Overscan enlarges the image beyond the visible screen edges. It can cut off scoreboards, captions and player controls even when the source is correct. Look for a TV setting such as original, screen fit or just scan, with naming dependent on the model. The useful first test is whether other edge content is missing alongside the subtitles. If menus, channel graphics and captions all lose their outer edges, investigate the display's framing before treating each element as a separate application problem.
Check theTV first
An HDMI input can retain its own picture-size setting. Open the television's picture-size controls while the affected HDMI input is active and consult the model's manual for its exact-fit option. Some settings depend on the current resolution or input label. Confirm the result using a source with clearly visible corners. A menu setting that works for an internal TV app may not have been applied to the external box's input at all.
Avoid compensating twice
Reducing the player image to counter TV overscan can create borders elsewhere. After correcting the television, reset any player zoom or image shrinkage that was previously used as compensation. Two opposing transformations can leave soft edges or an unexpected border when the input changes. Work from the screen inward: first show the full signal, then inspect the application's own framing. Keep subtitle positioning unchanged until the underlying picture boundary is visible, otherwise the adjustments can conceal the original cause.
Use a test pattern
Visible edge markers help confirm whether cropping remains. Use a legitimate edge-marked test image or a familiar programme graphic with a known complete outline. Inspect all four sides, since cropping can be uneven or easier to notice at the bottom. Check whether the player controls fit as well as the video. If only one subtitle style remains clipped after the whole picture fits, move on to subtitle margins, font size and source styling.
A practical sequence
- Check graphics at every edge
- Select the input's exact-fit mode
- Reset compensating player zoom
- Retest a two-line caption
An example
The corner score graphic returns after the input changes from zoom to screen-fit. A two-line caption and the player's bottom progress bar also become fully visible. Their shared improvement shows that the input was cropping the whole image; separate edits to every subtitle file would have addressed the symptom less directly.
Questions about this topic
Does this reduce bandwidth?
No. It changes display framing. Framing changes the visible image area; the device may still receive and decode the same stream.
Should subtitles be moved first?
Check global cropping before track placement. Restore the complete picture first, then adjust remaining text margins for readability.
