Why can't I tell the difference between HD and DVD video when I connect my Macbook Pro to my HDTV?

Question

On my computer monitor I can tell a huge difference between HD videos and DVD quality videos... when I connect my MBP to my HDTV using DVI - my MBP is outputting 1080i- I can't really tell any difference...

Answer 1

Sounds like you know what you're doing already. Check your tv settings. What is the max resolution on your hdtv? Your laptop could output 1080i but your tv might be down converting it to something lower. I would imagine, if it was a 720 tv, the difference would be very subtle. Since dvd resolutions are up towards 500 lines. It is not unsual to see a bigger difference on the monitor than a tv -Monitors have much higher resolution capabilities than tvs.