TV picture looks stretched or the wrong shape

Symptoms

• People and objects look too wide or too thin
• Black bars appear on the sides or top/bottom unexpectedly
• Picture fills the screen but looks distorted
• Problem is worse on one app or channel than others

Likely causes

• CommonTV's aspect ratio or zoom setting is set incorrectlyTVs offer modes like '16:9,' '4:3,' or 'zoom' that can stretch or crop the image if mismatched with the source.
• CommonSource content is in a different aspect ratio than the displayOlder shows and some broadcasts are filmed in 4:3 and will show black bars on a widescreen TV unless stretched, which distorts the image.
• PossibleSource device's output resolution/format setting is misconfiguredA cable box or game console set to the wrong output format can send a mismatched picture.

What to do

1. Open the TV's picture settings and look for 'aspect ratio,' 'screen fit,' or 'zoom mode.'
2. Set it to '16:9' or 'auto/just scan' for most modern widescreen content.
3. Check if the distortion happens on every input or just one, which points to the source device instead.
4. On the source device (cable box, game console), check its display or output settings for a matching aspect ratio.
5. For intentionally 4:3 content like old shows, expect black bars on the sides as normal rather than stretching to fill the screen.
6. Restart both the TV and source device after changing settings to make sure they take effect.

When to call a pro

This is a settings issue in nearly all cases and doesn't require a technician.

Safety