[stou0220]

Thanks for the reply. You are right, I am comparing a 42 in HD monitor to a 27 in, so maybe this is not the most accurate gage of degradation. However, if I bypass my PVR and hook up my STB directly to my monitor, this picture is crisper. Like you said, it is still OK, but I didn't know if a digital signal could retain it's quality by using a different card.

As far as my 250 settings, I am using the defaults. I'm not as knowledgeable on this subject as many here on the forum, so I am hesitant to explore. Besides, BTV is buggy enough to frustrate my wife by messing up recording or locking up, and I don't want to contribute to her frustration by screwing up the picture! However, if there are accepted recommendations that most people use, I will certainly try those.

Thanks for the help on this matter.