As an owner of an HBO Max subscription, I have been frustrated trying to get the service to display full screen on my television. After some research and testing, I am here to share how I solved the issue and some of the other solutions I discovered. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the causes of HBO Max not displaying full screen on your TV and how you can fix it.
If HBO Max is not displaying in full screen on your tv, check that the full-screen button in the lower right-hand corner is selected. Unfortunately, if this button is selected and the image is still not full screen, this is an aspect ratio problem that can’t be fixed.
| Tips for HBO Max |
|---|
| Check the full-screen button in the lower right-hand corner and adjust your screen resolution to 1080p to fix the issue of not displaying in full screen. |
| Common HBO Max issues include crashing, not loading, buffering, streaming issues, and sound not working. |
| Troubleshoot and fix these issues by using Downdetector, cleaning up your device cache, checking your internet speed, switching your router on and off again, checking the audio on your television, speakers, or headset, and ensuring your web browser is up-to-date. |
Table of Contents
What Causes HBO Max Not To Display On Full Screen?
There are two likely causes of HBO Max not displaying on full screen. However, despite these two causes, not displaying on full screen and other display issues have been a common complaint amongst HBO Max users.
The first likely cause of HBO Max not displaying in full screen is the settings in your HBO Max. The second possible cause is the resolution or aspect ratio, affecting the display and causing your HBO Max streaming to not show in full screen.
How To Fix HBO Max Not Showing On Full Screen?
The process is quite simple to fix these two issues, although you may not get the desired solution if the cause is due to HBO Max and its services.
- Screen resolution. If HBO Max is not displaying with a full-screen view, it may be the screen resolution. The greatest resolution supported by HBO Max is 1080p. If your screen resolution exceeds this, videos and movies may not play on full screen. To fix this, try adjusting your screen resolution under your TV settings to 1080p.
- Aspect ratio. If the tv show or movie you are watching is not playing on full screen and has black bars below the picture, it means the movie was filmed with an aspect ratio greater than the size of your tv. If there are solid black bars on either side of your screen, then the movie or tv show was filmed with a square aspect ratio, and your tv is too wide to display this. Unfortunately, there are no settings in HBO Max to fix this issue.
- Not setting your movie to full screen. If you start playing a movie or tv show and it isn’t displaying in full screen, hover to the bottom right corner of the screen and select the full-screen icon. This will make your HBO Max display on the full tv screen.
Other Common HBO Max Issues And Fixes
If you’ve experienced HBO Max not showing on the entire screen, you’ve probably also experienced some other common HBO Max issues. These may include:
HBO Max Constantly Crashes
One of the most common reasons HBO Max crashes is people mistake it for HBO Go or HBO Now. Unfortunately, they tend to forget that HBO Max is entirely different, and if they don’t update to the latest version of HBO Max on all their devices, they’ll likely experience HBO Max crashing.
The second reason your HBO Max could be crashing is your device’s cache. It’s a good idea to routinely clean up your device cache to prevent expired saved data from interfering with your streaming.
HBO Max Doesn’t Load
HBO, from time to time, does experience technical errors which has nothing to do with your television. Sometimes these could be server issues where servers are down for maintenance or aren’t working correctly.
To check if this is the reason your HBO Max is not loading, you can use Downdetector, which lists reports issued with all kinds of websites. It also reflects the number of people who have reported the same issues. This is an excellent way to check if the error you are experiencing has to do with HBO or your devices.
HBO Max Is Buffering
If your screen is stuck buffering, this could be an internet issue. The cause could be the connection speed, the amount of memory available, and the network bandwidth. However, the most common reason is generally a slow connection speed. To troubleshoot this issue, you can check your internet speed or contact your internet service provider to check if there are any problems from their side.
HBO Max Streaming Issues
If you are having trouble streaming HBO Max, there could be a connectivity issue with your router or network. There could also be a power outage close by, affecting your streaming. To fix this, you can do an internet speed test and switch your router on and off again.
Ensure all correct cables are plugged in, and you have internet access. You should also check that you are using the latest version of HBO Max.
HBO Max Sound Not Working
You’re not alone if you experience problems with the sound while streaming HBO Max. This is a common complaint and usually has to do with the content you’re streaming. If you experience this issue, try watching another movie or television show to see if the problem persists.
Check the audio on your television, speakers, or headset to see if the problem is with your output device. Try switching your Bluetooth off and on again if the audio is connected via Bluetooth. Ensure your web browser is also updated and all updates on your device have been carried out. Lack of updates and issues with Bluetooth can affect the audio.
Conclusion
The most likely causes of HBO Max not displaying on full-screen TV are the aspect ratio, screen resolution, and not setting the display to full screen. HBO has been known to have some technical difficulties regarding the display, which could also be why you can’t stream in full screen. Despite this, most of the fixes are easy, and you’ll be streaming again within a few minutes.
Read more: is a 70 inch TV too big for a bedroom?
