Your TV's screen resolution determines how many dots or pixels make up the image you see. The more pixels, the better the picture quality or definition. Then, some programs are in 3D TV adding the illusion of depth to normal 2D video to provide a realistic three-dimensional viewing experience. The perception of depth is attained through synchronized viewing of separate images by each eye.
Resolution numbers

An explanation of screen shapes, resolutions and definitions

SD, or Standard Definition, TVs display 480 lines of resolution top to bottom (480p). They are usually box shaped (4:3 ratio) but some come with a widescreen display (16:9 ratio).
All HDTVs, or High Definition TVs, are widescreen (16:9 ratio) but they come in two versions. Some display 720 lines of resolution top to bottom (720p), which is more resolution than Standard screens. The "p" means all the pixels get refreshed at the same time.
The highest resolution HDTV has 1080 lines top to bottom (1080i) which gives you the best picture quality. The "i" means the odd and even lines are refreshed alternately (interlaced), which displays motion in a better way.

Choose the right setting for your TV

Press Menu on your U-verse TV remote control.
Scroll down to Options then press OK.
Select System and scroll right to TV Screen Resolution then press OK.
Select one of the settings, depending on your TV capability.
Once you select your screen resolution, a screen will prompt you to Start Test to verify if this is the correct setting. Select OK and follow the on-screen prompts.

Using the zoom button on your U-verse remote control
When you watch SD programming in widescreen mode on a widescreen HDTV, black bars will appear on the sides of the program. Follow these steps to fit the image to your TV:

Press ENTER on your U-verse TV remote to view the current zoom setting on your screen.
Press ENTER repeatedly until you reach one of the five zoom settings you want.
- Normal displays the normal image.
- Zoom 1 to 3 increases the zoom.
- Stretch expands the image to fill the screen (may cause distortion of picture).

Note: The zoom setting you choose will be applied to all channels.

Changing your TV screen resolution