Letterboxing and Pillarboxing

Letterboxing occurs when the width is too large for the 16:9 aspect ratio; pillarboxing occurs when the height is too large. It is important to calculate the correct dimensions for your player to avoid any black bars.

Symptoms

• Black bars appear above and below your stream (letterboxing).
• Black bars appear on the sides of your stream (pillarboxing).

Prerequisites

• You must have your Portal login. Contact your Customer Administrator or HDOnTap Support if you need assistance with your Portal credentials.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Use the HDOnTap Player Sizing Tool to calculate the correct width and height for your player.

2. Change the width and height parameters in your code as necessary:

   <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://portal.hdontap.com/s/embed/?stream=live-stream-embed-id&ratio=16:9" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; fullscreen"></iframe>
   

   Tip: The current responsive embed code from the Portal (with fluid=true and aspect-ratio in its style) sizes itself automatically. If you see black bars with that code, make sure the ratio value and the aspect-ratio value both match your camera's aspect ratio (for example, 16:9 and 16 / 9). See Add the Player to a Website.

3. Save your changes and refresh your website. You should no longer see any letterboxing or pillarboxing.