Optimal Settings For PC To PLasma TV Setup Please?

[AfxTwn]

Hi, I have recently moved house and my new place is smaller and so I've decided to move my computer into the lounge and hook it up to my 37 inch plasma TV and use that as the primary monitor. I have a Panasonic TH-37PX80B TV and my PC is a self-build but here are the specs:

Windows 7 HP 64 bit
Nvidia GTX460 GPU
8GB DDR2 RAM

I have connected the PC to my TV via HDMI-to-mini-HDMI cable (my TV does have it's own designated VGA PC port but when I use this the picture seems worse and my PC can't recognise that I'm using a TV and just assigns it as a generic monitor).

Anyway, my TV is quite an old model (about 4-5 years old) and only capable of 720p HD and the native resolution Windows advises me to use is 1280x720. I am used to using my PC with a Iiyama 24 inch monitor capable of 1920x1080 resolution and so it's quite a difference when viewing my PC on my TV now. The main thing I notice is the lack of clarity and the small size of text on the desktop/in folders etc and in particularly browsing the web.

I use my PC for a variety of tasks such as using the internet, watching videos (both on You Tube and films I've downloaded), playing games on Steam and editing photos in Photoshop Elements.

Please could someone advise me of the best resolution to use with my TV (I've read elsewhere about a program called Powerstrip where you can set custom resolutions and timings etc) and if possible how to set the brightness, contrast, sharpness and colour modes for my TV for use with the PC. I have set up my TV to look great when watching TV shows and films on a DVD (mainly in Cinema mode) but this doesn't work for computing and looks bad.

My TV's manual does have suggestions for resolutions and horizontal/vertical frequencies but these appear to be based on using a D-sub cable which I'd like to avoid if possible. If required I can provide images of the associated manual pages.

Thanks for any help.

 

[americanaudiophile]

The native resolution of the panel as per the owners manual is 1024 x 720 so I would try that first. The manual does say that more than 1024 signal lines could result in incorrect display of the image.
You should be able to adjust the font sizes in the OS or in the individual programs. The Nvidia driver control panel for you video board should have adjustments that you can use to adjust for contrast, color, etc.
You will never get that TV to look like your Iiyama monitor. It just ain't that good but sometimes size does matter.

 

[AfxTwn]

Thanks very much for your reply AA. I have tried various resolutions with my TV, I can't get exactly 1024 x 720 but I can get 1024 x 768. At this resolution, it was just too small and didn't look right stretch on my 37 inch plasma. I then went with the Windows/Nvidia recommended res of 1280 x 720 which looked better but again on a TV this size, was too small for my viewing distance of around 6 feet.

I think you're right and from what I've read elsewhere, plasma's aren't ideal for use as a monitor and especially a relatively old model like mine. I have since gone back to my trusty Iiyama monitor and set it up on a coffee table in front of the sofa. This however has meant having various cables stretching across the room to where my PC is situated so I think I may have to save up and get a new TV, possibly an LCD or LED that would be better suited to use as both a TV and a PC monitor.