The 970HD's component output is not as limited as the 971H's, but I do agree that the best place to start is to zero out the player's settings and try adjusting at the display first. Unfortunately I haven't used the 970HD, so I am not sure what video settings would be worth checking first. I do know that the 970HD's s-video output does not pass blacker-than-black, but I don't know if that limitation extended to the component video output.