[Help!] Computer on 56' TV

[||G||]

I currently have my computer hooked up to my 56' wide screen TV through HDMI but it is very blurry and hard to read regular sized fonts. It looks amazing playing games and watching movies, but everything else is crap. What's the best resolution I should use? And is there anything else I can do to make it look better? This is the first time I've tried this.

||G||

[ConstanceJill]

Originally Posted by ||G||

[...] What's the best resolution I should use?[...]

Your TV's native resolution, if it has one (I guess it does, must be an LCD ?)
But we can't tell you unless you give us exactly what brand and model it is.
Also, depending on your graphics card, it might not handle the resolution (for example, you can't handle 2560x1600 with a GeForce 6 or older).

[||G||]

My TVs a Toshiba 56" rear projection. My video card is a Radeon 4870

[ConstanceJill]

OK, no problem with the video card then I guess
Hmm I don't really know how rear projection TVs work though, and even after reading a little bit on them, I'm not too sure of anything, so I'll let this topic to more knowledgeable people ^^'

[||G||]

Originally Posted by ConstanceJill

OK, no problem with the video card then I guess
Hmm I don't really know how rear projection TVs work though, and even after reading a little bit on them, I'm not too sure of anything, so I'll let this topic to more knowledgeable people ^^'

Okay well thanks for trying!

[ikyojo]

Are you sure its rear projection because i have never heard of that and they use globes like a projector so i wouldn't expect great image quality and normally a res of rear projection television ive seen at the most are 1024x768 unless you have one of the last one made then it may have a slightly higher res.

[Bs|Archaon]

Try all the resolutions available to you and see which ones work best. If you can have a second monitor hooked up to it as well it's easier to change the res back if you use an unsupported one, last time I used an RP TV with a computer it was rubbish at detecting resolutions and whatnot, half of what the PC said the TV could do it wouldn't display.

Saying that, unless it supports HD it'll have a relatively low maximum resolution, and at 56" it's going to look shit either way. The image is small and it's stretched to fit a big screen.

[Zamamee]

Most non-HD televisions I've seen have a resolution of 640x480. And those old widescreen projection screens didn't really have widescreen resolutions, they just projected the same 4:3 image, but stretched it.

[>Omen<]

Originally Posted by ||G||

My TVs a Toshiba 56" rear projection.

That's not very specific, the model number and even manufacture date should be on the back of the set on a factory sticker.

From the sound of it, this could be the old style rear projection set that uses CRT guns. If so, that would explain the poor font quality. CRT tech has never been very good for use as a monitor. I have a Samsung 26" widescreen CRT HDTV that's about 3 yrs old and it sucks for reading text, but is great for movies and not bad for gaming, except for the HUDs of games often not fitting onto the screen.

Even if a TV is HD capable, if it has CRTs it's not really fully digital. Cathode Ray Tube tech is analog, and that is the problem you're experiencing if it's the old type rear projection. Other types of rear projection are LCD projectors (not very common) and DLP. I'm guessing it's not DLP because they work fairly well as monitors, but we won't know for sure until you find the model number.

Some of the 56" DLP Toshibas have a 15 pin D-Sub VGA input for the purpose of use as a PC monitor, though it's certainly not as good as DVI or HDMI. If it's a DLP and you have a DVI or HDMI option, go with that instead. VGA will not give you quite as good a picture, though it's certainly not as bad as the difference between a full digital display and one with the old CRT tech as far as text goes.

If by some chance it's DLP AND on a DVI or HDMI port, look to see if there's a "Text" option in the picture modes of the menu. BTW, I wish I had a house big enough to fit a 56 foot TV. Then again, maybe lack of proper viewing distance is the problem. And yes, of course I'm kidding about that.

[computernerd]

Originally Posted by >Omen<

CRT tech has never been very good for use as a monitor.

I disagree, CRT monitors actually have very good picture quality, but they're really cumbersome.