How to Convert Video from 4:3 to 16:9 Widescreen?

Aspect ratio denotes the width and height of a video image. 4:3 (1.33:1) and 16:9 (1.77:1) are two of the most common aspect ratios used today. The main difference between the two aspect ratios is how they record the frame. The 4:3 records a frame 33% wider than its height, while 16:9 is 78% wider than it is tall, making the picture feel more immersive and larger. Many old movies and traditional TVs use the 4:3 aspect ratio, also called the fullscreen ratio. But with the growing popularity of HD TVs, 16:9 became the standard format of modern widescreen TVs and films.

However, since most old videos come with a 4:3 aspect ratio, you may often need to play a 4:3 video on a 16:9 display. And then, you probably would notice the blank areas on the sides are filled in. It is called pillarboxing. In some other conditions, the video can also be stretched to fit screen. To avoid such effects, you should convert 4:3 to 16:9 first. In the next part, we will introduce a simple video aspect ratio converter to help you change video aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9. Read on for more details.

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is our highly-recommended aspect ratio changer that can change the video aspect ratio to any dimension you want, including 4:3, 16:9, 1:1(square), 9:16(vertical), and more. You can use it to convert video aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 widescreen in two simple ways – a. zoom in and crop the video to the widescreen aspect ratio(keeping the whole width); b. stretch the video to 16:9 directly. Meanwhile, the program allows you to convert video to 1920x1080 for better display on your HD widescreen.

This aspect ratio converter supports all video formats, and the conversion process is straightforward. Now, just get this software and follow the tutorials below to change your video from full screen to widescreen.

Before start, please free download free download the video ratio converter and install it on your PC.

Note. This method will convert 4:3 to 16:9 without stretching, so it is for converting normal videos. But as it crops out the band on top and bottom, the video will lose some image data.

Step 1. Import 4:3 Video into the Program

Launch HD Video Converter Factory Pro on your PC and open the “Converter” program. Next, click the center + button or the upper-left “Add Files” to import your 4:3 aspect ratio video into the converter interface.

At the bottom of the converter, you can click the triangle button to specify an output path for your converted files or just leave it as default.

Step 2. Crop 4:3 to 16:9

Navigate to the Crop function in the video toolbar and open the Video Crop window. Now, choose the “Fixed Aspect Ratio” mode and select “16:9” from the drop-down options. In the Original Preview, drag (or amplify) the 16:9 frame to any position you want. You can see the effect in the Output Preview window. When everything is ready, click “OK” to save the changes.

Step 3. Select Output Profile and Start 4:3 to 16:9 Conversion

Open the output format list on the right side of the program and choose your preferred output format for your file. It is recommended that you keep the original file format. Finally, click “Run” to convert video aspect ratio to 16:9.

Note. This method will convert video from 4:3 to 16:9 by stretching and might result in a distorted video. However, the output video will look normal if the source video is a squished 4:3 video that should be displayed at 16:9.

Step 1. Add 4:3 Video File

Start the HD Video Converter and enter the “Converter” module. Then, drag the source 4:3 video into the conversion list.

Step 2. Pick Output Format and Choose 16:9 Display

Go to the right side of the converter and open the output format page. Head to the “Video” category and choose an output format. Saving the video in the original format is most recommended.

Next, open the “Parameter settings” and navigate to the “Aspect ratio” in the video output settings. Change the video aspect ratio to “16:9.” In the meantime, you can modify the video resolution to 1080p(1920*1080) to improve video quality.

Step 3. Convert 4:3 to 16:9

Now, hit the triangle button to set an output folder and click “Run” to convert video to 16:9 widescreen.

That’s the whole content of 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios and how to convert 4:3 to 16:9 to make videos widescreen. I hope you find this article helpful. Now, time to download download the video aspect ratio converter to start your first conversion!