Vizio HDTV settings

[tomster2300]

I just moved my Vizio 22" HDTV to my desk to use as a computer monitor, and I'm having trouble getting the picture to look like my 19" lcd right beside it. The desktop and icons look fine, but text is abysmal to read and really hurts the eyes. I'm running it at 1920x1080 and windows and such kind of look washed out.

Does anybody know of a guide to follow to setup the tv correctly? Google isn't bringing anything up. I've been playing with the tv settings (contrast, brightness, etc.) for awhile and can't get it to look quite right.

Thanks!

[XenaWP]

Download a utility called Calibrize. It will help you set gamma properly (as well as contrast/brightness).

[tomster2300]

Thanks for the tip Xena, but unfortunately it didn't help in my situation. Are hdtv's just bad as computer screens, or do you think there's a way to correct this?

Thanks.

[garys1n2]

I have a Vizio 42" that I use for my HTPC, and just so you know (althouh your's may be different), but the maximum resolution recommended by the Vizio people is 1366x768

This is what Vizio replied to me when I was wondering what the max resolution was:

"Check also in the "Monitor" tab, the option "Hide modes that this monitor
cannot display". If the mode that you want is there and the monitor
documentation clearly states it is supported, then go ahead and choose it.
Again, if you force video modes that are not support! ed by the monitor,
damage can be caused to it.

NOTE: In order for all resolutions to be available, the monitor drivers need
to be loaded. To check this, go to device manager and click on monitors. If
it states "Plug and Play Monitor", then no monitor drivers are installed.
Contact the monitor manufacturer in order to obtain the .INF file to update
the driver. Once you have the .INF, right click on "Plug and Play Monitor"
and choose: Update driver..."

Again, yours may be different, but my owners manual also states 1366x768 as the max resolution. Hope I helped!

Check with Vizio at www.vizio.com also

[tomster2300]

Originally Posted by garys1n2 I have a Vizio 42" that I use for my HTPC, and just so you know (althouh your's may be different), but the maximum resolution recommended by the Vizio people is 1366x768 This is what Vizio replied to me when I was wondering what the max resolution was: "Check also in the "Monitor" tab, the option "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display". If the mode that you want is there and the monitor documentation clearly states it is supported, then go ahead and choose it. Again, if you force video modes that are not support! ed by the monitor, damage can be caused to it. NOTE: In order for all resolutions to be available, the monitor drivers need to be loaded. To check this, go to device manager and click on monitors. If it states "Plug and Play Monitor", then no monitor drivers are installed. Contact the monitor manufacturer in order to obtain the .INF file to update the driver. Once you have the .INF, right click on "Plug and Play Monitor" and choose: Update driver..." Again, yours may be different, but my owners manual also states 1366x768 as the max resolution. Hope I helped! Check with Vizio at www.vizio.com also

Thanks for the info Gary. I've read mixed things on my model - some say it does not support 1920x1080, while others day it does. Vizio advertises it as such, and it shows 1920x1080 as the max resolution, but I still wonder.

http://www.vizio.com/product.aspx?id=2732&pid=1508

Mine does say plug and play and I was looking last night for drivers, but I couldn't (and still can't) find any.

Any other ideas?

[glc]

My son in law uses that exact TV as his monitor, and he's running it at 1920x1080 with VGA (not DVI) off a 8800GT. It looks fine, but everything is very small due to the high resolution/size ratio.

[tomster2300]

Originally Posted by glc My son in law uses that exact TV as his monitor, and he's running it at 1920x1080 with VGA (not DVI) off a 8800GT. It looks fine, but everything is very small due to the high resolution/size ratio.

I'll test out vga then - I just figured I'd get a better image with a digital connection. I'll post the results.

[tomster2300]

Wow, this is strange. Switching from HDMI to VGA cleared it all up and now the text is readable and the color less saturated. It now looks like a computer monitor...

Anyone know why? (Thanks for the suggestion glc).

[XenaWP]

Is it the same version of HDMI on the tv and video card? Just guessin'

[tomster2300]

Originally Posted by XenaWP Is it the same version of HDMI on the tv and video card? Just guessin'

What do you mean? My Sapphire 4870 outputs dvi, so I had the dvi-hdmi dongle that came with it plugged in. The hdmi cable was a 25' cord that I had bought to run across my room when I had the Vizio mounted on the wall.

[Hi Ho]

I'll bet the cause of the problem over HDMI has everything to do with the picture settings on the TV. The symptoms you describe are prime examples of edge and color "enhancement" present in so many TV's. It is most likely that none of this processing is applied to signals from the VGA input. If you want to experiment, try connecting with HDMI and check out the picture settings on the TV. I'll bet it's in "Vivid" or "Dynamic" or something similar. Try "Cinema" or "Movie" mode. Play with the sharpness control (higher is NOT better) and turn off any "enhancements", "correctors", and "live color" settings.

[tomster2300]

Originally Posted by Hi Ho I'll bet the cause of the problem over HDMI has everything to do with the picture settings on the TV. The symptoms you describe are prime examples of edge and color "enhancement" present in so many TV's. It is most likely that none of this processing is applied to signals from the VGA input. If you want to experiment, try connecting with HDMI and check out the picture settings on the TV. I'll bet it's in "Vivid" or "Dynamic" or something similar. Try "Cinema" or "Movie" mode. Play with the sharpness control (higher is NOT better) and turn off any "enhancements", "correctors", and "live color" settings.

I tried all that but nothing worked. Maybe there's something else that's being applied that I can't control from the menu.

[glc]

It may be an issue with the DVI to HDMI adapter. I personally wouldn't try to use HDMI with a computer unless the video card has a true HDMI output. Use the HDMI on the TV for your cable box and/or a set top DVD player.

I wouldn't be that concerned about using VGA instead of digital. If you run it in native resolution and the monitor has a decent autotune function, you won't notice much difference, if any. I'm running VGA on this monitor even though both video cards do have DVI because I'm using a standard VGA KVM, and it looks fine to me.