Poor picture quality viewing some videos on my HD or 4K TV

You may experience a lower quality picture than specified for your TV for several reasons. To experience the highest quality picture on your TV, the video source should be the same quality (HD, 4K, etc.) as specified for your TV. Check the Poor quality picture conditions for additional information.

Poor quality picture conditions:

• Viewing lower quality video upscaled on your TV:

  Poor picture quality is often experienced when lower-quality video content is upscaled and viewed on higher resolution TV models.

  

  • When watching a DVD (720x480) or another video source with SD quality on an HDTV (1920x1080), upscaling the video to something resembling 1920x1080 can cause the quality to look poor. The same condition exists when watching HD or lower content on a 4K TV.
  • A video of lower quality cannot be converted to higher quality without stretching. However, you may be able to improve the quality by adjusting the Sharpness and Picture Mode of the TV. For model-specific information, check your TV manuals. Manuals are posted on your model support page.

• Viewing over-the-air broadcast:

  Even when a TV program is broadcast at higher quality, the transmission may have been upscaled from a low-quality source, causing it to look poor. If your video appears fine from other sources, the issue is with the broadcast.

• When viewing a video from an external device:

  When using a set-top box (cable. satellite, etc.), recording device, DVD, or another external device that does not support the higher quality of your TV, videos are displayed in lower quality. Even when the external device supports a higher quality, if the device is not properly connected to the TV with a high-quality connection, videos may be displayed in low quality. Always use the highest quality connections available for the best results.

• When viewing videos from a streaming service:

  • When streaming content, the resolution used to show the content on the TV screen is determined by the streaming app. In addition, screen resolution may vary and display higher when the connection speed is high or lower when the connection speed drops or becomes unstable. This part of streaming is managed by the streaming service to maximize the viewing experience and minimize content buffering on slow connections when higher resolution data cannot be sent continuously.
  • To view content that matches the quality of your TV (HD or 4K), your streaming service must support the higher quality and you may have to subscribe to a specific plan to receive that content.
  • Your internet connection must meet or exceed the minimum speed requirements for streaming higher-quality content.