How do I get the most out of my Westinghouse L2410NM?

[Mtt83]

I just picked up one of these from a local retailer http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824255001 and am wondering what to do to get the most out of this multi functional monitor and how to make it look it's best.

The only thing that I've done so far is to play WoW in 1920 x 1200. It looks leaps and bounds better than my old 17" lcd (And the monitor itself is beautiful), but both in-game and on the desktop I notice a bit of "blurriness" if I look closely. (AKA if I move my face closer to the screen I see what looks like tiny heatwaves that you might see when looking down a really hot road.)

My second issue occurred when I hooked up my Wii. After I hooked up my Wii via the cables it came with, I was unable to switch to 480p via the Wii settings menu. Is this an issue with the cables that the console came with, or should I be able to get this working?

To summarize: How can I make my display show it's best/sharpest/clearest picture from my PC, and how can I get HD modes working when I connect my consoles?

Additional Info that may help you answer my questions:
-My PC video card is an ATI Radeon X1900XTX, currently set at 1920x1200 @ 60Hz
-Connection is DVI -> DVI to VGA adapter -> VGA on monitor
-The monitor has VGA, HDMI, component, S-Video, and Standard RGB inputs

 

[Mtt83]

Does anyone else perhaps have this monitor that can comment? I'm hoping the issue is something minor like a cable. If not then I need to return it for another model or something.

 

[bootstrap]

My second issue occurred when I hooked up my Wii. After I hooked up my Wii via the cables it came with, I was unable to switch to 480p via the Wii settings menu. Is this an issue with the cables that the console came with, or should I be able to get this working?

480p is not supported over composite cables -- you need to buy the component cables accessory in order to get 480p output. There are "official" Nintendo cables (link) or you could try third party cables, which may be a little cheaper (e.g. from monoprice).

As for the sharpness issue, a digital connection (DVI/HDMI) will almost certainly be sharper than an analog (VGA) connection. Did the monitor come with a DVI-HDMI cable? if so, I'd try that. If not, I'd pick one up (a relatively cheap one from a place like monoprice should be sufficient -- I wouldn't recommend buying one in a retail store like Best Buy, as they'll almost certainly overcharge you).

 

[Mtt83]

Thank you for the reply. No, the monitor did not come with that cable. I purchased it locally from best buy, so I have 14 days in which to return it. I'm sort of leaning that way now because if it isn't an issue that can be easily fixed, I don't want to spend more money to troubleshoot the "blurriness." I had originally wanted to snag the 37" westy for $800 at costco but they were sold out. I just want a large monitor that will also accomodate my consoles. Turned out to be hard to find alternatives to the Westy deal. At least I now know I also need to pick up component cables for the wii.

 

[xXaNaXx]

just get a DVI-to-HDMI adapter (or adapter cable), and get a lot sharper picture when connected to your video card (HDMI is just standard DVI with extra channels added to carry audio)

such an adapter/adapter cable should be pretty inexpensive.....i'm thinking $20 - $30 at most, from just glancing at google product results

 

[robcf]

Mtt83,

I picked up this monitor myself a few months back and have been completely happy with it, I returned a Gateway FPD2485W that was driving me nuts with inverted ghosting. I took a gamble considering the overall lack of information available for this monitor but it paid off IMO.

To your Wii, you'll have to get the component cables which will run you ~$30 and it's well worth it for the picture quality and the built in speakers aren't that terrible to use, unless you have RCA to RCA adapters and run the audio off to your pc or stereo.

As for the DVI -> HDMI problem, due to the design of the HDMI port being recessed so much unlike the VGA you can't use a DVI -> HDMI converter. I went to BestBuy and all they had was this huge over-sized Monster Cable converter that just wouldn't work. So I ended up going to RadioShack.com and saw they had a DVI to HDMI cable (~$30), called around to a few local stores and picked one up, fit like a charm and my VGA woes were over.

Hope that helps and that your display issue goes away.