Important tip: On your TV, disable the ‘Auto-adjust display refresh rate’ option. This prevents Hulu from zooming in randomly. Also, setting your TV’s display to 720p can fix the Hulu zoomed-in issue.
The picture on Hulu sometimes zooms in randomly. Only about a quarter of the picture is visible, covering the whole screen. However, the Hulu menu screens display correctly.
This article delves into how to solve the Hulu picture “zooming in” problem to hopefully bring your binge-watching sessions back to their full-screen glory.
Go back to the previous screen and watch again
First of all, you should know that the zoomed-in picture is a known issue on Hulu. Many people are dealing with Hulu randomly zooming in and cutting out most of the picture on the Roku TV.
You can stop the “zoom” by going back to the previous screen and selecting “watch again.” However, this makes you rewatch the commercials.
Hulu then zooms in again after a few minutes.
Alternatively, you can stop the show and return to the main Hulu screen. Then, watch the show on your phone for a couple of minutes before resuming on the TV.
Even Hulu acknowledges this issue. I was talking with someone from Hulu and she told me that it’s been a known issue and that Hulu is currently working on a solution.
I’m sure you don’t want to keep having to exit the show and then go back and resume, so here are some of the other things you can do to solve the Hulu picture “zooming in” problem.
Disable the Auto-adjust display refresh rate
If you’re watching Hulu from a Roku TV, disable the ‘Auto-adjust display refresh rate’ option. Your Roku player will output content at 60 FPS. This will solve the zoomed-in picture issue.
Press ‘Home’ on your Roku remote, scroll, and select ‘Settings’. Navigate to ‘System’ > ‘Advanced system settings’ > ‘Advanced display settings’ > ‘Auto-adjust display refresh rate’.
When you choose ‘Enabled’, your Roku player switches to the native format of content from Hulu. This happens when playback starts.
On the other hand, when you choose ‘Disabled’, your Roku player will output all content at 60 FPS, which should restore the zoomed-in content on Hulu back to its normal state.
The Hulu app struggles with refresh rate changes. This issue can lead to temporary HDCP errors, especially when watching on a 4K Roku paired with a 4K TV.
Change the display type to 720p
If you use a Roku TV to watch Hulu and are okay with lesser details, set the display to 720p. This can fix the zoomed-in issue.
Press ‘Home’ on your Roku remote control, scroll, and select ‘Settings’. Select ‘Display type’ and choose the ‘720p TV’ option from the list of available display types.
You can try switching to 1080p for a better picture. If that doesn’t help, setting it to 720p should fix the Hulu zoomed-in issue.
For me, using 1080p resolution works well. Hulu on my Roku TV remains stable. I’m able to watch content from Hulu without the picture zooming in randomly.
Let’s just hope Hulu comes up with a solution
I don’t have a perfect fix for the Hulu ‘zoomed-in’ problem. The fact is, it’s a common issue on Hulu. People have complained about it for a while, but the problem remains.
You can search the internet, but only Hulu can fix this. Here’s what one customer had to say about this Hulu problem:
“The first issue was ads cutting in early, ending scenes too soon. This disrupted the show’s rhythm and has been going on for weeks. Now, I have another issue with the screen zooming in. After each ad, I’m left wondering if it’s a problem or if the screen is meant to look that way.”
– Hulu customer
It’s frustrating to return to the previous screen. When the show comes back, it’s zoomed in again. You exit the show and try again 5 times before it loads correctly.
I believe the issue is with Hulu, not Roku. I’ve seen it on my Fire TV Stick and Apple TV too. It’s annoying watching basketball when suddenly you can’t see the rim anymore.
And until Hulu addresses and fixes this bug, expect the picture to zoom in at random while watching content on your television.
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