Connecting a Laptop to a tv

i connect my laptop intel 640m inspiron to my tv using the s-video port, but ive come across a problem.
If i put a dvd in my laptop and watch it on the tv, the image is smaller and poorer quality than if i just played it in a dvd player on the same tv using a scart lead.
is this a graphics card issue? Is it an issue with the cables, Scart and s-video? My PC is a 1.66ghz, .99 GB of Ram, with 2 intel 945gm express chipset family and the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950.

Any Suggestions Guys?

 

The cables are fine its just that the TV is on a different(smaller) resolution then you notebook's screen.

 

but should the dvd playing resolution on the laptop not be the same as when i play one on the dvd player?

 

you can set the resolution of the tv on your laptop. And yes, if the scart is using RGB signals, the quality is better than S-video. But still, it should look fairly good. I've watched Xvid-movies on our tv using a s-cable and a laptop with Intel Extreme Graphics with good quality. Check if your tv type (pal/ntsc, different types of pal/ntsc) is recognised correctly, that it's set to fill the entire screen (not black border), that the resolution is not to high/low and if all of the above are properly set up, increase the size of the picture manually.

 

thanks for the info, i changed the resolution and sharpness and it's much better.
one more question. ive it set to a pal tv but how do i know if its a pal B,D,G,H,I,M or N and does it even matter?

 

Some of them don't work properly, due to different screen refresh rates and frame rates. Use one the works since most are nearly identical or compatible. otherwise, Wikipedia is your friend.