Black bar at top of screen

CHANGING THE SCREEN ASPECT RATIO: ( From Manual )
The TV can display images in four different modes: Wide, Zoom, Panoramic, and Normal. Each mode displays the picture differently. To change the screen aspect ratio:
1. Press the MENU button on the remote.
2. Use the Arrow buttons to highlight the Wide icon. Press OK.
3. Use the Arrow buttons to highlight your desired screen mode and press OK:
• Normal preserves the content's original aspect ratio. Since the 4:3 aspect ratio is not large enough to fill the TV's screen, black bars are added to the left and right of the display image.
• Wide stretches a 4:3 aspect ratio picture to the edges of the screen. Since the picture is being stretched, the display image may appear distorted. If the program is already formatted for widescreen viewing (1.85:1 or 2.35:1), then black bars will appear on the top and bottom of the display image.
• Zoom expands images with black bars to fit the screen.
• Panoramic expands the display image to fill the screen.
images may appear wider than intended.
If you are watching widescreen (1.85:1 or 2.35:1) content, black bars will still appear on the top and bottom of the display image. This option is only available when the TV is displaying a 480i/480p source.

voltage regulator may be weakening..

IS your image actually being cut off by the black bars? If not this may simply be the way the signal is being transmitted to your TV. One quick way to tell is to check to see if the image is the same on all channels, while watching a DVD, or playing a game. Alternatively, you might look for a Format button on your TV remote. This button may cycle through the picture formats available to your TV. See if pressing this button changes the picture dimensions.

Hope that helps!

When TVs first appeared, they had an picture ratio of 4:3, which matched that of most movie screens at the time. Terrified of losing their business, movie studios struck back with "widescreen" films using 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 ratios. When widescreen TVs started appearing, they emulated those same ratios, but many TV shows (and some movies) were still in 4:3---and we were eventually left with a bit of a mess. Canny manufacturers, including LG, have solved the problem by allowing you to adjust the picture ratio on the TV to fit the program you're watching. If it's not set properly, however, your image will look distorted or cut off. A quick bit of troubleshooting can fix the problem easily.

1. Press the "Menu" button on the remote and scroll down to the "Option" title (it should be second from the bottom ). Then select "Aspect Ratio." You should see a list of ratio options. You simply need to pick the one which fits the show you're watching.
   
2. Choose the 4:3 ratio for older movies and TV programs. You should see a pair of bars on the left and right side of the screen. (That's okay: the bars keep the program in the same proportion in which it was filmed.)
   
3. Select the 16:9 ratio for widescreen movies and for more recent shows to match their longer width. For some movies, you may see black bars and the top and bottom of the screen. Again, that allows the movie to be shown in the manner it was filmed.
   
4. Pick "Set By Program" to automatically switch the LG TV between 4:3 and 16:9 to match whatever show is on at the time.
   
5. Select "Horizon" to horizontally expand the image onscreen. It will fill the whole screen---eliminating the black bars to the left and the right---but it may look distorted.
   
6. Use the "Zoom 1" option to zoom the image forward. That will eliminate the black bars at the top or the bottom of the screen, though you will cut off the edges of the image.
   
7. Pick the "Zoom 2" button to select a midway point between "Horizon" and "Zoom 1." The picture is stretched, but not as much as with "Horizon," and fills the screen, but doesn't cut off as much as "Zoom 1."
   
8. Use the "Cinema Zoom" button to enlarge the picture to fit the screen. This option allows you to adjust the proportion to your liking, rather than use the set proportions of the other aspect options.
   
9. Exit the menu when you are done and watch your programming normally.
   

It's probably overheating (fan is broken)

You can get a third party to replace it if you want, but I would actually recommend sending it to Nintendo.

Unlike Sony and MS, Nintendo has awesome repair services. They will do any repair under (1 year) warranty for free and if it's not under warranty then they will still do it for cheap. It cost me something like $96 (in Canada) after shipping.

They are also very quick, usually in a week you'll have your system back.

The best part is, whether your system is under warranty or you pay for the repair, you get a renewed 1 YEAR warranty with Nintendo, this is far better than Sony and MS who only do 90 days!

Originally when 16:9 TVs were produced movies were being shot in 16:9 so that you had a full screen. Now they are being shot in 14:9 as it gives you a more cinematic experience. This is due to the fact that colours look more vibrant when they are placed against a colourless/lightless surface (such as a black panel) as for the bars on the side of the screen LuciferStarr is correct; it depends on the format in which the video was originally produced. For example most older television shows are still shown in 4:3 but newer shows and movies are produced in the widescreen format.

It sounds like you're watching wide screen content on a 4:3 tv, so the screen may be zoomed in so that the bars that would normally be on the top and bottom are not showing. Because the picture is zoomed in, images that would be at the top and bottom are off the screen. If you're watching from a home receiver (Uverse, DirecTv, Xfinity, etc.) you need to change the video settings to let the receiver know that your TV's aspect ratio is 4:3 (full screen) and not 16:9 (widescreen). Also, if your channel lineup has the option of watching CNN on a standard definition channel, that would also help because the shape of the image would be what your tv was designed for. If you watch 16:9 programs, you will have to choose letter box mode (bars on top and bottom because the shape of the widescreen image does not match the shape of your tv), pillar box mode (bars on either side) zoomed, or stretched. Stretched will make the shape of everything appear distorted, as it squeezes a widescreen image on the sides to make it narrow enough, so that everyone will have tall and skinny heads like an old Kung Fu movie. The sharpest picture would likely be to watch 16:9 (hi def) content in letterbox mode (bars on top and bottom) so at least you get the proper aspect ratio that the sports were recorded in, and it comes from a sharper source (HD vs SD). I would just deal with the bars, because even with a widescreen tv, there will sometimes be bars because that's how programs are sometimes recorded, for different visual impact or cinematic effect.

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/reginald_bec291de192ca44f

Turn off CC1,2,3 or 4. You are seeing a Closed caption screen with either no data or encoded data. Usually the blank CC's are 2,3, or 4.

The aspect ratio (zoom) button on the cable remote had been changed. On Brighthouse the # button toggles through the zoom settings. It's not a tv issue, it's a cable fix.

if you have a time warner remote press the # to zoom out.
if you have cox ask them.