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VIZIO Smart TVs generally have no single “full screen” switch. To fill the display, you change the aspect ratio or picture size mode, and each mode trades bars for stretching or cropping. Look for a control named Aspect Ratio, Picture Size, Wide, or View Mode in the Picture or System menu. The labels and available modes vary by model and by input, so if your TV’s menu doesn’t match these steps, use the manual for your exact model.

Change the picture mode with the remote

  1. Switch to the input or app that shows the problem, such as an HDMI input or a streaming app.
  2. Press the MENU button on the remote and open the Picture or System settings.
  3. Look for Aspect Ratio, Picture Size, Wide, or View Mode. Menu names differ between models.
  4. Select the mode you want. On the legacy VIZIO VX32L HDTV20A, the manual tells you to scroll to Wide and then select a viewing mode. That route applies to that older model, not to every current Smart TV.
  5. Check the picture. If people or objects look stretched, switch back to Normal.

Identify the picture shape before changing modes

Black bars are not always a TV fault. A 4:3 picture shown on a 16:9 widescreen panel normally has side bars when its original proportions are preserved. VIZIO’s manual for the VX32L HDTV20A, dated May 20, 2008, describes this behavior directly: “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.”

Wide-format films can also show bars at the top and bottom. Those bars are often part of the film’s own framing, so a fill mode may not remove them. Check whether the bars are on the sides, the top and bottom, or both before you change anything.

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What each mode does

The descriptions below come from VIZIO’s legacy manuals dated 2006 and 2008. They explain how these named modes behaved on those models. They do not confirm the same names or behavior on every current Smart TV.

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Zoom Yes. The image is enlarged proportionally No Yes. Top and bottom edges are cut off Removing side bars when losing some picture edges is acceptable.
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Troubleshoot bars that stay on one input

  1. Recheck the mode on each input. VIZIO’s manuals say picture modes are saved separately for each input. A mode you set on HDMI 1 does not automatically apply to HDMI 2 or an app.
  2. Check the connected device. If changing the TV’s mode does not help, look at the output or display settings of the set-top box, console, or streaming device. The device may be sending a 4:3 or letterboxed signal. This is a general troubleshooting step, not a VIZIO-specific fix for every device.
  3. Compare another app or program before changing global settings. If only one app shows bars and other content fills the screen, leave the TV’s mode alone and check that app’s own framing first.

Where these instructions may not match your TV

  • Menu labels, button routes, and mode names have changed across VIZIO models over time. Older manuals may not match a current set.
  • The modes described here are from legacy manuals. Current streaming apps may apply their own framing, and the TV’s mode may not change that.
  • If the exact control is missing, find your model number on the back of the TV or in its settings, then use the manual for that model.

Choose the mode by checking three things: whether the picture keeps its proportions, whether it is stretched, and whether any edges are cropped. The mode that fills the screen is only the right choice when the stretching or cropping is acceptable for the content you are watching.

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