# What's the deal with fuzzy framed YouTube videos? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580 "2015-07-19T04:03:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/1 "2015-07-19T04:03:23Z")
I’ve come across a lot of videos on YouTube that have a round, fuzzy-like dark filter around the screen. [Here’s an example (the pretty good 1940 scifi film\* Dr. Cyclops\*).](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKuB-7VdKQ0) Is it some kind of trick to fool their copyrighted material auto-scanner? Or is it just something wrong with my YouTube player config? ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/2 "2015-07-19T04:22:03Z")
I don’t notice anything like you’re describing on the video you linked to. So either it isn’t there or I’m not understanding what you mean. Here’s what a random frame looks like for me. (At about 22:11 or so into the video.) [http://www.yearofglad.com/images/frame.jpg](http://www.yearofglad.com/images/frame.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/3 "2015-07-19T04:37:08Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I’ve come across a lot of videos on YouTube that have a round, fuzzy-like dark filter around the screen. [Here’s an example (the pretty good 1940 scifi film\* Dr. Cyclops\*).](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKuB-7VdKQ0) Is it some kind of trick to fool their copyrighted material auto-scanner? That’s exactly what it is. This is the new fad after flipping the video left-to-right stopped working. It’s a constant cold-war with these guys. > [@yearofglad](#): > > I don’t notice anything like you’re describing on the video you linked to. maybe you should get your eyes checked. ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/4 "2015-07-19T04:54:51Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > That’s exactly what it is. This is the new fad after flipping the video left-to-right stopped working. It’s a constant cold-war with these guys. > > maybe you should get your eyes checked. That’s weird. I mean, yes, maybe I should. I didn’t notice it on the video (not like I watched much of it) and now see it on the frame. I guess I didn’t pay much attention and I think I also assumed it was just poor quality. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/5 "2015-07-19T05:03:43Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > That’s exactly what it is. This is the new fad after flipping the video left-to-right stopped working. It’s a constant cold-war with these guys. Well, what’s the point, then? The movie is pretty much unwatchable like that. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/6 "2015-07-19T05:13:27Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Well, what’s the point, then? The movie is pretty much unwatchable like that. Stickin’ it to The Man, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/7 "2015-07-19T06:41:10Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Well, what’s the point, then? The movie is pretty much unwatchable like that. Yeah, I was expecting the edges to be darkened or fuzzy, but wow, that’s bad. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2015, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-fuzzy-framed-youtube-videos/725580/8 "2015-07-19T07:29:09Z")
Perhaps those in the know can unfuzzy it by some process.