said by JeffinNOLA :DVD Recorder. I made no changes since the last tv but it must be more sensitive to noise.
If you are using a DVD Recorder, then your "source" is in Standard Def. TVs use a lot of different upscaling chips and techniques to make SD fill the screen. The difference you are seeing may just be a different upscaler.
Try feeding the TV an HD signal and see what happens. Also make sure you are using a digital connection, and not analog. And then buy yourself an HD recorder.