How to Remove the Black Bars on an TCL Smart TV

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

Your TCL Smart TV has a display aspect ratio of 16:9. Movies, TV shows or other programming can have the same or a different ratio. If the content you are watching is of a different ratio, you will either see vertical or horizontal bars on the sides of the screen. If you want to get rid of those bars, this guide will show you how to modify the picture size to fill the entire screen.

Please bare in mind, that depending on the aspect ratio of the original source, the original ratio may still present the best picture.

2. Adjust Aspect Ratio

1. Press the Options button on the remote to display the options menu.
   

1. 
   
   
2. Use the navigational buttons to operate the menu:
3. Press the Up and Down arrows to scroll through the options,
4. Press the OK button to select an option,
5. Press the Left and Right arrows to change the option values.

1. 
   
   
2. Look for Picture size in the options menu. If you don't see it, then go into Advanced picture settings.
   

1. 
   
   
2. Once you find that option, cycle through auto, normal, direct, stretch or zoom options and keep the one that you prefer. The auto setting has been found to produce the best picture in most cases.

If viewing content from another source such as a cable box or a DVD player also check the video output format of the device. Please refer to the devices documentation for more details.