TiVo Premiere 4 Viewer's Manual page 55

In PANEL mode, side bars are added to the picture to fill the screen,
preserving the broadcast aspect ratio. This is useful if you're
watching a show broadcast in 4:3 on a 16:9 TV, or vice-versa. In
the picture of the bears, notice that the bears no longer look
squished, but the picture size is dramatically decreased.
In ZOOM mode, the picture is stretched without distortion. The
edges of the picture are cropped to fit the TV screen. This mode
is useful if you're watching a show broadcast with letterbox bars
or side bars. Zoom mode crops the letterbox bars out of the
picture. The picture of the bears looks best in Zoom mode.
Letterbox color
Choose which color the TiVo Premiere 4/XL4 should use when it adds letterbox or side bars to
the picture: gray or black. Changing the color of the bars can be useful if you're trying to
determine whether bars on the screen are being added by the TiVo Premiere 4/XL4 or by the
broadcaster.
TV aspect ratio
Aspect ratio refers to the proportions of your TV screen. A standard TV screen ratio is 4:3.
Widescreen TVs are 16:9. Select the type of screen your TV has.
• Some TVs automatically change their display based on the type of signal they receive: high-
definition or standard. If your 4:3 TV has this feature, you probably notice that it adds bars
to the top and bottom of an HD picture. If so, select '4:3 Smart Screen.'
Watching shows
Letterbox is used to fit a 16 x 9 show
on a 4 x 3 screen, and sidebars are
used to fit a 4 x 3 show on a 16 x 9
screen.
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