Take control of your TV's picture quality.

There's more to making your new high-definition TV look its best than just taking it out of the box and hooking it up the quickest way you can. By optimizing the picture controls and video connections on your TV, you can improve image quality dramatically. A few minutes of experimenting will let you make the most of high-quality video sources, and make viewing lower-quality signals more enjoyable.

This article offers general guidelines for improving picture quality; you can find detailed instructions in your TV's owner's manual. Naturally, picture quality is a very subjective area, and no two sets of eyes will see things exactly the same way.

Adjusting your TV's picture controls

Straight out of the box, today's high-performance HDTVs look impressively bright and crisp compared to conventional tube TVs. But by making a few quick and easy adjustments, you can make your new set look even better. If you own a plasma TV, fine-tuning the picture controls can also reduce the chance of "screen burn-in." Plus, lowering settings like brightness and contrast can reduce the amount of energy your TV uses — and reduce your electricity bill. Check out our article on TV power consumption for more info.

A great feature found on most high-quality HDTVs these days is the ability to create and store customized picture control settings for each video input. That's important because there's such a wide range of signal quality available, from standard broadcast and cable TV signals and VHS tapes on the low end, to high-definition signals at the opposite end. High-quality sources typically need little or no "enhancement" to look their best, while lower-quality signals may require a combination of noise reduction, increased sharpness, and color correction.

Level 1: Set and forget
If you're the set-and-forget type, there's one easy step you can take that will get you most of the way there for most sources. Virtually all current HDTVs include several factory-preset picture settings. These typically carry names like "Dynamic" or "Vivid," "Movie" or "Pro," or the always-popular "Standard." Each preset has its own settings for the most common picture parameters: brightness, contrast, color, sharpness, etc. Usually, even when you select one of these presets, you can still make further adjustments to tweak the picture to your liking.

Most TVs come from the factory with the default picture pre-selected for whichever mode creates the brightest, punchiest picture possible, which is generally the "Dynamic" or "Vivid" mode. TV makers do this because they think it helps their sets stand out in brightly lit electronics showrooms. "Vivid" may amp up the intensity when you're playing video games, but it doesn't really demonstrate how natural or realistic the TV's picture can look.

So, your first step should be to grab your TV remote and, one by one, select each video input that is connected to a source. For each, go into the picture adjustment menu and choose the picture preset that looks best. "Standard" is often a good choice for regular (non-HD) broadcast, cable, and satellite programming, while the "Movie" mode gives higher-quality sources like DVD and HDTV a more natural look that's closer to what you see in a movie theater. Or, you may find you prefer "Standard" for daytime viewing and "Movie" for watching in the evening with the lights dimmed.

When you're setting up your home theater, if you decide to connect all your video sources to your A/V receiver so you can use the receiver as a component switcher, you'll give up a bit of picture-customizing capability to gain that convenience. Running a single set of audio/video cables from the receiver to your TV simplifies hookup and daily operation, but it also means that one picture control preset will apply to all your video sources unless you go into the menu and switch settings each time you change sources. It comes down to personal preference.

Level 2: Minor tweaking
If you don't mind digging a little deeper into the picture-setting menus, you can achieve a more custom-tailored picture. Here are some tips on how to get the most natural-looking picture.

• Brightness: This control is more officially known as "black level." The Brightness control changes the color and brightness of black within the picture. Brightness is usually set much too high. You should turn down the brightness control so that black looks black, but you should still be able to see details in dark scenes.
• Contrast: Often labeled "Picture," it is more accurately known as "white level." This setting controls the set's overall light level. The factory default setting is typically way too high; try backing it off to around 50% of the maximum setting. You want to make sure the edges of bright white objects onscreen are crisp and not blurred. (Having the Contrast set too high on a plasma or tube rear-projection TV can also increase the chance of screen burn-in.)
• Color: Usually labeled "Color" or "Saturation," the color level is probably the most subjective picture adjustment. Still, you want to avoid a picture where it looks like everyone is sunburned, or colors are amplified to cartoonish extremes. Other settings that influence overall color include "Tint" or "Hue," and "Color Temperature." Fortunately, factory settings for color are usually close to where they should be.
• Sharpness: Sharpness could more accurately be called "artificial edge enhancement," and generally only improves the look of lower-quality signals like standard broadcast, cable, and satellite programs. Increasing the sharpness is like turning up the treble control on your receiver; you may think you're getting more detail, but the result is definitely not more accurate. Having Sharpness set too high often creates halos around the edges of objects onscreen. Many DVD movies already have edge-enhancement added during mastering, so you can generally turn Sharpness nearly to zero for your DVD input. Sharpness is also not needed for most HDTV sources.

Note: If you're used to watching with contrast and brightness set high, you may find the picture seems a bit dull with those controls adjusted to more realistic levels. If so, try living with the new settings for at least a week before changing them back. It can take that long for our eyes to appreciate a more naturally balanced picture.

Level 3: Calibration
If you want to take a lot of the guesswork out of adjusting your TV's settings, and get excellent results, consider purchasing a calibration DVD. These discs include test patterns or specially created scenes that make it easy to match your TV's color, contrast, black level, etc. to broadcast industry standards. We recommend the HDTV Calibration Wizard disc because it's quick and easy to use. For more info, check out our review of the Calibration Wizard.

If you want to be 100% sure you're getting the best possible picture your TV can deliver, consider having your set calibrated by a certified professional. These experts come armed with specialized test equipment, plus the knowledge and experience to confidently dig deep into your TV's "service menu" — an area best left to experts. This service typically runs $250-$400. To locate a calibrator near you, visit the Imaging Science Foundation website.

Now that you have an idea what can be accomplished using your TV's picture controls, let's take a look at video connections.

For each video source, use the best-quality connection available. For all high-definition sources, be sure to use an HD-capable connection: component video, DVI, or HDMI.

Make sure you make the right connection

Another way to ensure that you're getting the best possible picture is to make sure you're using the best available connection between each video source and your TV.

• HDMI: This digital connection can carry high-definition video up to 1080p, as well as multichannel audio. It should be your first choice when connecting a high-def video component to your TV, though component video is an excellent alternative.
• Component video: This three-jack analog connection splits the video signal into three parts (one brightness and two color signals). Component video is capable of high-def video, and delivers an extremely accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than S-video or composite video.
• S-video: This 4-pin connector usually provides a sharp, high-resolution picture by transmitting the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) portions of a video signal separately. The signals can then be processed separately, reducing interference. S-video connections generally outperform composite connections, but don't measure up to component video since they aren't capable of high-def.
• Composite video: This is the most universal video connector, found on most TVs made in the last 20 years. Picture quality is a big step up from RF, but typically not as good as S-video.
• RF: Probably the most common way folks shortchange their TV's picture quality is through the overuse of RF-type connections. There's a reason the RF inputs on TVs are usually labeled "Antenna" or "Cable" — those are the signals they were designed for. Even though it's a simple one-cable hookup, and that cable is usually included free in the box, it's the lowest-quality type of video connection. RF-type connections should generally be limited to bringing signals into your A/V system from outside your house: TV antenna, cable TV jack, or satellite dish. Once the signal has reached your set-top box, use the highest-quality connection from the types listed above.

In addition to choosing the best connection type, using a high-quality video cable can also improve picture quality. Video signals are actually more susceptible to degradation than audio signals, due to their much higher frequencies. And, as with audio, radio frequency and electromagnetic interference can taint the signal. This can cause lines, snow, and other artifacts to appear on your TV screen. A higher-quality cable with a copper conductor, 75-ohm impedance, good shielding, and corrosion-resistant snug-fitting connectors will ensure maximum signal quality for years of use. See our article on choosing cables for more info.

Some picture quality "problems" can't be fixed, only improved

High-definition TVs can do things conventional TVs could never dream of. But here's an important point to keep in mind: Even the finest HDTV can't magically repair a mediocre video signal. Some owners of new HDTVs have been disappointed to find that their favorite regular TV shows don't look much if any better. That's the fault of the signal, not the TV. Those shows are being broadcast at the same quality they were before. Your new TV may have some processing you can turn on to improve picture quality a little. But ultimately, the picture you see is only as good as the signal your local station, cable company, or satellite company is sending you. Old-fashioned tube TVs are very forgiving of low-quality signals.

A lot of the recommendations we've made in this article can help when it comes to mediocre signals, but for more tips, check out our article on improving the look of non-HD sources on your HDTV.

And finally, no article on picture adjustment would be complete without mentioning aspect ratio (picture shape). How many times have you sat in a restaurant or bar watching a TV with the aspect ratio set incorrectly and wishing somebody would fix it? The telltale signs are people onscreen that look either too short and stocky or unnaturally tall and thin. Conventional TVs and programs have what's called a 4:3 ratio, while HDTVs use the widescreen 16:9 ratio.

We're still in the transition period from analog TV broadcasting to digital, so most of us will be watching a mix of regular and widescreen programs. Try to get familiar with the different aspect ratio modes your TV offers. Usually, there's a dedicated button on the remote, often labeled "Wide," that lets you cycle through several options. Often, some combination of zooming and stretching will yield a picture that better fits the wider screens found on HDTVs. Check out our article on aspect ratio for more info, as well as tips on troubleshooting aspect ratio problems.