How do I adjust file scaling and video playback mode on a TV?
Both options are on the TV page, in the Extras tab, under the App group. They only appear on some devices: if they aren't on your TV, there's nothing to adjust.
To change either one:
- In the TVs menu, click the TV's name.
- Click Enable Editing.
- Open the Extras tab.
- Choose the option under File Scaling or Video Playback Mode.
- Click Save.
It may take a few minutes for the change to take effect, and it only applies when the TV is online.
File Scaling
Defines how each file is resized in the app window. It appears on Windows TVs running the updated app.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Proportional inside (default) | The file is resized proportionally to fit inside the window. |
| Proportional outside | The file is scaled proportionally to fill the entire area, and parts of it may fall outside the visible area. |
| Width only | Only the file's width is adjusted to fit. |
| Height only | Only the file's height is adjusted to fit. |
| Stretch | The file fills exactly the width and height of the window. |
| None | The file is not resized. |
When to change it:
- Keep Proportional inside to show the entire file, with no cropping or distortion. If the file's aspect ratio differs from the screen's, there may be empty space at the edges.
- Use Proportional outside to fill the screen without distortion, accepting that the edges of the file will be cropped.
- Use Stretch to fill the entire screen. If the file's aspect ratio differs from the screen's, the image will be distorted.
Scaling is often adjusted together with the window size, for example on LED panels. See How to display on an LED panel or on only part of the screen.
Tip: for images, each playlist item also has a Fill option. See What's the difference between the image fill options?.
Video Playback Mode
It appears only on some devices running older versions of the app. The options are Normal, Optimized, and Highly Optimized or, on some Android devices, Normal and Optimized.
- Normal is the default. Most devices play videos very well with it.
- If videos freeze, or if the app freezes after many hours of playback, try the other options.
- On devices with the Optimized and Highly Optimized options, choosing anything other than Normal makes the Screen Capture of a playing video appear completely black. This is expected.
If your TV doesn't have this option and videos freeze, the cause is usually the video itself. See My high-definition video is slow or freezes on the TV. Why?.
