Question:

Why are there black or grey bars on the sides of my widescreen TV when displaying a standard 4:3 broadcast, and what can I do about it?

Answer:

Subject:  The picture looks normal, but there are black or gray bars on the sides of the picture.

When a wide screen TV displays a standard 4:3 broadcast, it typically displays an undistorted 4:3 image with black or gray bars on either side to fill in the portions of the 16:9 screen not covered by the image.

See the illustration above.

You can, if you want, have the picture fill the whole screen, but adjusting the picture to fill the screen will, in most case, causes your TV to distort or crop the picture. Instructions are below. 

If you have a set top box: 

• Set the TV’s picture mode to 16:9 (For instructions click here) and use the aspect controls in the box to adjust the picture.
• Please refer to your set top box owner’s manual for information on how to adjust the aspect ratio on the box.
• The box should have aspect ratios similar to those on your TV such as stretch, zoom, and 4:3. 

If you are not using a set top box: 

• Set the picture size on the TV to 16:9. The TV stretches the picture side to side to fill the screen, making objects and people in the picture look fatter.
• Set the picture size on the TV to Zoom 1 or Zoom 2. The TV enlarges the picture, crops it, and removes the bars, but leaves the picture undistorted.
• Set the TV’s picture size to Wide Fit. The TV adjusts the picture’s aspect ratio to fit the screen.
• This picture option is only available with a 1080i signal. 

Important:

The picture sizes and aspect rations available on your TV depend on your current source (HDMI, S-Video, Composite, etc.) and the resolution of the signal the TV is receiving.

To see a table that lists when the different aspect ratios and picture sizes are available on your TV, please click here.