Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgraded my dell
dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMedia UltraTV1500MCE tuner
card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENT video
output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component it would
display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows to display "very
large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unless your
sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in the system tray
beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out what they are.
Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is
this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv instead of an
LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic 42PD50U
enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don't necessarily want
to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it possible
it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converter itself? I
tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an s-video
cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable for the
most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchase a $2000+
HD tv?

Thanks in advance for all your help!
Brent Houp

If this is a standard res TV, you're probably seeing the best you can get; a
standard res TV is designed to show broadcast quality video. It will look
great for the MCE stuff that is designed for a 10 foot interface, but it is
still a lower res than even the crumiest PC monitor, so the regulard XP
destop is never going to look very good.

--
James
Orlando (Goofy says "Hey!"), FL

"Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2E83C853-C415-48B1-9DF2-8599EF29900C@microsoft.com...
> Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgraded my
> dell
> dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMedia UltraTV1500MCE
> tuner
> card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENT video
> output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component it would
> display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows to display
> "very
> large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unless your
> sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in the system
> tray
> beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out what they
> are.
> Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is
> this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv instead of
> an
> LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic
> 42PD50U
> enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don't necessarily
> want
> to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it
> possible
> it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converter itself? I
> tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an
> s-video
> cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable for the
> most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchase a
> $2000+
> HD tv?
>
> Thanks in advance for all your help!
> Brent Houp

What size TV do you have?
You say you have a flat panel TV that is not a Plasma or LCD, then what is
it.? Or do you mean that you have a flat screen CRT TV?
Note: an EDTV has a native resolution of only 852 x480 which is just a
widescreen 640x480 display so it may not work well for you either with PC
applications.
What resolution are you using on the VGA output that is being converted to
component? The quality of the converter output depends on both the
resolution being used and of course on the quality capability of the
converter itself. I don't think your video card is part of the problem, if
it was you would have probelms with it when it is connected to a regular PC
monitor also. I know vga to component transcoders have a wide price range
so certainly some do a better job then others.
Note also that a standard CRT TV is not designed to do PC graphics which
requie very exacting positioning of both lines and "pixels" in a line. If
they were they would not in general cost have as much as PC monitors of the
same size and people would use an inexpensive video card to convert a TV to
a monitor.


"Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2E83C853-C415-48B1-9DF2-8599EF29900C@microsoft.com...
> Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgraded my
> dell
> dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMedia UltraTV1500MCE
> tuner
> card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENT video
> output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component it would
> display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows to display
> "very
> large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unless your
> sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in the system
> tray
> beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out what they
> are.
> Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is
> this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv instead of
> an
> LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic
> 42PD50U
> enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don't necessarily
> want
> to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it
> possible
> it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converter itself? I
> tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an
> s-video
> cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable for the
> most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchase a
> $2000+
> HD tv?
>
> Thanks in advance for all your help!
> Brent Houp

Thanks to both of you for your quick replies. I have a 27" flat screen, CRT,
sorry. I'm glad you told me about the EDTV situation. I was only
considering the Panasonic 42PD50U model because I've seen it in the stores
and in my opinion, it's really close, if not better than some of the hdtv's
being sold right beside it, (but I'll keep your info in mind)

I have the resolution of the computer in display properties set to 800x600,
with an extra large font set. I do see what you mean, Jaime, about the media
center picture looking not too bad but when I exit and go to a regular
desktop, it's almost blury and unreadable. I'm thinking at this point that
it's the tv itself, not anything in the computer or the scan converter. Now
my question is this....anyone know where I can get a really good deal on a
good HDTV (possibly plasma, but not necessarily) or a good LCD? One other
question...it has been my experiece that LCD tv's are the ones with the
really super-nice, glossy look to the picture. Is this correct, and does
anyone think they are better than buying a regular HDTV?

Thanks again for all your help!
Brent

"JW" wrote:

> What size TV do you have?
> You say you have a flat panel TV that is not a Plasma or LCD, then what is
> it.? Or do you mean that you have a flat screen CRT TV?
> Note: an EDTV has a native resolution of only 852 x480 which is just a
> widescreen 640x480 display so it may not work well for you either with PC
> applications.
> What resolution are you using on the VGA output that is being converted to
> component? The quality of the converter output depends on both the
> resolution being used and of course on the quality capability of the
> converter itself. I don't think your video card is part of the problem, if
> it was you would have probelms with it when it is connected to a regular PC
> monitor also. I know vga to component transcoders have a wide price range
> so certainly some do a better job then others.
> Note also that a standard CRT TV is not designed to do PC graphics which
> requie very exacting positioning of both lines and "pixels" in a line. If
> they were they would not in general cost have as much as PC monitors of the
> same size and people would use an inexpensive video card to convert a TV to
> a monitor.
>
>
> "Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2E83C853-C415-48B1-9DF2-8599EF29900C@microsoft.com...
> > Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgraded my
> > dell
> > dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMedia UltraTV1500MCE
> > tuner
> > card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENT video
> > output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component it would
> > display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows to display
> > "very
> > large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unless your
> > sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in the system
> > tray
> > beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out what they
> > are.
> > Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is
> > this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv instead of
> > an
> > LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic
> > 42PD50U
> > enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don't necessarily
> > want
> > to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it
> > possible
> > it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converter itself? I
> > tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an
> > s-video
> > cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable for the
> > most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchase a
> > $2000+
> > HD tv?
> >
> > Thanks in advance for all your help!
> > Brent Houp
>
>
>

"Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:59811788-0CAE-43DB-9E12-E9C047782248@microsoft.com...
> Thanks to both of you for your quick replies. I have a 27" flat screen,
> CRT,
> sorry. I'm glad you told me about the EDTV situation. I was only
> considering the Panasonic 42PD50U model because I've seen it in the
> stores
> and in my opinion, it's really close, if not better than some of the
> hdtv's
> being sold right beside it, (but I'll keep your info in mind)
>
> I have the resolution of the computer in display properties set to
> 800x600,
> with an extra large font set. I do see what you mean, Jaime, about the
> media
> center picture looking not too bad but when I exit and go to a regular
> desktop, it's almost blury and unreadable. I'm thinking at this point
> that
> it's the tv itself, not anything in the computer or the scan converter.
> Now
> my question is this....anyone know where I can get a really good deal on a
> good HDTV (possibly plasma, but not necessarily) or a good LCD? One other
> question...it has been my experiece that LCD tv's are the ones with the
> really super-nice, glossy look to the picture. Is this correct, and does
> anyone think they are better than buying a regular HDTV?
>

If you are looking for the most bang for your buck, and don't neccessarily
need a *flat* TV that you can hang on your wall, look into a DLP TV or an
LCD rear projection TV. I have a 42" LCD rear projection TV. It is only
14" deep, about 60lbs. I have it sitting on a 16" deep shelf mounted to the
wall. The model I got was almost $3000 when I got it less than 2 years ago,
but can now be had for about $1800. I think the picture quality is just a
little bit better on a DLP, but that is a slightly newer technology and
hasn't come down quite as much yet.

Okay, thanks again for your reply. I guess right now I'm still undecided as
to what I will do. Having said that, I now have another problem. When I
tried to watch tv via media center it gave me an error message saying "The
video decoder has either malfunctioned or is not installed. Please restart
Media Center and/or the computer." I do remember reviewing different tv
tuner cards before I bought them and most said that they didn't include a
decoder. Do I have to download something?

Thanks!
Brent

"Brent" wrote:

> Thanks to both of you for your quick replies. I have a 27" flat screen, CRT,
> sorry. I'm glad you told me about the EDTV situation. I was only
> considering the Panasonic 42PD50U model because I've seen it in the stores
> and in my opinion, it's really close, if not better than some of the hdtv's
> being sold right beside it, (but I'll keep your info in mind)
>
> I have the resolution of the computer in display properties set to 800x600,
> with an extra large font set. I do see what you mean, Jaime, about the media
> center picture looking not too bad but when I exit and go to a regular
> desktop, it's almost blury and unreadable. I'm thinking at this point that
> it's the tv itself, not anything in the computer or the scan converter. Now
> my question is this....anyone know where I can get a really good deal on a
> good HDTV (possibly plasma, but not necessarily) or a good LCD? One other
> question...it has been my experiece that LCD tv's are the ones with the
> really super-nice, glossy look to the picture. Is this correct, and does
> anyone think they are better than buying a regular HDTV?
>
> Thanks again for all your help!
> Brent
>
> "JW" wrote:
>
> > What size TV do you have?
> > You say you have a flat panel TV that is not a Plasma or LCD, then what is
> > it.? Or do you mean that you have a flat screen CRT TV?
> > Note: an EDTV has a native resolution of only 852 x480 which is just a
> > widescreen 640x480 display so it may not work well for you either with PC
> > applications.
> > What resolution are you using on the VGA output that is being converted to
> > component? The quality of the converter output depends on both the
> > resolution being used and of course on the quality capability of the
> > converter itself. I don't think your video card is part of the problem, if
> > it was you would have probelms with it when it is connected to a regular PC
> > monitor also. I know vga to component transcoders have a wide price range
> > so certainly some do a better job then others.
> > Note also that a standard CRT TV is not designed to do PC graphics which
> > requie very exacting positioning of both lines and "pixels" in a line. If
> > they were they would not in general cost have as much as PC monitors of the
> > same size and people would use an inexpensive video card to convert a TV to
> > a monitor.
> >
> >
> > "Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:2E83C853-C415-48B1-9DF2-8599EF29900C@microsoft.com...
> > > Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgraded my
> > > dell
> > > dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMedia UltraTV1500MCE
> > > tuner
> > > card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENT video
> > > output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component it would
> > > display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows to display
> > > "very
> > > large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unless your
> > > sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in the system
> > > tray
> > > beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out what they
> > > are.
> > > Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is
> > > this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv instead of
> > > an
> > > LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic
> > > 42PD50U
> > > enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don't necessarily
> > > want
> > > to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it
> > > possible
> > > it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converter itself? I
> > > tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an
> > > s-video
> > > cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable for the
> > > most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchase a
> > > $2000+
> > > HD tv?
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance for all your help!
> > > Brent Houp
> >
> >
> >

Hi.

Yes, you will need an MPEG2 codec to view TV and DVD on your computer,
including Media Center. The common ones are WinDVD, PowerDVD or nVidia
PureVideo. Prices differ, depending on the features:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/dvd_decoder.html
http://www.gocyberlink.com/multi/cyb...der_1_ENU.html
http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/WinDVD_Profile.jsp

You'll have to check the newsgroups (this one, but also
microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter) to see which codec works best with
your video and TV cards.

The cheapest is by far nVidia's PureVideo decoder at 19.95. This is just
the codec and does not include a stand-alone player like the other
solutions. For MCE only use, this is enough.

--

Michel Bordeleau
MS-MVP - Windows XP Media Center Edition
(remove oogle from email address to email me)


"Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:32DC6F50-3A3D-43A3-9148-657657AA558C@microsoft.com...
> Okay, thanks again for your reply. I guess right now I'm still undecided
> as
> to what I will do. Having said that, I now have another problem. When I
> tried to watch tv via media center it gave me an error message saying "The
> video decoder has either malfunctioned or is not installed. Please
> restart
> Media Center and/or the computer." I do remember reviewing different tv
> tuner cards before I bought them and most said that they didn't include a
> decoder. Do I have to download something?
>
> Thanks!
> Brent
>
> "Brent" wrote:
>
>> Thanks to both of you for your quick replies. I have a 27" flat screen,
>> CRT,
>> sorry. I'm glad you told me about the EDTV situation. I was only
>> considering the Panasonic 42PD50U model because I've seen it in the
>> stores
>> and in my opinion, it's really close, if not better than some of the
>> hdtv's
>> being sold right beside it, (but I'll keep your info in mind)
>>
>> I have the resolution of the computer in display properties set to
>> 800x600,
>> with an extra large font set. I do see what you mean, Jaime, about the
>> media
>> center picture looking not too bad but when I exit and go to a regular
>> desktop, it's almost blury and unreadable. I'm thinking at this point
>> that
>> it's the tv itself, not anything in the computer or the scan converter.
>> Now
>> my question is this....anyone know where I can get a really good deal on
>> a
>> good HDTV (possibly plasma, but not necessarily) or a good LCD? One
>> other
>> question...it has been my experiece that LCD tv's are the ones with the
>> really super-nice, glossy look to the picture. Is this correct, and does
>> anyone think they are better than buying a regular HDTV?
>>
>> Thanks again for all your help!
>> Brent
>>
>> "JW" wrote:
>>
>> > What size TV do you have?
>> > You say you have a flat panel TV that is not a Plasma or LCD, then what
>> > is
>> > it.? Or do you mean that you have a flat screen CRT TV?
>> > Note: an EDTV has a native resolution of only 852 x480 which is just a
>> > widescreen 640x480 display so it may not work well for you either with
>> > PC
>> > applications.
>> > What resolution are you using on the VGA output that is being converted
>> > to
>> > component? The quality of the converter output depends on both the
>> > resolution being used and of course on the quality capability of the
>> > converter itself. I don't think your video card is part of the
>> > problem, if
>> > it was you would have probelms with it when it is connected to a
>> > regular PC
>> > monitor also. I know vga to component transcoders have a wide price
>> > range
>> > so certainly some do a better job then others.
>> > Note also that a standard CRT TV is not designed to do PC graphics
>> > which
>> > requie very exacting positioning of both lines and "pixels" in a line.
>> > If
>> > they were they would not in general cost have as much as PC monitors of
>> > the
>> > same size and people would use an inexpensive video card to convert a
>> > TV to
>> > a monitor.
>> >
>> >
>> > "Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> > news:2E83C853-C415-48B1-9DF2-8599EF29900C@microsoft.com...
>> > > Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgraded
>> > > my
>> > > dell
>> > > dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMedia
>> > > UltraTV1500MCE
>> > > tuner
>> > > card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENT
>> > > video
>> > > output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component it
>> > > would
>> > > display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows to
>> > > display
>> > > "very
>> > > large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unless
>> > > your
>> > > sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in the
>> > > system
>> > > tray
>> > > beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out what
>> > > they
>> > > are.
>> > > Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is
>> > > this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv instead
>> > > of
>> > > an
>> > > LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic
>> > > 42PD50U
>> > > enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don't
>> > > necessarily
>> > > want
>> > > to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it
>> > > possible
>> > > it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converter
>> > > itself? I
>> > > tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an
>> > > s-video
>> > > cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable for
>> > > the
>> > > most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchase
>> > > a
>> > > $2000+
>> > > HD tv?
>> > >
>> > > Thanks in advance for all your help!
>> > > Brent Houp
>> >
>> >
>> >

Yes if you did not install a DVD Decoder then you have to.Use the following
utility to see if one is installed and if it is compatible with MCE.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...splaylang=enIf you have none I reccomend the NVIDIA Decoder available at the nvidia.comWebsite.You can install a 30 day free trial before you purchase it."Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in messagenews:32DC6F50-3A3D-43A3-9148-657657AA558C@microsoft.com...> Okay, thanks again for your reply. I guess right now I'm still undecidedas> to what I will do. Having said that, I now have another problem. When I> tried to watch tv via media center it gave me an error message saying "The> video decoder has either malfunctioned or is not installed. Pleaserestart> Media Center and/or the computer." I do remember reviewing different tv> tuner cards before I bought them and most said that they didn't include a> decoder. Do I have to download something?>> Thanks!> Brent>> "Brent" wrote:>>> Thanks to both of you for your quick replies. I have a 27" flat screen,CRT,>> sorry. I'm glad you told me about the EDTV situation. I was only>> considering the Panasonic 42PD50U model because I've seen it in thestores>> and in my opinion, it's really close, if not better than some of thehdtv's>> being sold right beside it, (but I'll keep your info in mind)>>>> I have the resolution of the computer in display properties set to800x600,>> with an extra large font set. I do see what you mean, Jaime, about themedia>> center picture looking not too bad but when I exit and go to a regular>> desktop, it's almost blury and unreadable. I'm thinking at this pointthat>> it's the tv itself, not anything in the computer or the scan converter.Now>> my question is this....anyone know where I can get a really good deal ona>> good HDTV (possibly plasma, but not necessarily) or a good LCD? Oneother>> question...it has been my experiece that LCD tv's are the ones with the>> really super-nice, glossy look to the picture. Is this correct, and does>> anyone think they are better than buying a regular HDTV?>>>> Thanks again for all your help!>> Brent>>>> "JW" wrote:>>>> > What size TV do you have?>> > You say you have a flat panel TV that is not a Plasma or LCD, then whatis>> > it.? Or do you mean that you have a flat screen CRT TV?>> > Note: an EDTV has a native resolution of only 852 x480 which is just a>> > widescreen 640x480 display so it may not work well for you either withPC>> > applications.>> > What resolution are you using on the VGA output that is being convertedto>> > component? The quality of the converter output depends on both the>> > resolution being used and of course on the quality capability of the>> > converter itself. I don't think your video card is part of theproblem, if>> > it was you would have probelms with it when it is connected to aregular PC>> > monitor also. I know vga to component transcoders have a wide pricerange>> > so certainly some do a better job then others.>> > Note also that a standard CRT TV is not designed to do PC graphicswhich>> > requie very exacting positioning of both lines and "pixels" in a line.If>> > they were they would not in general cost have as much as PC monitors ofthe>> > same size and people would use an inexpensive video card to convert aTV to>> > a monitor.>> >>> >>> > "Brent" <Brent@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message>> > news:2E83C853-C415-48B1-9DF2-8599EF29900C@microsoft.com...>> > > Hi Folks! I'm new to this so please bear with me. I just upgradedmy>> > > dell>> > > dimension 2400 computer to a 160GB HD, a new AverMediaUltraTV1500MCE>> > > tuner>> > > card, and a Grandtec Ultimate 2000 PC-to-TV Converter with COMPONENTvideo>> > > output to the tv. I thought for sure that by using component itwould>> > > display a great picture. Nope! Even after changing windows todisplay>> > > "very>> > > large" fonts and large icons, it's still very hard to read unlessyour>> > > sitting right up in front of the tv. In fact, the icons in thesystem>> > > tray>> > > beside the time are also very, very hard to see and make out whatthey>> > > are.>> > > Everything just seems to be very unclear I guess. Now my question is>> > > this....is the problem just that it's a regular flat panel tv insteadof>> > > an>> > > LCD or plasma? I was thinking of eventually purchasing a Panasonic>> > > 42PD50U>> > > enhanced definition plasma in the new few months but don'tnecessarily>> > > want>> > > to wait that long to be able to read the text on my computer. Is it>> > > possible>> > > it's the video card in the computer or maybe the scan converteritself? I>> > > tried hooking my laptop up to a regular CRT tv a few years ago via an>> > > s-video>> > > cable and had the exact same picture quality which was unreadable forthe>> > > most part. Is there something I can do besides run out and purchasea>> > > $2000+>> > > HD tv?>> > >>> > > Thanks in advance for all your help!>> > > Brent Houp>> >>> >>> >