What setting to output from a laptop to a 16:9 HD TV??

[arthurbach4]

I have just bought a 42" Panasonic plasma tv (res up to 1080p) and I had a question about using it as a computer display.

I hooked it up to my laptop (pc with win xp home) and used a vga cord to get the picture happening.

The picture, however, is ever so slightly squashed (ie people look slightly shorter and slightly fatter)

My lap top is a widescreen model and when I check Properties>Settings it is set to 1280x768.

I am able to change the aspect ratio through the tv itself but can only toggle between 16:9 and 4:3

4:3 is also almost correct but again the people look slightly taller and skinnier.

Is it a matter of adjusting the display settings of the laptop through Properties>Settings to get the correct fit?

I could do it by trial and error I suppose but I have to restart the computer each time you change the resolution and it takes 9 years to reboot.

Do any of these settings look like they might be the one?

800x600
1024x768
1152x864
1280x768 (the laptop's default setting)
1280x1024
1600x1200
1792x1344
1800x1440
1920x1080
1920x1200
1920x1440
2048x1536

Thanks for your time.

[fo3nix]

Try setting TV to widescreen in 1080p mode, and setting output resolution to 1920x1080.

[ACtheTROLL]

I think you'll find that 42" is too much - the only thing I've seen that looks OK on a TV is Media centre - and DVD films

Obviously its down to taste ... but the plain fact is ... a TV is designed to be viewed at 12' - a pc at 12"

1920x1080 is what you want though.

But the best way is take a minute or two work through the resolutions ... see which looks best to you

[arthurbach4]

I tried setting the resolution to 1900x1080 and it literally made no difference whatsoever!

Maybe the answer lies somewhere other than the res output from the laptop?

Thanks for the suggestions though.

[ACtheTROLL]

Just remembered ....
HP ... possibly others also - had an option in the display advanced options to "fill the screen"

it only affected external devices which were "expected" to be 4:3 despite the resolution set on screen