HDTV Setup Guide - DVD Player & HDTV
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Since pretty much every TV you'll have bought in the last few years is likely to be a flat, widescreen HDTV, either plasma or LCD, you'll want to get the best quality you can from your DVD player. We recommend you do not use a Composite cable. If your DVD player is an older, standard-definition-only model, use an S-Video cable or Component RCA cables to get the best picture. Use the setup or configuration menu of your DVD player to make sure the output is set to fit a widescreen TV's aspect ratio and set the TV to fill the screen, or you'll find the picture distorted and stuck in the middle of a mess of letterboxes and pillarboxes.
If you have a newer, upscaling DVD player, you can either use the Component cables to send a high definition signal to the TV, or for the best possible quality you can use an HDMI cable. Using HDMI has the additional bonus of carrying sound as well as picture signals, which means you only need to use one cable instead of five. Consult your DVD player's manual and enter the setup menu to change the output resolution to match your screen for the best possible picture.
If you arrived at this page but have different equipment, go the the main page of the HDTV Setup Guide to find the setup that suits you.
Which Cables?
Confused about the names of cables? Here's a quick visual guide to help you figure out which connectors we're talking about. If you're not familiar with the technical terms, either click the words the difficult words for a definition or visit our HDTV Glossary.