Confused ~ HDMI and VGA

S0litaire

almillar wrote: »

fenlander, if you've got a 720p screen, you should have your computer set to 1280x720. Having it set to 1360x768 just means your computer is wasting effort putting out all those extra pixels, then the picture gets scaled down to 720p, reducing quality. You want a pixel to pixel image, so you should output at the display's native resolution. I've got no problem with VGA BTW.

The TV needs those extra pixels since a 720p monitor is "larger" than a 720p TV screen.
Historically the TV requires a border of 40/80 pixels to send timing information and other data to tv and DVR's outside of the picture viewing area (think old teletext/ceefax pages). So the video card needs to add a border (Overscan) to the signal to fit the TV screen properly.

fenlander_uk

almillar wrote: »

fenlander, if you've got a 720p screen, you should have your computer set to 1280x720. Having it set to 1360x768 just means your computer is wasting effort putting out all those extra pixels, then the picture gets scaled down to 720p, reducing quality. You want a pixel to pixel image, so you should output at the display's native resolution. I've got no problem with VGA BTW.

It's a Sony TV and a Sony PC. They talk to each other and the screen resolution is set automatically.

almillar

S0litaire - overscan should be switched off on both devices. 720 lines sent, received, and displayed on a 720 screen. 720 pictures shouldn't include overscan which should be a relic of the past...
Keep overscan off, and only turn it on if you see this extra information on screen, I've never had to.
fenlander - your TV and PC are wrong, what can I say?!

Maydot

Just an update to my original problem...

Was in our local Tesco Home on Monday (not the one it was bought from) and just mentioned to one of the sales assistants the problems with the tv. He told me to bring it to the store (no box was no problem) as it was still within the 28 days "change of mind" time scale. He couldn't have been more helpful!

Paid a little extra for a FULL HD Samsung and the picture difference is amazing! Followed the instructions to rename the HDMI source to PC (as per the user manual) and now I have a fantastic screen image.

So...thanks to all who replied and to the sales assistant who facilitated the return - and all with a smile and an apology

loracan1

Did you use the same hdmi lead or a different one?

Alias_Omega

Alias_Omega wrote: »

We have used it with a Samsung Series 3 42" Plasma (720p) and currently with a Samsung Series 5 40" LED (1080).

Both times, its been clear without any issues... so your tv is not the norm.

Glad your happy..

Maydot

loracan1 wrote: »

Did you use the same hdmi lead or a different one?

The same hdmi lead as I was using on the toshiba.