SkyShowtime on an ultrawide monitor, step by step
SkyShowtime streams series and films from big American studios in many European countries, Poland among them. A lot of people in Europe watch it on a 2560×1080 ultrawide, a common first ultrawide, so this guide uses its numbers alongside 3440×1440 and 32:9 screens.
Where the black comes from on 2560×1080
A 2560×1080 monitor is 1080 pixels high, like a regular Full HD screen, but a third wider. The player fits the 16:9 video to that height, which makes it 1920 pixels wide and leaves 320 black pixels on each side. A series made in 2.00:1 is delivered inside that 16:9 video with bars above and below, so the actual picture takes only 1920×960 pixels. Add it up and a third of the monitor is black.
Films in the 2.39:1 scope format lose even more, close to half the screen. On a 32:9 monitor such as 3840×1080 the side bars double.
| What you watch | 21:9 (2560×1080) | 32:9 (3840×1080) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.39 film inside a 16:9 stream | 44.2% black | 62.8% black |
| 2.00 series inside a 16:9 stream | 33.3% black | 55.6% black |
| 16:9 series or show | 25% black | 50% black |
A 3440×1440 monitor has almost the same shape as 2560×1080, so the percentages differ by less than one point. Check other sizes in the black bar calculator.
Filling the screen
- Add UltraFill to Google Chrome on Windows or macOS, then pin it to the toolbar.
- Open SkyShowtime in Chrome, start a title and switch to full screen.
- Click UltraFill at the top of the video, or press Alt + U (Option + U on a Mac).
- In the Screen tab choose the format. For wide films use 2.39. For a series in about 2.00:1 there is no exact preset, so choose 2.20: it removes the bars, and on a 21:9 screen the filled result is the same.
- Pick a fill mode and press Fill the screen, or Alt + Z.
- Hold Alt + C to see the original for comparison.
Crop or stretch on a 1080-line ultrawide
With crop, a 2.00 series on 2560×1080 keeps 84.4% of its height and the picture is enlarged by about a third. If you sit close and the enlarged picture looks soft, that is a sign to try stretch instead, which keeps the picture closer to its original size.
Stretch is more forgiving here than many people expect. A 2.00 series only has to become 18.5% wider to fill 2560×1080, as the illustration above shows. In wide shots, landscapes and action scenes it is hard to spot. Faces in close-up give it away more, and that is where elastic stretch (PRO) helps: the center keeps its natural shape and mostly the edges are stretched. On protected players such as SkyShowtime it uses a gentler, simpler version.
For 2.39 films the choice is easy: crop removes the bars and cuts practically nothing on 21:9. Only on 32:9 do you need to decide between losing height and stretching. The guide to crop, stretch and elastic covers the trade-offs in more depth.
Binge-watching without repeating the setup
Because SkyShowtime protects its video with DRM, UltraFill cannot see the picture to measure the bars, and you choose the format yourself. Without PRO you do that when you start watching. With PRO, the title profile remembers the format and fill mode for each series, so episode after episode opens the same way, and auto-fill in full screen applies it the moment you go full screen. PRO starts with a 7-day trial the first time you use a PRO feature, without a card.
What works on protected video
- Works normally: crop, stretch, formats, zoom, framing, rotate, flip, and the color and light sliders.
- Needs one click: sound tools such as clear dialog, night mode, volume leveling and the equalizer. Click the UltraFill icon or press Alt + Shift + U (Option + Shift + U on a Mac). Chrome shows a sharing badge on the tab, which is expected.
- Does not work: automatic bar detection and effects that read the frames, such as denoise, ambient glow, the split before and after view and frame snapshots.
Watching late with the volume low? Night mode evens out loud and quiet scenes so you do not have to keep reaching for the volume.
Questions
Why is a third of my 2560×1080 screen black on SkyShowtime?
A 2.00 series is delivered inside a 16:9 video with bars above and below, and the 16:9 video is narrower than your monitor, so black appears at the sides too.
There is no 2.00 format. What should I choose for series?
Choose 2.20. It removes the bars inside the stream, and on a 21:9 monitor the filled result looks the same as an exact 2.00 setting.
Is crop or stretch better on a 1080-line ultrawide?
Crop has no distortion but enlarges the picture by about a third. Stretch keeps everything and makes a 2.00 series 18.5% wider. Try both with Alt + C to compare.
Does UltraFill work in my country?
UltraFill works with video in Google Chrome on Windows and macOS wherever you are. Whether SkyShowtime is available in your country depends on the service.
Do the sound tools work on SkyShowtime?
Yes. Turn them on once per tab with the UltraFill icon or Alt + Shift + U (Option + Shift + U on a Mac).
What about a 3840×1080 super ultrawide?
Half of the screen is black with a 16:9 picture. Combine crop with some zoom, stretch, or use elastic stretch with PRO to fill it.
UltraFill is an independent extension and is not affiliated with SkyShowtime or any other service mentioned on this page. Service names are used only to describe compatibility.