Just picked up my first HDTV: Having some problems
 

So I took the plunge and purchased my first HD TV (Vizio 37 Inch VW37L) but I'm having some problems with picture quality.

TV

- The quality of regular TV channels is pretty poor. It's very pixelated and blurry (like a bad quality internet video). I don't have an HD cable box yet (I haveCablevision IO) but I plan on picking one up nextweek. Is there anything I can do to improve the picture quality?

DVD

- The same goes for when I'm watching a DVD. Not as bad but still below what I expected. Right now I have the dvd player Hooked up using the regular AV cables (Red, white, yellow) but I plan on getting an HDMI cable. Will the HDMI cable help with some of my quality problems?

Nintendo Wii

- Man, the Wii looks amazing. Perfect picture. I have this hooked up with Compnent cables.

So, any ideas on what I should do to fix my problems? I'm a moron when it comes to HD!!

Thanks guys,

Joe

You will definitely need a HDMI cable for your dvd player. You should see a big difference once you have that cable, as your player will be able to upconvert your dvds to near HD quality. Of course, it won't be as good as a pure 1080p picture that Blu-ray provides, but dvds upconverted still look pretty damn good.

You're using composite cables right now, which is why the picture looks like crap.

www.monoprice.com is a place most of us use for our cables. You can get a HDMI there for $10. That will solve your dvd issues.

Thanks Mr. Cinema, I just got 2 HDMI cables from that site. Great prices!!!
Any idea on what I can do to improve the TV qulaity? Will the HD channels be better quality?

Are you using the CABLE input thru the coaxial? That will give you the poorest picture quality. When you get the HD box be sure to use HDMI or component cables. You won't even be using the coaxial and you can just discard it. You'll also need to set the TV input appropriately to HDMI, or component 1, 2, etc.

That's the problem with your television issue. Once you get the HD Cable box you'll see a difference on HD channels--or most of them, anyway. Use National Geographics HD channel and ESPN HD for starters.

Now, regular channels probably won't look much better, but they might. Big YMMV on this one.

Wow...You can hook up a cable box with an HDMI cable??? How does my TV get a signal without the Coaxil cable? I assume I would still connect the coaxil cable coming into the house to the cable box and then the HDMI cable from the cable box to the tv?

Yeah you'll still have a coax from the wall to the box, but then you run the video to your TV however the box supports it. I've got a motorola box for my cable DVR and it supports composite,component,s-video,dvi, and hdmi I belive.

Deja vu. Didn't we just have this thread?

Is there such thing as an HDMI hub? I only have 2 HDMI ports on the TV and could use a couple more.

AWESOME THANKS. Can't wait to get these cables and test out the quality.

Like Edison said, you'll still need the coax to the box, but the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 4250HD (which is what Cablevision will probably give you) has HDMI, component and S-Video outputs. Here's a pdf.

Thanks for your help guys, here's another weird problem. My TV has options for "widescreen" and "panoramic". When I put it on widescreen, everything looks wider than it should be (poeple look fatter than they are). When I put it on panoramic the poeple look better but the logo in the bottom right (for instance, the MTV logo) looks strecthed. What's the correct setting I should have it on? neither look right to me??

Thanks guys.

Widescreen stretches the whole image
Panoramic keeps the middle of the image normal and stretches the edges.

which is the correct setting to keep it on?

Neither.

What TB is saying is that you should watch content in its intended aspect ratio.

However, I frequently watch 4:3 content like the TDS and TCR in panoramic, but I have a plasma and I do it to avoid burn in on the black bars.

Movies you should watch in their proper ratio. TV shows, it's a matter of personal preference.

I don't understand this attitude. Why is it not okay for movies but "personal preference" for TV shows? QVC is one thing, but most TV shows have at least some artistry behind them.

Because, frankly, any shows like that would already be airing in either HD or WS in the first place.

That's a very strange attitude to have. What about cable? Or IPTV? Or pre-HD shows?

Oh man, now I'm confused. So for HD shows I should leave it on widescreen? What about TV shows that aren't HD? The only options I have are widescreen or panoramic.

How much was your Wii component cable?

35 bucks

Watch 4X3 material in 4X3 as intended. You will see black on the sides, but you won't have to watch stretched out, incredibly distorted images. It amazes me how many people do this. I can't stand it for a second.

that stinks! Are there ANY TV shows that will allow me to watch widescreen?