Gateway GM5407H, Reference Manual

Page: 94 / 288

CHAPTER 6 : Troubleshooting
88
The Media Center video display looks bad on your TV
Many factors, such as the display type, quality of the video
source, type of connection used, quality of video cables,
display device screen resolution, size of TV, age of the TV, or
the type of TV (interlaced or progressive scan), can affect the
video quality significantly:
•
Display type —The Media Center is best viewed on
computer displays. Other types of display devices,
including retail TVs, may provide lower quality video. If
you did not order a display device when you purchased
your computer, a progressive scan display device with
a VGA input is the best choice.
•
Quality of video source —The quality of the video
signal coming into the computer has an affect on the
video quality. The video displayed from Media Center is
only as good as the source video signal. Cable, digital
cable, and satellite usually provide better quality than
an antenna.
•
Type of connection used —You can connect the
computer video output to a TV. However, the
connection type has an affect on the video quality. The
Media Center has two video outputs:
•
VGA —If your TV includes a VGA port, connect the
VGA cable from the computer’s VGA (monitor) port
to the TV’s VGA In port for the best quality. Many
TVs do not have a VGA port.
•
S-Video —If your TV does not have a VGA port, but
includes an S-Video port, connect the S-Video cable
from the computer’s S-Video Out port to the TV’s
S-Video In port. S-Video display quality is usually
good for TV images. The display quality for the
computer functions, however, is not as good as VGA
output. S-Video display output is not optimized for
computer video display.
•
Quality of video cables —Poor quality or the incorrect
type of video cables can cause problems and affect the
video quality. Gateway recommends using high-quality
video cables that can be purchased from
www.gateway.com .
Help
For more information about Windows Media Center, click Start , then click
Help and Support . Type the phrase Media Center in the Search Help box,
then press E
NTER
.
Important
Cable connections must be made correctly for
optimal video quality. A loose cable connection can
lower video quality.