InfiniTV 4 PCI / WMC picture quality

[Binoeder]

Hello,
I just got my new PC with an InfiniTV4 PCI card in it hooked to my 70" flat panel via HDMI.
My PC is a new build consisting of:
Intel i5 water cooled processor
32Gig's RAM
2.5 TB of hard drive space
Windows 7 Pro installed on 128 Gig SSD
I am running onboard graphics
My video files, DVD's and Blu rays play great

My issue is I can tell a noticeable difference in picture quality from my set top box and the Ceton card.
I am using WMC
Time Warner cable service cable card with tuning adaptor

Was hoping someone could tell me why there is a difference if I am missing something in WMC or my graphics settings.

Thank you

Difference in picture quality is similar to comparing DVD to Blu Ray

Also the audio is a little different/lower running through the computer (using on board audio also)

[JohnW248]

I have several Ceton devices, SD OCUR devices, Tivo and set-top box and they all have the same performance. If anything, the OCUR devices out perform the Cisco set top box.

In your example I would question your on board graphics. It sounds like you are feeding the set with HDMI from the computer and you should have run tv picture set-up in media center on your TV set.

You might find it advisable to get a graphic card, many of us have found that NVidia cards handle the issues with HBO with it's 29/59 issue better than ATI. You might also find an extender another choice instead of a direct connection from your computer. If you have multiple displays on your computer, the desktop must be set-up as expanded and not cloned or you will run into DRM issues (and maybe even down-rez). Also make sure that your settings on your video card are set to 1920x1080 59hz. I think the settings in Media Center might over ride the video card settings but you should have a PQ equal to your STB.

[Binoeder]

The graphics on an i5 3570k are more than adequate to handle video, i;m not gaming with this PC just running WMC and some dvd files. I've checked all my graphics properties and all are set correctly from what I can see.
I'm only running one display.
I have the TV setup in WMC set to flat panel (which is what Ceton recommended)

Still searching for answers
Thanks

[richard1980]

Set WMC to output to television instead of flat panel. Television is the only setting that doesn't overscan. You may also want to ensure your display is in 1:1 pixel mapping mode. (Consult your user's manual. It may not be called 1:1 in the manual...some manufacturers refer to it as "just scan", "full scan", or other similar terms. The idea is to view a signal with a resolution that matches your display's native resolution and have each pixel in the content to be mapped to exactly one pixel on the display.)

It is impossible for the tuner to be a factor in picture quality. The tuner's only purpose is to receive digital bits of information and pass them along to the rest of the system for processing. Any picture quality differences between two boxes is going to be a function of the graphics processing systems on each box. If you still notice issues after changing WMC to Television, you'll need to look closer at the graphics settings.

[Binoeder]

I could always goto Microcenter and get a graphics card and see if that solves the problem, if not I could return it.

There really are not alot of graphics properties to adjust with my onboard card.

I did switch from flat panel to TV and it was at best a tiny bit noticable.

Thank you