I have recently purchased a Panasonic VHS/DVD Recorder Combo. The unit is very good and copying is very easy. Here is my problem: I have the machine hooked up to a regular TV which has a cable TV connection but is not HD. When I record a VHS to DVD-R the recording looks great on my TV. The recording also looks great on my computer. The recording looks fuzzy and not very clear on my HD TV. The HD TV screen is larger than the other screens. Could this be why? Is there anything I can do to correct this problem? Also, if I am only using the machine for the purpose of copying VHS to DVD is there any reason for me to buy an HDMI cable? Thanks so much for any help you can give me.
High definition means just that--much more detail in the picture, including all the flaws that are ordinarily not visible. On small TV screens or on computer monitors, the picture quality provided by standard broadcasts, the VHS format, and DVD was acceptable. Once screens went beyond 36 inches and home projectors were possible, the flaws hidden by smaller video displays became apparent (as did poor pancake makeup on news people, facial scars, bad skin, and other human flaws that had not been visible before). The reason the HD formats were introduced was that video displays were growing so big that a new format was needed to hide them again. Your VHS recordings ARE fuzzy, but you will only see that on large, HD displays, not on smaller displays. ("HD" video on an iPod display is a joke--it won't look any different from regular video because the display is too small to distinguish the difference.) The HDMI cable is meant to keep digital information in a digital format from the source to the display. Since VHS starts as analogue material, there is no significant benefit from using an HDMI cable from the combo unit to the display. It may make a small difference for DVD signals.
