High def picture is cut off on the sides

It looks like you are saying standard definition pictures do not cover the screen like HD pictures do. Standard def is formatted 4:3 and high def is 16:9. They are not the same so your high def screen is made to display the not as tall but wider high def picture. In order to fill the screen with the taller and not as wide 4:3 aspect ratio std def picture you must tell the TV to stretch the picture or otherwise fill the screen.The TV will have controls you can exercise for this purpose and you can set it up to always show std def in a particular manner. The alternative, if you want the standard Def picture to look true to form, is to view standard def in Letter Box form. It's appearance will then include black panels on the sides of the picture. So the problem is not with the TV but in accepting older format pictures playing on newer format displays (TVs.)

It looks like you are saying standard definition pictures do not cover the screen like HD pictures do. Standard def is formatted 4:3 and high def is 16:9. They are not the same so your high def screen is made to display the not as tall but wider high def picture. In order to fill the screen with the taller and not as wide 4:3 aspect ratio std def picture you must tell the TV to stretch the picture or otherwise fill the screen.The TV will have controls you can exercise for this purpose and you can set it up to always show std def in a particular manner. The alternative, if you want the standard Def picture to look true to form, is to view standard def in Letter Box form. It's appearance will then include black panels on the sides of the picture. So the problem is not with the TV but in accepting older format pictures playing on newer format displays (TVs.)

Hi,

Below are some troubleshooting tips for a TV that has a fuzzy or blurry picture;

If your Plasma or LCD TV picture is blurry or fuzzy there are several things that may be causing the problem. It's worth running through the following list before seeking service. You may find yourself saving the full cost of a TV repair.

Make sure you are using the appropriate cable box for your TV. If you have a high-definition TV you should also be using a high-def channel box from your cable provider. Watching standard definition channels on a high-def TV can make the picture look distorted and fuzzy.

Not all cable channels are broadcast in high-definition. When you stretch a standard definition picture to fill the full frame of your wide-screen TV it may look distorted. You can try changing your TV display settings to show standard-def channels at their native resolution. This will create black or gray bands on either side of your picture.

Ideally all of your video components will be connected to your TV with HDMI cables. Your next best option will be component video cables. If your cable box does not have HDMI capabilities, contact your cable company about upgrading your box to one that does include HDMI.

Make sure there is no glare on your TV from a window or other strong light source. This can significantly degrade the quality of the image you are watching.

If your TV has digital noise reduction, try turning that feature on.

You can adjust your TV's sharpness and picture modes to see if that improves picture quality.

Try plugging the power cord into a different electrical outlet and/or surge protector. You may be receiving electrical interference through your power cord.

Trying moving any nearby electrical devices away from the TV. They may be creating interference that can degrade the picture quality.

Let me know if the above helps or not, so that I can direct you further on what do next.....

Best regards.

the picture is narrowed on the sides when you are not on a high def program.
commercials will often be standard def even on a high def channel.

check you cable or satelite box setting to "stretch" analog programming automatically.

get the remote... go to menu...roll through to you come to picture / set up here you should see zoom1, zoom 2, normal, wide and panaramic... (note that some shows broadcast in wide screen) top & bottom is cut off...and in hi def the box (picture is showing like a box) all around is black out...don't feel bad I have 56 inch hi def and get mad.... i have 4inches all around all black out if i wanted a 48 .....

just enjoy it Season Greetings

Is this hooked to a high definition dish network? If so there is a format button on the remote to change the picture size. As far as changing it to 1080 it will only broadcast in what it sees if it is not in high def it can't broadcast in hi def.

This is because you are not receiving a high def signal or you are not using your high def inputs.

i was having problems in the tv menu getting full screen. no matter what i did there was two black bars on each side of the screen. i have att u verse so i went into the cable menu to options. In the options tab i went down to system options then to aspect ratio. in this screen you get a few options like 4:3 standard definition and 1080i on high def screen. I chose 1080i high def and then played with the zoom function on my remote and the problem was solved. hope this helps

in order to get the full HD experience you should be using HDMI cables. if you're using the white/red/yellow cables then your HD channels will not broadcast in full HD and you'll be stuck with the annoying black things around your screen

do you have your video pluged in to the tv or any thing elc if so unplug the video any see if that work or it could be your ampifier let me know how you get on thanks