears distorted check that the FOXTEL or AUSTAR aspect ratio is set to the same size as your TV.