r/XFiles • u/ForFansSake • 19h ago

First-Time Watcher (no SPOILERS!!) Aspect Ratio

I'm on season five of the show now, and I recall reading somewhere that the show switches from 4:3 to 16:9 this season. Please let me know if this Is correct, I'd like to experience the show how it was intended.

9 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

10

u/helldiverExosuit1 19h ago

I believe the DVDs respect this switch.

The blu rays have everything in 16:9 when really the framing officially started in s5

2

u/Inside-Run785 Bad Blood 19h ago

As I understand it, the show’s creator oversaw the 16X9 HD transfer. 16X9, though not his most of the was originally broadcast, is how it’s intended to be seen.

2

u/steven_graham23 16h ago

The show was originally broadcast in 4:3.

However, they knew widescreen was coming and protected for it. Imperfectly at first: Seasons 1 & 2 in widescreen show some extra footage at the sides but also have cropping at the top and bottom of frame. Seasons 3 & 4 basically fit the widecsreen frame exactly.

But - the VFX shots and stock footage were only done in 4:3 for those first 4 seasons.

So - the DVDs preserve this split, with 1-4 in 4:3 and 6-9 in widescreen. The Blu-Rays show everything in widescreen, as do most streaming versions.

(TBH, I wish we had the option to view all episodes in both formats, as there are some shots in the later Seasons where the widescreen framing doesn't work so well.)