Is it possible to play mp4 16:9 movies in 4:3 format?

A

Adam5777

New Member
I set the monitor resolution to 1400x1050 and I would like to be able to watch mp4 in 4:3 resolution. Unfortunately, when I run a movie in 16:9 resolution, black bars appear at the top and bottom of the screen, which results in the movie being placed in a black rectangle in a 4:3 screen resolution. Is it possible to make the video being played narrower? I also don't want to convert the video because I have a lot of series that I would like to watch again in 16:9 when I change the screen resolution to 1920x1080 again. I use Windows Media Player Win 8.1, but if it is impossible to play narrowed video in it, can you recommend me another mp4 player that can do it?
 
Do you mean you want to crop the image or you want to squeeze a 16:9 or wider resolution to 4:3? In either case I believe there are players that will do that but the question that comes to mind is why?
 
Yes, it’s possible to display 16:9 video in a 4:3 aspect ratio without converting the files themselves. You can do this by adjusting the playback settings in a media player that supports aspect ratio adjustments. Unfortunately, Windows Media Player lacks the flexibility to adjust the aspect ratio directly, so I’d recommend switching to a player like VLC Media Player or MPC-HC (Media Player Classic - Home Cinema), which offer these controls.

Steps for VLC Media Player:​

  1. Download and Install VLC if you don’t have it.
  2. Open VLC and load the video.
  3. While the video is playing, go to Video > Aspect Ratio in the menu.
  4. Select 4:3 from the list. VLC will adjust the playback to fit a 4:3 aspect ratio by cropping the sides of the video, effectively narrowing it to fit your screen without black bars.

Steps for MPC-HC:​

  1. Download and Install MPC-HC if you don’t already have it.
  2. Open MPC-HC and start your video.
  3. Right-click the video and select View > Pan & Scan and then choose 4:3 or Touch Window From Inside.
    • This will adjust the video to fit your 4:3 screen resolution, cropping the sides to match the aspect ratio.
With either of these players, you can easily switch back to the original 16:9 aspect ratio when you go back to a widescreen resolution. These solutions don’t modify the file, so you’re free to watch your videos in either format without conversion.
 
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