Your brand new TV may not be adjusted well from the factory. When we test televisions we often find they are delivered with settings that are nowhere near realistic. They have too much contrast, colour and sharpness. Here's how to adjust a TV to the right settings.

1. Choose a local channel, preferably with a well-lit outdoor scene. Turn the colour control right back so you have a black-and-white picture.

2. Adjust the contrast and brightness to get the best-looking black-and-white picture possible. Look for a smooth series of greys between the full black and the full white. Contrast adjusts the difference between black and white, and brightness adjusts the overall picture. Too much contrast will remove the greys. Too much brightness will make black into grey. Start adjusting with both controls at their midpoint.

3. Change the channel to a presenter. Slowly bring in the colour until the skin tones look natural.

Note that the sharpness control was introduced to aid VHS tape replay quality. It is misnamed, having nothing to do with the picture focus, and is not useful for normal broadcast or DVD viewing. Keep it toward the lower end of its range.

Adjust the sound by experimenting with the controls. Start with on/off controls like bass boost set to off, and variable controls like bass and treble set to the midpoint. Make small adjustments one control at a time.

Where's my widescreen?

Have you got a widescreen TV but seem to be missing the edges of the picture? Here's how to fix it.

First make sure your TV is set to the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. You should be able to do this using the menus on the TV or remote control - consult your TV's instruction manual.

If you're still missing the edges of the picture it's most likely because you have a Sky TV or Freeview decoder that is set to display a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than 16:9. You'll be amazed at how much more picture you get by doing the following:

Sky TV

• Using your remote, turn on a Sky channel and press the select button (the oval button inside the four arrows).
• Using the arrows, select the "spanner" icon then "Advanced Setup" using the same oval button.
• Enter your four-digit pin number, press select, and then select "TV Setup".
• Select "16:9" from the menu, press select and then press the "Go Back" button on your remote twice to return to the channel.

Freeview

• Select menu, and then either "Installation and Settings" or "System Configuration" depending on the type of set-top box you have.
• Then select "Output Settings" or "System Setup" depending on the set-top box you have.
• Change "Aspect Ratio" to "16:9"

These instructions and more are available at the Sky TV and Freeview websites. If you're still having problems, get in touch with either and ask for assistance.

Remember that not all TV programmes were made or are available in the 16:9 format. You'll notice big black vertical borders on your 16:9 display when these 4:3 programmes are displayed. And since some movies were not filmed in the exact 16:9 format you may still occasionally get small horizontal borders as well. Don't worry, this is normal.