TV programs do not fill entire screen

Sounds like the u-verse aspect is not set correctly -

Menu-options-system options- TV screen res

Set to the appropriate widescreen setting for your TV.

Be sure to move the cursor to accept the setting after the test.

This will fill the screen on chans 1nnn. For chans below trhat use the zoom button located bottom right.

If the picture is too big for the screen check the TV settings. Should be set to normal or 16:9.

I've had the same problem for quite a while where the image has about 6" of black on the sides and 3" on the top and bottom.  I've tried all permutations of resolution/aspect ratio settings on the ATT box and my TV to no avail. The zoom settings on the TV helped some, but would cut off either some of the picture or the UVerse menus, so that wasn't a great solution.  

However, I found on a different forum a solution that is so far working for me.  If you look closely at your UVerse remote, there is an enter/zoom button at the far bottom-right.  That button allows you to set zoom settings for the UVerse box.  I chose zoom #3.  Now the picture fills my screen almost completely with only two small bars on the left and right.  Now why isn't this in the main menu is beyond me, but at least it works.

If you subscribed to, and viewed, HD channels, this would not be the case.

maybe he doesn't want to pay for it?

Perhaps, but that's the best way to do away with letter and pillar boxing on an HD TV.

It is. Are you going to pay for it?

HD will change your life.  🙂

@ahettlin- RE: Now why isn't this in the main menu is beyond me, but at least it works.

When it was first placed there, there were only a few items on the menu. It was one of the few things that was done applying usability. It appears that it was recognized that there are different size pictures & u-verse cannot automatically control the picture filling the screen for all cases. It makes it easy to customize the picture for each channel.

Giving ZOOM its own button is a way to make it readily accessiblewhen needed. The current problem is that the button was loaded up with other functions.

In contrast, the worst usablity, initially, was the Closed Caption (CC) which was buried in the main menu at 22 clicks, when it should have been one click. After a long battle, att modifed the CC toggle to make it more accessable by putting it under the ZOOM button.

From a usability standpoint CC, Zoom and Favorites guide should have their own button.

Instead, on-demand and Go interactive have their own buttons on the S10.  The new S20 remote has less buttons and features On Demand, Interactive and Multiview buttons in the most prominent position.

I believe, ZOOM, CC & Favorites should come first over ON Demand, Interactive and Multiview. If not there should be more buttons.

The ZOOM (aka ENTER) button is named CC. But, it is the same menu because the STB determines how it responds to the IR.

The S20 does have an easier to read manual than the S10. It is difficult to find all the ins & outs of the remote functionality. That is why there is a forum. So, we can recommend solutions that are not immediately obvious.

No. I'm not going to pay for it.  U-Verse is extremely expensive for what it is already.  I lived in France for almost a year in 2013-2014.  I purchased the absolute most basic DSL internet package for my apartment while we were there from Orange. It came with internet access (speed unspecified), a full TV lineup, and a home VIOP line.  When I ran speedtest.net on that connection, I was getting 70Mbps down and 13Mbps up.  And how much did this cost me?  $39 EUR/month, not even $45/month.  Oh, and this was in an 800+ year old building in a medieval village in the middle of vineyard country (not kidding, look up Ribeauville, it's beautiful). To me, AT&T is playing with childrens blocks compared to the service I got over there.  So no, I'm not going to pay for HD when I know I'm already being scammed, and I only watch maybe a few hours of TV per month anyway.

@ahettlin - I do not want to say that usability was done, because I can only guess. I can only say it applies based on my usage for that one button.

Overall design & documentation is a different story. It is a disaster. Don't get me started.

@JasonJPerry RE:This just happened to me today. All settings ate the same as before.

What just happened to you today? The picture never/always/sometimes fills the screen.

What are the setttinings that have not changed?

How is the the STB connected to what kind of TV?

Does it affect chans below 1000 (only)? All chans including above 1000? The guide/menu??

You are connected to an HD TV via component or HDMI?

If the guide menu is off it is probably the TV.

If it is chans below 1000, you need to get friendly with the zoom button.

Don, If your old box just had yellow, red and white rca your box my not be out putting the  720/1080. Go into menu>Option>Screen Size.  Not all HD ie 1000+ will fill the screen. The networks may not have true hd programming still 4:3 size in wide screen causing the bars on the side. And if that chanel is like that, they can broadcast a widescreen at 16:9 into their 4:3 format on your 16:9 screen.   I know that sounds like alot, but just think rectangle in a square in another rectangle.