Why Do I See BlackaBars or Stretched Images When Connecting My Monitor?Updated 19 days ago
The reason
Black bars or stretched images usually happen when a monitor with a different aspect ratio is connected to a device. For example, connecting a 16:10 monitor to a 16:9 laptop or console can cause these issues.
What Causes Monitor Black Bars?
Monitor Black Bars Appear with Fixed Aspect Ratios
If you connect a device with a fixed 16:9 aspect ratio (like a Nintendo Switch) to a 16:10 monitor that automatically detects aspect ratios, you’ll likely see black bars at the top and bottom (since 10 - 9 = 1).
Extended Display and Video Playback Can Trigger Monitor Black Bars
When connecting a laptop in extended mode, if the input source is 16:9, black bars will appear, especially when playing videos with a fixed aspect ratio.
What causes Image Stretching?
Most game consoles operate in 16:9. If you want to eliminate the black bars, you can manually adjust the aspect ratio to fill the 16:10 screen. However, this will stretch the image vertically (stretching 9 to 10), and unoptimized 16:10 monitors may force that stretch.
But if you're looking at documents, there won’t be any stretching since the computer automatically recognizes the resolution. In extended mode, the resolutions of the main and secondary displays typically don’t conflict.
What should I do?
Ignore the Black Bars
In fact, if you want to eliminate the monitor black bars, you will have to deal with image stretching which can't be solved. So it ultimately depends on your personal preference. If you want to keep the original image quality of the game's screen ratio, the black border can't be removed. As you can see in the pictures below, it doesn't affect the gaming experience.
Choose a Monitor with the Same Screen Ratio as the Console
You can choose a monitor with the same aspect ratio as the gaming console. This way, there will be no black bars or image stretching.
16:9 Gaming Consoles
You can choose these 16:9 monitors:
- UTouch E6 Pro - 1920x1080 Monitor
- Unify B5 - Upgrade 15.6" VESA Portable Monitor
- UTouch G16 - 120hz Steam Deck External Monitor
16:10 Gaming Consoles
You can choose these 16:10 monitors:
- UColor O2 - 16:10 Monitor
- UGame C2 - 120Hz Gaming Monitor
- UGame C2 Pro - 2K 144Hz Gaming Monitor
- UGame K118 - 18 Inch 2K FreeSync Monitor