we need a sticky on this: connecting to TV using HDMI causes bad image

giantbucket

Dignified
BANNED
there's been way too many daily threads asking for help on a basic issue - a person connects their PC to a nice large TV using the typical HDMI connection (to get digital video and audio, and since it's as common to TVs as DVI to monitors), and invariably the image is awful / too large / blurry / etc.

a few folks then comment that when they use a VGA connection to the same TV, things look GREAT. which makes sense. HDMI is tailored for TVs and applies certain settings by default that DVI and VGA don't.

step 1 should ALWAYS be to check for overscan settings - easiest on the TV using the remote and the Menu button

step 2 should be to check if the TV was accidentally set to some zoom setting

step 3 should be to finally play with the TV's sharpening setting, most likely turning it DOWN a bunch to make text look cleaner and less "doubled"
 
Solution
this is the first time I've heard any of that.

what I find is when people hook their pc to a tv they forget to open the tv's control panel and select the hdmi port the pc is hooked to. other than that nothing you wrote have I ever come across.
D

Deleted member 217926

Guest
If someone were to write up a nice looking guide that is as complete as possible then that guide could very well be turned into a sticky ( hint hint ;) ) in the home theatre forum.