4:3 picture format problem

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum and would love to get feedback on a problem I have when watching DVDs and JPEG photos with a 4:3 picture format on my new Panasonic 42"plasma TV, model TH-42PX6U.

If I choose the 4:3 setting on the TV, the unit displays a wide, bright-gray ribbon on each side of the picture. Panasonic warns not to use this setting for long perids of time due to the danger of burn-in. However, if I use the "True" or "Full" settings, faces and other features are badly distorted (stretched horizontally). If I use the "Zoom" setting, heads are often cut off at the top and subtitles are not shown at the bottom. As most of our opera DVDs and all our digital photos are 4:3 format, we have a really disturbing problem here.

Do other HDTV sets with a 16:9 screen format have the same problem? Is there anything that can be done to get around the problem?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Santabwill