Increasing DVD Picture Quality?
 

I recently got a Toshiba SD-K741SU dvd player after using my playstation2 as a dvd player for years. However the quality on my new player seems worse than on my ps2. I don't know how to describe it, but vertical lines of distortion go up and down the screen. I tried lowering the sharpness on my tv but that didn't seem to help. Could getting an S-video cable help?

Start with a better DVD player. A better cable could help, but you can only make an improvement so far with a DVD player like a Toshiba. Look into models from Denon or Yamaha that have dedicated video processing circuitry.

One possibility is that the DVD player is sending a progressive scan signal to an non-progressive compliant TV. This can happen if you are using component video cables (red, blue, green). If you are using the basic composite cables (red, white, yellow), then never mind. And yes, S-video can improve your picture if it is replacing composite.

cables and the signaltype matter a great deal. As Catmandu mentioned composite < s-video < RGB-component. Regarding progressive scan, the TV etc needs to have that option. I have a Yamaha DVD-S540 which allows me to setup which kind of signal I want to send, eg progressive, interlaced, how many lines.

S-video, Often bypasses certain electronic signals in the TV, and sometines sends directly to the tube. Get a good S-video cable....see if that helps.

Not sure if this is a progressive scan problem or not. Vertical lines...hmmm... I would start with the cables. Are they decent or are they poop? Fess up!

Tell us a little more. How is it hooked up to your tv? Composite cable (just a single video cable), SVideo (interesting cable with 4 pins in a square configuration on one end) or component? What are the connections available on your tv? Oh yeah, what is the tv model?

Once we get to that info, we can get a little further. I would imagine, though, that any off-the-shelf DVD player should be able to best a PS2.

If you're going from progressive to interlace, the picture is going to be skewed diagonally.