How to Get a Sharper Picture
The Display Configuration wizard is helpful for getting the best image quality possible on your TV screen or computer monitor via a series of easy-to-understand questions.
Here are details of how to use the wizard to:
* Every brand of TV or monitor has slightly different calibration menus.
Use your mouse or press the green Start button on your optional Windows Media Center remote:
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Open Windows Media Center to the Start screen and scroll to Tasks
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Select Settings, select General, select Windows Media Center Setup.
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Then select Configure Your TV or Monitor.
If the Display Setup dialog box is displayed and prompts you to switch to full-screen mode, select Yes.
Select the display type that you most often use to watch video using Windows Media Center; then select Next.
Select the type of cable that connects your PC with Windows Media Center to your monitor or TV; then select Next.
Select Adjust Display Controls, and then select Next.
From this point on in the wizard, you will not be making any more changes to your PC running Windows Media Center. Instead, the wizard will be helping you to configure your TV for the best display quality.
On the first Display Calibration page, select Next to see a list of the controls you can adjust.
Select Onscreen Centering & Sizing to properly center the display on your TV or monitor.
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Select Next and the wizard prompts you to refer to the instructions included with your TV or monitor to determine how to adjust the centering and sizing. Select Next to begin adjusting the centering and sizing.
Tip: Centering and sizing settings for your TV or monitor may be labeled Horizontal Position, Vertical Position, Horizontal Size, Vertical Size, Vertical Center, or Horizontal Center.
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Select Watch Video from the wizard. While the video plays, adjust the controls for your TV or monitor so that the display is centered and no border appears around the display. When finished, press STOP on your remote to return to the Centering & Sizing page.
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Select Next to access the Display Calibration page.
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To quit the Display Configuration Wizard, select Next without selecting a display characteristic.
How do I change the way Windows Media Center looks on my display?
If you're using Windows Media Center to watch TV on your computer, the image on your monitor or TV might be stretched or there might be unnecessary margins around the image. This means that the aspect ratio is incorrect. You might be able to fix the problem by adjusting the display settings in Media Center.
Before changing any Windows Media Center settings, make sure that the display settings on your monitor or TV hardware are configured correctly and that you're using the best available connection to connect the computer to the display.
To change the aspect ratio for a specific channel
If you're having problems with the image aspect ratio on only a few TV channels, you can use the Zoom feature to change the dimensions for those channels.
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While watching TV, right-click the video, and then click the right arrow to scroll to the Zoom section.
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Click Zoom 1, Zoom 2, Zoom 3, and Zoom 4 to try the different zoom modes and see which one eliminates the margins and expands the image appropriately.
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If you're using a Media Center remote control, press the MORE button to go to the Zoom section.
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Zoom options might not be available for some digital TV channels.
To change the overall aspect ratio
If you're having problems with the image display on all channels, as well as the Media Center interface itself, change the general display resolution from widescreen display (16:9) to standard display (4:3), or vice versa. Here's how to do this:
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On the Windows Media Center start screen, scroll to Tasks, click Settings, click General, click Windows Media Center Setup, and then click Configure Your TV or Monitor.
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Follow the instructions, and when prompted to choose a display width, click Standard (4:3) or Widescreen (16:9)
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Select the appropriate display resolution, and then complete the instructions as needed. You might need to try more than one resolution setting to find the one that looks best on your display.
If Media Center is not in full-screen mode, you can quickly change the overall aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 (or vice versa) by holding down the Ctrl key while resizing the window with your mouse. Or, you can switch to full-screen mode by clicking the Maximize button. When you do this, Media Center automatically adjusts the aspect ratio to match your display.