Black Bars and narrow picture on new hdtv - help!

[Snapdragon]

hi

We just got a new tv.  It is a flat screen and I guess it is an hdtv. We have cable. So as many know, there are these long black bars on top and bottom of the picture.  This makes the picture even more long and narrow and shorter than it already is- which already is too long and narrow for how I am used to old tv being, and for what my brain finds relaxing.

I tried to understand the reasons but it is a bit confusing! The commercials and some chanels are all of the screen, but most of the chanels are with these balck bars.

I don't really need to fully understand the why's of it, but I would like to know if there is a way to have cable tv and watch it in the more regular, older shape normal to me tv that IW as used to and prefer.

Is the simple solution to buy an older non hdtv television? I am fine with doing that- if it gives me a more square and less horizontal picture, and it it removes the black bars. But does it?

[CarrieMF]

It is standard widescreen.  You get more picture than when it is not in widescreen.

You can change it with your tv remote settings.  Sometimes shows will have it as standard even if you change it.

[Snapdragon]

still confused! I actually looked up a couple of explinations on line and it is kind of confusing- I still think that if I want the type of tv I used to know, that I need to get a tube tv and not a flat screen hd- but still not sure how that will work. I will just have to try it!

[MadiMamacita]

it sounds like you are wanting the picture to take up the whole screen, right? You should be able to go into the tv menu with your remote and change the setting. There are probably a variety of settings under the "Display" menu that you can mess around with until you find one you like.

[Altair]

You don't need to change TVs.  As PPs said, there has to be a display menu somewhere, and you can change it to fit how you like.  You can turn that feature off on all TVs, as far as I know.