# Improve Video Quality - Adjust Settings



## mandy123 (Aug 15, 2003)

What settings can I adjust to improve/maximize video quality on a laptop running Windows Vista? (What should the settings be to maximize video quality?) Thanks.


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## mandy123 (Aug 15, 2003)

I also wonder if there are software programs that might improve video quality?


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

Do you mean while in the act of playing the video on your laptop? There isn't a lot you can do except run the video at native dimensions (enlarging a small video to full screen is sure to look worse) and the media player of choice will have color, brightness, contrast, etc. but every video could be different so the settings would vary for best playback. Some players will also have presets like theatre, vivid, original, etc. for adjustment depending on taste and the amount of ambient light in the room or where ever.

There aren't any programs that improve video quality but videos can be edited to look a bit more enhanced and consistent (things that trick the eye from a distance).


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## mandy123 (Aug 15, 2003)

maybe settings like "screen resolution" can be optimized for video?


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## fairnooks (Oct 1, 2007)

That would be one of the tricks of the eye, but there is only optimization on a per video basis unless all your videos are the same dimension. Most people use LCD screens now and they all have a native resolution so its not as effective to adjust screen resolution as it is for CRT screens, but depending on native screen resolution and the density of those pixels, it can have some enhancing effect.

I get the best results when I take an already great looking home video (doesn't have to be hi-def) and hard-code convert it to 720P, sort of the same thing a upconverting DVD player does in software. Physically packing more bits into a video really helps a video scale better to large LCD screens but it has to be a really good video to start with because even the best job of interpolating (adding and smartly guessing what colors to give all those pixels) will cause at least a little degredation of the video and if its already of poor quality the interpolation will be significantly worse.


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