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How to Set Full Screen on a VIZIO Smart TV

VIZIO Smart TVs fill the screen through an aspect-ratio or picture-size mode, not one universal button. Here is how to find the setting, what Wide, Zoom, and Panoramic do, and how to handle leftover bars.

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VIZIO Smart TVs do not have one universal “full screen” button. To fill the display, open the picture-size or aspect-ratio control in the Picture or System menu and choose a mode such as Wide, Zoom, or Panoramic. Each mode handles the edges of the picture differently, so filling the screen can mean stretching the image or cropping part of it. The exact menu name and available modes depend on your TV model and the input you are using.

Change the picture size mode

  1. Press the MENU button on the VIZIO remote.
  2. Open the Picture or System menu. Newer and older VIZIO models place the control in different places.
  3. Look for a setting named Aspect Ratio, Picture Size, Wide, or View Mode.
  4. Select a mode that fills the screen, then check the picture. If the stretching or cropping looks wrong, choose Normal to restore the original proportions.

On the VX32L HDTV20A, a model covered by a VIZIO manual dated May 20, 2008, the instruction is to scroll to Wide and select a viewing mode. That route is specific to that model. If your TV uses different labels, the TV’s own manual for your exact model is the reliable reference.

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Find out why the picture has black bars

Before you change anything, identify the shape of the program you are watching. Bars have different causes, and different modes fix them in different ways.

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  • 4:3 content on a 16:9 screen. Older programs and many standard-definition sources are 4:3. When their original proportions are kept, they show side bars (pillarboxing).
  • Wide cinema films. Some film formats are wider than 16:9. These can keep top and bottom bars (letterboxing) even in a mode that fills the screen.
  • One input or app only. If the bars appear on only one HDMI input or one app, the cause may be the source rather than the TV’s global setting.

What each picture mode does

The descriptions below come from VIZIO’s manual for the VX32L HDTV20A (May 20, 2008) and an older VIZIO manual dated 2006. The manual for the VX32L states: “The original 4:3 aspect ratio (1.33:1 source) is preserved, so black bars are added to the left and right of the display image.” Current VIZIO Smart TVs may offer different modes or behave differently, so treat this table as a guide to trade-offs rather than a specification for your model.

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Use this comparison to judge each mode: whether it keeps proportions, whether it stretches, and whether it removes any edge content. A wide cinema film in a fill mode can still show bars, because the film is wider than the screen.

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If bars remain after you change the mode

  1. Recheck the mode after switching inputs. The VIZIO manuals describe picture modes as saved per input, so a mode you chose for one HDMI port may not apply to another.
  2. Compare another channel or app. If the bars appear only in one program or streaming app, the source is probably formatting the picture that way. The manuals do not establish how any particular app behaves on a given TV generation.
  3. Check the connected device’s own display settings. A cable box, game console, or media player may have its own aspect-ratio or output setting. Changing it there can fix a problem the TV menu cannot.

Limits of this guidance

  • Labels vary by model. No TV model was identified in the source material, so the menu names above are the ones VIZIO uses in its older manuals. Use your model’s manual if they do not match.
  • Remote behavior can differ. VIZIO’s manual notes that some functions on cable or satellite remotes may not work as expected. If the menu does not respond, try the VIZIO remote that came with the TV.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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