[Jeffhs]

I watch a lot of older TV programs ('50s-'70s era) which were filmed or taped in 4:3 aspect ratio; this, of course, will result in the black bars on either side of the picture on either CRT TVs or modern flat screens. I have a 32" flat screen, which shows the bars either at both sides of the picture, at the top and bottom of said picture, or both (the last occurring almost exclusively on commercials, which I ignore anyway). My solution is simply to change the TV's aspect ratio setting to "zoom", which causes the picture to fill the screen; however, parts of the image will be cut off, as was noted by one person here. This can be annoying, but it is the only way to get a full-screen picture on a flat screen when watching older shows which were filmed or taped long before the digital TV era.