Media Center FAQs

Following are Family Media Center Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). To view other Media Center FAQs that are not covered in this section, go to the Gateway support Web Site at support.gateway.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/faqs/.

Q: Why does the Family Media Center video display look bad on my TV?

A: Many factors, such as the display type, quality of the video source, type of connection used, quality of video cables, display device screen resolution, size of TV, age of the TV, or the type of TV (interlaced or progressive scan), can affect the video quality substantially:

•Display type — The Family Media Center is best viewed on display devices recommended for the Family Media Center by Gateway. Other types of display devices, including retail TVs, may provide lower quality video. If you did not order a display device when you purchased your Family Media Center, a progressive scan display device with a DVI or VGA input is the best choice.

•Quality of video source — The quality of the video signal coming into the Family Media Center has an affect on the video quality. The video displayed from the Family Media Center is only as good as the source video signal. Cable, digital cable, and satellite usually provide better quality than an antenna.

•Type of connection used — You can connect the Family Media Center video output to a TV. However, the connection type has an affect on the video quality. The Family Media Center has three video

outputs:

DVI — If your TV includes a DVI port, connect the DVI cable from the Family Media Center’s DVI port to the TV’s DVI In port for the best quality. Many TVs do not have a DVI port.

VGA — If your TV includes a VGA port, connect the VGA cable from the Family Media Center’s VGA (monitor) port to the TV’s VGA In port for the better quality. Many TVs do not have a VGA port.

S-Video— If your TV does not have a DVI or VGA port, but includes an S-Video port, connect the S-Video cable from the Family Media Center’s S-Video Out port to the TV’s S-Video In port. S-Video display quality is usually good for TV images. The display quality for the Family Media Center computer functions, however, is not as good as DVI or VGA output. S-Video display output is not optimized for computer video display.

•Quality of video cables — Poor quality cables or the incorrect type of video cables can cause problems and affect the video quality. Gateway recommends using high quality video cables that can be purchased from Gateway on the Web, in a Gateway store, or on the phone.

Note: Cable connections must be connected correctly for optimal video quality. A poor cable connection can lower video quality.

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