You’ve made the switch over to HDTV, but it seems that the picture on your TV now looks worse than before. This is not too uncommon with new HDTV users. The TV looked great at the store, so why doesn’t it look like that when you get it home? This article will help you get your new HD TV looking like it did on the showroom floor.

There are essentially three things needed to get an HD picture: an HD source, HD tuner, and an HD monitor. The first place you will want to check is your signal. How are you getting a signal? Cable, satellite, or antenna? If it is with cable or satellite, you will need to make sure that you have the right equipment that is capable of displaying HD. Check with your provider if you are unsure of your current equipment. If you do have high definition equipment, some providers will charge extra for HD service. Make sure you have a plan that gives the option to view the channels in HD. If your signal is coming from an antenna, make sure you have a TV that is capable of receiving an HD signal. A TV that is just an HD monitor does not have the necessary equipment for receiving HD.

Next, make sure you have an HD tuner. If you have cable or satellite, this tuner would be your cable or satellite box. As stately previously, make sure you have a high definition capable box. For receiving off air HD broadcasts, make sure you have a decent antenna, and that your TV has a digital tuner built in. TVs that are just HD monitors do not have this tuner built in and require it separately. A true HDTV has the tuner built in. Virtually all TVs sold today have a digital tuner built in.

Last, make sure that you do in fact have a TV screen capable of displaying high definition. If you aren’t sure if you do or not, then you probably don’t. Most widescreen sets today are at least high definition ready, meaning they can display HD resolution, but they just lack the tuner.

One common complaint with HD TVs is that they don’t display analog signals very well. Some TVs will have an analog mode, which will help improve the picture quality on analog sources. If your TV doesn’t have one of these modes, try turning down the color settings of the TV. Most HD sets come out of the box with the color settings blazing, which looks good on HD sources, but not so good with analog. Also, try adjusting the sharpness settings as well. Reducing this setting can help to improve the picture quality on the analog sources.

One last bit of advice as well: be patient. After February 2009, all signals will have to be digital. This doesn’t mean all signals will be high definition, but it does mean that we won’t have to deal with less than perfect analog signals anymore.

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