How to Fix Picture Quality on a Television

Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team

1. Introduction

You just brought home your new television, hooked it up, and the picture looks nothing like you expected. It could be blurry, stretched, or even compressed into a square. No matter how it looks, it just doesn't look right for an expensive smart tv.

Your picture problem could be caused by a loose or damaged cable, the wrong resolution, or whatever you're watching could not be set up for high definition viewing. Unfortunately there may be no real way to "fix" your video problem, but we can give you some idea of why it looks that way.

Let's go step by step and review how to get the best video quality you can get with high definition television.

Tools You'll Need:

• A paperclip
• iPhone charging cable
• Access to a computer with iTunes installed
• Any other non-consumable tools needed
• Comment out tools section if no tools are necessary

-->

Supplies You'll Need:

• Zip ties
• Any other consumable supplies
• Comment out supplies section if no supplies are necessary

-->

Before You Begin:

• You must have access to a computer with iTunes installed.
• You must have that thing for the other thing so you can do the thing.

You must have this thing before you whatever.

• Title of GP User Should Do First
• Title of GP User Should Do First
• Each individual prereq should have its own box like this. Not all will contain multiple links.
• Comment out prerequisites section if no prereqs are necessary

-->

When we watch anything on our televisions and wonder about the quality of the image we're seeing, the term "quality" can be boiled down to the resolution of the content that's on the screen, and the maximum resolution of the screen itself. That being said, the quality you will experience is based off of a number factors:

1. The maximum supported resolution of your TV screen.
2. Previously mentioned, this is a hardware limitation. Your TV was made to display picture up to a certain resolution. These days, most flat-screen TVs can have maximum resolutions of 720p, 1080p, or 4K.
3. The maximum output resolution of the source device you're watching.
4. Whatever device is sending picture to your TV, whether that be your cable box, DVD or Blu-ray player, game console or something else - that device will only be able to transmit a picture up to a certain resolution. Just like your TV, this is a hardware limitation and all depends on what resolution it was manufactured to output.
5. The resolution of the media you are watching.
6. Just like very old photos can't be re-taken using today's technology, the media we watch suffers in the same way. Watching a very old show that was recorded in lower resolution years ago on new equipment will not look very good. The same goes with older DVDs or games that were produced at a time when resolution standards were much lower than they are today.

The level of quality you see on your screen will be limited by the weakest link between all these items.

2. What is the Television Capable of?

A 4K television will always have a more clear, crisp picture than a 1080p television. While a 1080p television can play a 4K movie, you won't get the full 4K experience.

Similarly, a 4K television can play a 1080p movie but it won't look nearly as good as a 4K movie. For example, it may have blurry playback because it isn't taking advantage of the full resolution. It may even appear in a black box to avoid that blurriness.

Knowing what your television is capable of is the first step to getting the best picture. You'll want to be using media that can take advantage of your television's maximum resolution.

1080p

Nearly every television on the market now is capable of 1080p resolution. The "p" stands for pixels, meaning there are 1080 rows of pixels across your screen. This is the industry standard right now and most video is produced to support it.

You most likely have this type of television.

4K

A newer contender has entered the television market, bringing the resolution up to "4K". These used to be super expensive but have come down dramatically in price these last few years. While the promise of 4K is tempting, the resolution isn't truly 4K. 2160p is closer to the truth as there are 3,840 columns and 2,160 rows of pixels on the screen of these televisions.

3. Be Aware of the Quality of What's Being Watched

The Resolution of the Media You're WatchingSome TV shows are recorded or broadcast at a lower resolution. There is nothing you can do to change this. However, most movies are available for purchase in varying video quality formats.

When shopping for movies, you'll see regular DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UltraHD formats. Some are even packaged together. This will all depend on the movie. For streaming media services such as Netflix or Hulu, the limitations will be based on what each service offers quality-wise for the movie or show you're trying to watch. Most will have information available about the quality of video you'll be streaming for that particular service.

Capabilities of Cable Boxes and Source Devices (Blu-ray and DVD players)

Even if your TV is one of the latest and greatest that supports 1080p or even 4K, be aware of the cable box that you've had for years, or a standard DVD player that's also been around for awhile may not have the same capabilities. Chances are, the resolution these boxes are capable of outputting is quite a bit lower than your HD TV is capable of displaying. Even if your cable box advertises 4K resolution the source may have been recorded at a lower resolution. For example, if you're watching an old movie on an HD channel, you won't have HD quality on the movie, but you might have it on the commercials.

This low-resolution picture is being stretched to fill your high-resolution screen, and will look very blurry. You want to ensure that you have a high-definition cable box and/or Blu-ray player that is capable of producing a high-resolution picture designed to match the resolution of your TV. Luckily, these items are easily replaceable now.

Ultimately, the highest resolution your TV supports will determine the best viewing quality you can potentially achieve. For instance, if you have a TV that supports a maximum resolution of 1080p, but purchase a 4K Blu-ray player, your Blu-ray player will only output a 1080p picture to your TV to display. In order to take advantage of your 4K Blu-ray player, your TV would need to be capable of displaying a 4K image.

Contact your television service provider or the manufacturer of any source device if you are unsure of what resolution a piece of equipment it capable of outputting.

4. Tips for Improving Video Quality

Before moving your equipment or checking any cabling, make absolutely sure that your A/V Receiver and any other components that are currently on are fully powered off.

• After checking your television and desired media and finding no luck in fixing your poor video, you should make sure your cables are seated correctly. A loose cable could cause static in the video. Check the following cable connections to ensure that all devices are connected properly and securely.
• The connection from your TV to your home theater receiver.
• The connection from your Home theater receiver to the source device you want to watch.
• If you're using HDMI for one connection and component for another, the component video quality will be noticeably less than the HDMI.
  

• Make sure to check the cables you're using for damage as well. If your cable is damaged it is possible it won't carry any data and your system won't even read it.
• You can upgrade your equipment. If you're using a DVD player, upgrade to a blu-ray. If you're using a cable box, ask your provider for a newer more up to date version.
• If watching cable, check the channel you're watching has an HD channel, change to that for a better picture.

5. If It Still Doesn't Work

6. Check the TV Picture Settings

Stretch and Zoom features may or may not be available depending on the type of TV or cable box you have in your setup. The buttons mentioned in these steps will vary depending on the equipment you are using. This step may not apply to you if your equipment does not offer Stretch or Zoom features.

Most HD TVs have "Stretch" and "Zoom" functions that may allow you to remove the black bands that appear on your screen when you're watching some programming. "Stretch" stretches the image to fill your screen and can cause some distortion of the image. "Zoom" zooms the image, cutting off part of the original picture. If these features are left on when changing channels or to a different device, it can cause things to look very strange.

To check stretch or zoom features on your TV or Cable box:

1. Look for a button on your TV or Cable Box remote that may mention Stretch, Zoom, Format, or Aspect. While the labels may differ from remote to remote, they cycle thru the same picture options that have been mentioned.
   

1. With the remote aimed at your TV or Cable box, press the corresponding button repeatedly to begin cycling thru the available picture options. Once the picture has reached a format you desire, simply stop pressing the button and your TV will maintain the option you've chosen.