Setting picture format and aspect ratio in an IPTV player

Picture format or aspect ratio settings in an IPTV player determine how video that doesn't exactly fit your TV screen is displayed: with black bars, stretched, or cropped to fill the screen.

Auto

Keeps the video at its own, original ratio — usually the safest choice, with possible black bars above/below or on the sides if the source ratio doesn't exactly match your screen.

Zoom

Enlarges the picture to fill the screen completely, cropping part of the edges out of view. Useful for source material with a slightly different ratio than your screen, less suitable if important picture information sits near the edges.

Which should I use

Start with Auto — it always shows the picture correctly, without distortion. Only switch to Zoom if you deliberately want to remove the black bars and don't expect important content at the edges.