How do I set ATV 4K to use 16x9 and not insert black bars above and below the picture

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How do I set ATV 4K to use 16x9 and not insert black bars above and below the picture

I have a new Sony Bravia XR-50X90J UHD 4K television connected to an Apple TV 4K. When I go to play a movie from, say, Netflix or HBO, it is displayed with black bars above and below the image. This is true even if the movie I'm watching isn't one designed for a theatre screen. Normal OTA TV or content from YouTube TV displays correctly in 16x9. In addition, the ATV desktop and other apps display correctly as well, e.g., they fill the screen.

The Display and Sound/Screen settings on the Sony are grayed out and cannot be changed. I've contacted Sony to try and see how to correct this, but they're saying that it's a setting on ATV that controls this, and for the life of me, I don't see it.

Can anyone give me some direction on how to fix this? I love the new TV and have been using ATV for the last few years on a Samsung 1080 TV and never encountered this problem.

In advance, many thanks for any help offered!

Posted on Sep 30, 2022 3:08 PM

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Answer 1

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Urquhart1244

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Oct 1, 2022 7:23 AM in response to BocaBoy

What has gotten me here is that content shot for TV, not theaters, isn't 16x9. Why would anyone shoot something is other than 16.9 if the end use of the content was streaming, not theatrical?

You have a good point. One of the first made-for-TV shows with intentional letterboxing, that also gained a wide viewership, is probably House of Cards (2013), with the then unusual 2:1 aspect ratio, somewhere in-between 16:9 and theatrical widescreen. In the end it is an artistic decision by the director/producers/cinematographer team. Later other creators decided similarly for the same effect.

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Answer 2

Sep 30, 2022 5:03 PM in response to BocaBoy

The content aspect ratio can be anything that the film maker or TV show creators want. It doesn’t have to be cinemascope or 16:9; something in between is also valid. That is not specific to Apple TV.

For the Apple TV box, there used to be a remote gesture to zoom to fill the screen (double-tap trackpad), but that doesn’t seem to work anymore in the current version system software. I hope we get that back in an upcoming update. I hope others give similar feedback to help prioritize the return of this feature. Feedback - Apple TV - Apple.

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Answer 3

Oct 2, 2022 9:44 AM in response to BocaBoy

For the Apple TV box, there used to be a remote gesture to zoom to fill the screen (double-tap trackpad), but that doesn’t seem to work anymore.

I have been informed that this function now has its own enabling setting, and is thus still available, although apparently for Apple apps, not for Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (can’t test HBO Max myself): discussions.apple.com/thread/254221702.

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Answer 4

BocaBoy Author

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Oct 1, 2022 2:59 AM in response to Urquhart1244

I think this has to do with my moving to a 4K UHD-capable TV. The feedback from other sources are saying that above 1080, the aspect ration can't be adjusted. I don't remember on my old set that this was a problem, but that Samsung was only a 1080p monitor.

What has gotten me here is that content shot for TV, not theaters, isn't 16x9. Why would anyone shoot something is other than 16.9 if the end use of the content was streaming, not theatrical?

Anyway, it looks like I'm gonna have to live with it, so thanks for your input!

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Answer 5

BocaBoy Author

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Oct 3, 2022 4:39 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Thanks for the update. I've tried most of those suggestions under the Video menu, but I didn't try to reset the resolution. I'll do that today.

After watching this closely, I think my Apple TV is operating correctly, as is the Bravia. The problem is that wide-screen movies appear considerably smaller on a 50" screen than they might on a 65" or greater. As I said in the beginning of this thread, there were instances where I was watching something in wide-screen that was shot-for-TV where I would have expected it to be 16x9. Since our entertainment center can only accommodate a 50" set, I guess I'll have to learn to live with it. I just don't remember ATV behaving this way with my old Samsung.

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. I do love the picture on the Bravia and all the other features built into it. I guess I'm just becoming a curmudgeon in my old age when things aren't what I think they should be!

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How do I set ATV 4K to use 16x9 and not insert black bars above and below the picture

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