HD and a new monitor

Hi just purchased a 27 inch acer HD monitor. I am using a new computer that has a Gigabyte GTX 550 Ti card and running i5 processor. I hooked the monitor up to the video card using an HDMI to HDMI mini (because thats the connector the card had) and the picture looks no different then when it was set up using the VGA cable. I don't know if the picture on a HD monitor should look as good as my HD TV, but I would think it should look better then just hooked up by a VGA cable. Now I don't mean the picture looks bad but it is by no means as clear as I would like or as my TV. Any suggestions?

Thanks

You need to make sure you've got the right resolution selected. A resolution option will appear when you right-click on your desktop. You should be able to select 1920x1080, which is almost certainly the maximum resolution of your TV. The type of cable doesn't matter; VGA and HDMI should both be able to handle 1920x1080.

That's all you can do, then. Sometimes TVs just don't make very good monitors. The cable type doesn't come into it.

Sometimes monitors don't make very good monitors
It should really look the same as the TV. Can you describe the difference?

Unless there are obvious errors, the cable isn't the problem. You should adjust your monitor's settings to deal with the washing out/colors. How is it "not as clear"?

Is 1920x1080 the maximum resolution? That really seems like the only culprit to me.

I think you'll just have to fiddle with your settings, then. Seach for "calibrate display color". That'll take you to a guided walkthrough of options. Also, visit xkcd.com/627.