Support article

The aspect ratio of a TV picture is the relationship between the width and height of the image. Standard definition TV screens have a 4:3 aspect ratio; most HDTVs have a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.

When the aspect ratio of the program you are watching does not match the aspect ratio of your TV, try changing the DVR’s aspect correction mode to improve your viewing experience. To do this, press the ASPECT button on the TiVo remote until you see the results you want.

You can cycle through these modes:

• Panel adds letterbox bars or side bars to the picture to fill the screen, preserving the program’s original aspect ratio. This mode is useful if you are watching a program that is broadcast in 4:3 on a 16:9 TV, or the reverse. If the program already includes letterbox bars or side bars these will still appear in Panel mode. The default color of the TiVo bars is gray, to make it easier for you to distinguish between these and the bars that are included in the program, but you can change them to black (see How to change the letterbox and sidebar colors on HD DVRs).
• Zoom stretches the picture without distortion. The edges of the picture are cropped to fit the TV screen. This mode is useful if you are watching a program in widescreen format on a 4:3 TV screen and you do not want to see letterbox bars or side bars. Some broadcasts include letterboxing in the video stream that may not be able to be cropped by Zoom mode, however.
• Full stretches the picture to fill the entire TV screen without adding letterbox bars or side bars. This may make the image look somewhat distorted. If the program itself includes letterbox bars or side bars, these will still appear in Full mode.

You can also change the aspect correction mode from the Video Settings menu. To do this, go to TiVo Central and select Messages & Settings > Settings > Video > Aspect Correction Mode.