How to remove black stripes and stretch the screen in Standby mode on Xiaomi TV

Standby (or “on duty”) on Xiaomi TVs often causes a headache for users: instead of a full-screen image, black bars appear on the sides or top/bottom, and the picture looks “cut off.” The problem is relevant for Mi TV 4/4A/4S, Mi TV Q1/Q2, Redmi Smart TV and other brands. In 80% of cases, the faulty zoom settings are to blame, but sometimes the root of the evil lies deeper in the firmware or even hardware constraints.

This article isn't about universal tips like "reset the TV" (although it sometimes works). We'll take a look at 5 proven methods of stretching the screen in Standby, including hidden engineering menus, manual editing of configuration files and hardware tricks for older models. We'll focus on the nuances of the MIUI TV firmware and Google TV, where the logic of zooming is different. If you've tried changing the screen format in the settings and nothing has worked, here you'll find solutions that aren't in the official documentation.

Why the screen doesn't stretch in Standby: 3 main reasons

Before we treat a symptom, we'll figure out the diagnosis, and black stripes or cropping of the image on duty occur for one of three reasons:

• 📺 Permission inconsistency: The TV receives a signal with a resolution (e.g., a signal with a resolution, 1366×768), which does not match the native resolution of the matrix (e.g, 3840×2160 for 4K-In Standby, the system can force the image to scale by a different algorithm than in the main mode.
• ⚙️ Overscan Settings Fail: Overscan (or “Outside the edges”) is responsible for cropping the edges of the image. In some Xiaomi firmware, it is reset when you transition to Standby.
• 🔄 Firmware/signal conflict: If the TV is connected to a console, computer, or game console, their image output settings may conflict with logic. MIUI TV It's in standby mode, especially for devices with HDMI-CEC.

Interesting fact: on models Xiaomi TV Stick and Mi Box, the problem with stretching in Standby is less common, since they use a pure Android TV without a MIUI shell. This indirectly confirms that the bug is associated with the firmware of the brand.

⚠️ Note: If black bars only appear when connected to a particular device (e.g., PlayStation 5 or other devices) NVIDIA Shield, first check the image output settings on the signal source. In 30% of cases, the problem is solved by changing the parameter. HDMI Output Format on the console.

Method 1: Manually adjust the screen format in the Xiaomi TV menu

So let's start with the obvious thing, which is to check the basic settings, and even if you've tried this before, do it again with our algorithm, and users often miss key points.

Instructions:

1. Turn on the TV and go to Settings → Display and Sound → Screen format.
2. Select Automatically (if available) and wait until the system determines the optimal parameters.
3. If automatic mode does not help, manually switch options: 📐 16:9 is the standard format for most content. 🎬 Original (or "Source") - no scaling, but may appear stripes. 🔍 Zoom – stretches the image with the edges trimmed. ⚡ Stretch (or “Stretch”) – forced scaling to the edges of the screen.

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An important caveat: on some models (e.g. Mi TV Q1 75), the Stretch item may be hidden.

1. Press the buttons "Menu" + "Volume Down" on the remote for 5 seconds.


2. From the engineering menu, select "Display Settings" → "Force Stretch Mode" → "Enable".




3. Save settings and restart the TV.

⚠️ Note: Forced stretching can distort the proportions of images, especially in subtitled games or movies. Use this mode only if other options do not work.

Make sure that the HDMI cable is connected to the port marked "ARC" or "HDMI 2.0" |

Turn off the Dynamic Contrast function in the image settings |

Check that the signal source (prefix, PC) displays the image in native resolution |

Reset the image settings to factory (Settings) → Display. → Reset)-->

Method 2: Adjust the Overscan parameter through the engineering menu

If standard settings don't work, it's time to dig deeper. Overscan (or "Over the edges") is responsible for cropping the edges of the image. In some Xiaomi firmware, it is reset when you move to Standby, which causes black stripes.

How to adjust it:

1. Turn on the TV and tap sequentially on the remote: Menu → Settings → All Settings → General → Device Preferences → About → Build.
2. Click Build 7 times in a row until the notice “You became a developer” appears.
3. Go back to the main settings menu and find a new section for developers.
4. Activate the USB Debugging option (optional, but may be needed for the next steps).
5. Scroll down and look for Overscan correction (or “End Exit Correction”).
6. Turn off the slider if it is active, or manually set the 0% value for all sides (left, right, top, bottom).

On models with Google TV (such as Xiaomi TV A Pro), the path to Overscan settings is different:

Settings → Device → Display → Additional → Screen size → Edge correction

If your firmware doesn’t have an Overscan option, try an alternative method using ADB:

adb shell settings put global overscan 0,0,0,0

This command resets the edge trimming, and you'll need a computer with an Android SDK installed and USB debugging enabled on your TV to do it.

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If you change Overscan, go back to the engineering menu and activate the Sharpness correction option, which compensates for the loss of detail when stretched.

Method 3: Update firmware and reset to factory settings

Standby black bars are a well-known firmware bug of MIUI TV versions 1.6.XX-2.1.XX. Xiaomi has released patches for most models, but updates are not always installed automatically.

Instructions for updating:

1. Go to Settings → About TV → System Update.
2. Click "Check Updates." If a new version is available, install it.
3. After the update, be sure to reset settings: Settings → About TV → Reset settings → Reset all settings.

If the automatic update does not find new versions, try installing the firmware manually:

For manual installation:

1. Download the firmware on USB-storage device FAT32).
2. Connect the flash drive to the TV.
3. Go to Settings → About TV → System Update → Update via USB.
4. Select the downloaded file and wait for the process to complete (don’t turn off the power!).

For the Mi TV 4S 55 and Mi TV 4X 65 models, there is an undocumented trick with HDMI mode switching:

1. Disconnect all devices from HDMI- ports.


2. On the remote, press sequentially: Menu → Input → HDMI 1 → Menu → Settings → HDMI Mode.




3. Select "PC Mode" instead of "TV Mode".




4. Reconnect the signal source.

This will force the TV to process the input signal as if it were a computer, where the scaling logic is different.

Method 5: Editing Configuration Files (for Advanced)

If all previous methods have failed, the last option is manual editing of system files, which is only suitable for users who are willing to work with ADB and understand the risks.

Algorithm:

1. Connect the TV to your computer via USB and activate debugging (see Method 2).
2. Open the command line and do: Adb pull /system/etc/display_config.xml This will copy the configuration file to your PC.
3. Open the file. display_config.xml In any text editor (for example, Notepad)++).
4. Find the lines with the parameters: <overscan_left>0</overscan_left> <overscan_right>0</overscan_right> <overscan_top>0</overscan_top> <overscan_bottom>0</overscan_bottom> If the values are different from zero, set them in 0.
5. Add a line (if it is not there): <force_stretch_mode>1</force_stretch_mode>
6. Save the file and upload it back: adb push display_config.xml /system/etc/ adb shell chmod 644 /system/etc/display_config.xml
7. Reboot the TV: adb reboot

After you restart, check the stretch in Standby mode. If the image is distorted, return the original values to the file.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to a blink (complete failure) of the TV. Before editing, back up the original file with the command: adb pull /system/etc/display_config.xml display_config_backup.xml

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Configuration file editing is an extreme method, and 90% of the time, the problem is solved by updating the firmware or configuring Overscan, and only use it if other options fail.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to stretch your screen in Standby, users often make the same mistakes.

• 🔧 Use Smart Scaling: This feature is MIUI TV It often conflicts with the on-duty mode and causes the image to be cropped. → Display. → Additionally.
• 🔄 Reset settings for current login only: If you reset the settings only for HDMI1, The problem is the general settings of the TV, it won't help.
• 📶 Ignore the signal source settings: For example, in NVIDIA Shield needs to disable the Match Content Color Space option, and on PlayStation 5, install Resolution: Automatic.
• ⚡ Update firmware through third-party sites: Download software only from official sources (Mi Community, Xiaomi Firmware Updater). "Castom" firmware can aggravate the problem.

Another common mistake is trying to stretch the screen through the Smart Home settings (if the TV is connected to the Xiaomi ecosystem).The display settings in the Mi Home app do not affect the hardware zoom, they only control brightness and color.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions