Plasma + DirecTV -- Can I get some opinions??

[yukon]

I have a 42' Plasma and DirecTV. Was wondering when you guys watch Standard Def channels do you watch pillar or full, and do you let the box do native or do you leave it on 1080i all the time?? Just curious cause I've had Dish and Direct and my standard channels always look like crapola. I'm not sure that Plasmas are the way to go, but just curious to what you guys think about your SD channels and what not. Thanks

 

[riggscm]

Hey Yukon...

I have a 43" LCD Projection and I have pretty good results on SD stations...

I leave the TV on full, and set my HD TiVo to send up Pillar bars on SD stations.
Also I typically have the output res set to 720p, or 1080i, but will switch to 480p output if I feel the picture is being overdriven and causing the SD picture to look worse.

 

[cr0mag]

I have a Gateway 42" HD plasma. I use the 16x9 Pillar box setting for D* and keep the box set at 1080i. I'm hooked up via DVI, so the TV just takes whatever is thrown at it. The GW isn't the greatest plama by far, so I let the box do all the hard work. Things look fine on my end, once you get used to the bars.

Mind you, that when it comes to SD, any of my SD sets look better than my plasma... but SD is not what it's there for, right?

BTW the bars will change color based on whether the channel you are watching. If the signal is broadcast in widescreen and they "send" black bars, that's what I get. If they have not bars in the signal, you get whatever the box is set for, which in my case is gray bars.

 

[yukon]

cr0mag glad to see you !! I have the same TV. Guess I'll try the 1080i black bar deal. My SD just looks like crap. I'm running from HDMI to DVI cable to TV set. So whats better to use the black bars or the grey bars. My STB has an option where I can choose black or grey all the time. I figured grey would burn in on the plasma. oh and my Gateway is really EDTV.. not the tru HD. Piece of crapola, but its what I got for now.. so gonna make the best of it...

 

[slacker9876]

Black is far less noticile than grey. My Mitusi upconverts ALL signals to 1080i, so I have the HD TiVo set to run 1080i but allow the TiVo the control on the pillar & letterboxing.

 

[cr0mag]

cr0mag glad to see you !! I have the same TV. Guess I'll try the 1080i black bar deal. My SD just looks like crap. I'm running from HDMI to DVI cable to TV set. So whats better to use the black bars or the grey bars. My STB has an option where I can choose black or grey all the time. I figured grey would burn in on the plasma. oh and my Gateway is really EDTV.. not the tru HD. Piece of crapola, but its what I got for now.. so gonna make the best of it...

I know what you mean about the GW tv's... I got the HD 42" when my store was closing. (I used to work for Gateway) NO ONE one earth could beat the price I paid for the thing, so like you I'll make due as long as it takes.

I have my STB set for the Grey Bars... I've always heard that they grey bars were less likely to cause burn in, and my wife is really paranoid about something happening to the plasma.
I honestly don't know if black is better than grey or vice versa... I'm sure that can be debated for the rest of time LOL.

Oh BTW, SD pretty much looks like crap on all channels compared to a SD television. They are watchable, and really not that bad lately for some reason.

Like we used to say about the GW plasma... "they're good from afar, but far from good." I kid, because I care...lol

 

[yukon]

true true.. thanks for suggestions.. think i'll go grey bar, 1080i on all as well..

 

[yukon]

hey cr0 one more thing. When you watch on 480p does it look boxy. I think something must be wrong with just my 480p input. Cause all my sources on that tv in 480p look messed up. xbox, directv, dvd player whatever looks like something messed up. you say you used to work for GW is it worth me getting fixed??

 

[cr0mag]

hey cr0 one more thing. When you watch on 480p does it look boxy. I think something must be wrong with just my 480p input. Cause all my sources on that tv in 480p look messed up. xbox, directv, dvd player whatever looks like something messed up. you say you used to work for GW is it worth me getting fixed??

Never saw anything like that... Since I'm using DVI and locking the STB at 1080i, I never get a chance to look at anything else... sorry.

If it's under warranty still, call and bitch till they send out another one. GW never repaired any of those things, they just traded them out. I had mine swapped out last year about this time. They will send a tech, who will spend some time looking at your tv, and once he 'blesses' it as defective, they will send another one. Probably won't be new... most likely a refurb... but at least it should work better.


Hope it helps... Send me a pm if you need, and I'll check out somethings tonight when I get home for ya.