Dual Mode - Best TV 2 Option
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I absolutely agree that SD programming looks MUCH better on an analog TV. I've got 4 HD TVs and SD looks crummy on all of 'em to me--like you're watching underwater unless you're way back.
Since it's only the wife and I at home we have HD at all 4 HD TVs from 2 receivers, a 622 & 722 by having one TV hooked up via component and the other via HDMI or in another case both via HDMI by using a powered HDMI splitter. TV2 is still hooked up to the 2nd TVs via coax so if we have guests separate tuners are still available if they wanted to watch something different in glorious SD, LOL. JMHO
Ed
Since it's only the wife and I at home we have HD at all 4 HD TVs from 2 receivers, a 622 & 722 by having one TV hooked up via component and the other via HDMI or in another case both via HDMI by using a powered HDMI splitter. TV2 is still hooked up to the 2nd TVs via coax so if we have guests separate tuners are still available if they wanted to watch something different in glorious SD, LOL. JMHO
Ed
I've got 5 TVs through the house. TV1 from a Vip622 runs the HDTV in the living room and TV2 is distributed through the rest of the house over the existing cable runs. As others have noted it looks fine on SDTVs of which I still have 3 in bedrooms between 20"-27".
The only HDTV connected to TV2 is a little 22" LCD panel on the wall in front of a treadmill. Picture quality was secondary to being able to mount a TV where someone on the treadmill could see it. For a screen this small SD doesn't look that bad.
If I were to put a 30"+ HDTV in a room that got frequent use I would be looking at feeding it an HD signal, but for infrequent use or small screens SD is fine.
The only HDTV connected to TV2 is a little 22" LCD panel on the wall in front of a treadmill. Picture quality was secondary to being able to mount a TV where someone on the treadmill could see it. For a screen this small SD doesn't look that bad.
If I were to put a 30"+ HDTV in a room that got frequent use I would be looking at feeding it an HD signal, but for infrequent use or small screens SD is fine.
If you have the capability of getting OTA TV, you might want to consider an HDTV and then diplexing the signal from the Dish box with your OTA antenna. That would give the TV2 viewer the option of watching local channels in HD or watching the SD feed from the dish box. I also think some HD sets do a better job of rendering SD pictures than others, so I would not automatically assume that SD is always going to look better on an SD set.
If you are buying a new tv anyway - you can get an old SD one at a thrift store cheap. IF you want to spend money on a new TV, I'd buy an HDTV and run the other HD output to it in addition to the SD output. That way you can watch the TV2 output when you want each TV with a different program (less common) and watch TV1 output when you want to watch HD on it and are okay with both TV's showing the same thing.
You can also pick up the digital local channels with an antenna on your new TV and they would look much better than on a SDTV.
You can also pick up the digital local channels with an antenna on your new TV and they would look much better than on a SDTV.
I picked up a 34" Philips CRT HDTV off Craigs List for $90 to use on TV2 output.
Excellent for DVD's and OTA ATSC tuner, too.
Excellent for DVD's and OTA ATSC tuner, too.
Can you watch HDTV on both TV's provided you only watch one program at a time? That is to say, I'm watching HD on TV1 in the living room and decide to watch the rest from bed so I turn off TV1, head to the bedroom and watch the rest of the show in HD from TV2?
Is the SD on TV2 only when TV1 is actively watching something else?
Is the SD on TV2 only when TV1 is actively watching something else?
No TV2 output is always SD. If you want HD then you have to route one of the TV1 outputs to the TV2 location.
Assuming you have an HD DVR receiver.
If so, when you are in Single Mode you could pause what you're watching if live or recorded and continue to view it at the 2nd TV. However, unless you've run either HDMI or component & audio cables to the 2nd TV it'll be HD programming in SD via coax. If you're in Dual Mode & its either already recorded or you begin recording it on TV1 you can view it at the 2nd TV as well. The only way you'll be able to view it in HD at the 2nd TV is to run an HD output from the receiver to the 2nd TV and view programming from TV1 there. See posts above. Is this clear as mud?
Welcome aboard!
Ed
I have a Samsung LN40A550 LCD for over a year now, and the SD PQ on it is really good. It's hooked up via HDMI to my VIP722k. I noticed that the PQ on SD tends to very with different channels. Most channels are pretty good, but there are a handfull that look grainy.
I have a question about TV2 output. When a program is recorded off of TV2, is it recorded in SD even if it's a HD channel? So when I'm watching something on my Samsung that was recorder on TV2,(I have TV2 going to my son's 9" CRT TV), am I seeing HD or SD?
Thanks,
Ghpr13
I have a question about TV2 output. When a program is recorded off of TV2, is it recorded in SD even if it's a HD channel? So when I'm watching something on my Samsung that was recorder on TV2,(I have TV2 going to my son's 9" CRT TV), am I seeing HD or SD?
Thanks,
Ghpr13
Bebop,
Thanks for that reply. So when my son records a program on TV2, if it's HD it records in HD, so on my Samsung I can watch it in HD and on my son's TV it's downconverted to SD for him to watch on his TV. Is that correct?
Thanks again,
Ghpr13
