Windowbox (film)

Windowboxing (also called either the "postage stamp effect", "gutterboxing", or "matchboxing") 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. Sometimes, by accident or design, a standard ratio image is presented in the central portion of a letterbox picture (or vice versa), resulting in a black border all around. It is generally disliked because it wastes much screen space and reduces the resolution of the original image. It can occur when a 16:9 film is set to 4:3 (letterbox), but then shown on a 16:9 TV or other output device. It can also occur in the opposite direction (4:3 to 16:9 to 4:3). Few films have been released with this aspect ratio—one example is The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, which had numerous scenes with Steve & Terri Irwin using widescreen pillar boxing.

On rare occasion, a picture will be windowboxed on purpose. During the opening, documentary-style sequence of Rent on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases, the picture is windowboxed to suggest an older camera meant to present at a 4:3 aspect ratio; as the movie transitions from that segment, it then expands horizontally from a windowboxed 4:3 to a letterboxed 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Another example is in the movie Brother Bear. On the theatrical and Widescreen DVD release, the beginning of the film is windowboxed until Kenai, the main character, becomes a bear. This is to show that his world-view, and his perspective on nature, has widened.

Windowboxing has also been used in the instance of transferring films with the academy ratio of 1.37:1 to video, as evidenced in recent DVD releases of older films shot in this standard. This is to compensate for the overscan on many 4:3 TVs, which cuts off part of all four sides of the image. Windowboxing ensures that either more or all of the image is visible on these TVs; in a best case scenario the TV overscan cuts off nothing but the windowbox borders. It originally was used only for the credit sequences in 4:3 films, where the text could extend out to the very edges of the image, but it was gradually adopted to be used throughout the film.

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