Ask S&V

Q I’ve owned my Panasonic plasma TV for seven years but am now wondering about its life expectancy. Refresh rate, viewing angle, and, in particular, aspect ratio control are major concerns for my next TV. Can any of the latest TVs display a constant aspect ratio regardless of signal source? —Joe Nagy / via e-mail

A Most TVs provide Zoom and Stretch controls that will allow you to consistently fill the set’s 1.78:1 (or 16:9) screen area when viewing movies that have either a squarish 1.33:1 aspect ratio or a wide aspect ratio — typically 2.35:1. The effect of selecting these modes will be to eliminate the black bars located at the top and bottom or sides of the picture.

Having said that, I wouldn’t characterize using a TV’s Zoom and Stretch controls as maintaining “a constant aspect ratio.” What you’re essentially doing when you apply these modes is distorting images to make them conform to the TV’s fixed 16:9 aspect ratio display. The sides of the picture will be cut off, and circular objects can end up looking like footballs. If you have an interest in experiencing a movie as its director intended for it to be seen, a far better option is to accept and live with any black bars on your TV’s screen.