How to get best quality on new hdtv?

[paulm]

We finally took the plunge and bought a new (inexpensive) 32" 720p lcd hdtv. After just watching the sioux hockey game... frankly, the picture should be better.

On our 20" 480i CRT, FSSN on 91W came in crystal clear. On the new TV it's jaggy (for a lack of a better word) when we're sitting close (only ~ 4 feet away, which is why I went for the 32" 720p). I'm wondering if my connection setup isn't to blame.

The connection goes

lnb --coax-->cw600s--rca-->tivo--rca-->tv
we also tried bypassing tivo
lnb --coax-->cw600s--rca-->tv
and it's maybe a little, but not really

the tv says the signal coming in is 480i, and I'm wondering if being interlaced isn't the problem.... would a progressive scan signal coming in look much better?

If so, how do I make that happen? Can the Captiveworks 600s (non-premium) output 480p over svideo?

Does FSSN on 91 even broadcast in 480p? How would I tell?

As for tivo in the mix, I LOVE trick play (specifically the buffering, 30sec skip, and 8 sec instant replay). We've decided given a choice, this is more important than a better picture. Can you guys recommend a dvr receiver that has these features that will feed a 480p signal to the TV?

Thanks!

 

[ACRadio]

Right now you're watching a standard definition broadcast (480i) on a high definition TV. It most likely won't look any better, as the higher definition display really shows you the flaws in a standard def signal. Any signal from your Captive Works receiver will be in standard def 480i, so you would need some kind of high definition source, such as HD cable or an HD satellite receiver. To appreciate an HDTV you need to view an HD picture, which will be either 720p or 1080i. 1080i will be converted to 720p for your TV, but it will still look good. DVD's should look better than compressed standard def, and a Blu Ray DVD player will look great.

 

[paulm]

We're watching SNL in 1080i broadcast over local OTA right now and it's pretty good. Standard def progressive scan (480p instead of 480i) DVDs also look pretty good -- that's why I'm wondering if I can't get a better FTA picture if I can get a 480p signal from a recevier instead of an interlaced signal.

 

[Anole]

1). I'm no expert on all the models of TiVo, but from spending a lot of time on the VideoReDo forum (a video editing program), I keep hearing that the TiVo records in 480x480
That could be a contributing factor, regardless of input source material.

2). running composite along the video path, is just one step up from modulated channel 3
So, not the worst, but pretty low on the totem pole.

3. My HD TV has multiple inputs. If your source receiver has Svideo or Component outputs (both my FTA receivers do), hook that to the TV for regular viewing.

4). For playing your DVDs, get an upconverting player, that'll also do DivX, and you will see some things that put your game to shame!

I've gotten used to the variable quality from different inputs.
I also love the tricky play as I run a Dish Network PVR, and an FTA PVR, and can't imagine living with out 'em!

5). Oh, one last thing I found when I got my new 42" LCD a few years ago...
You get as good a source as you can find, feed it into a given connector, then tune the TV to an inch of its life!
Typically you have to do this for every input; the settings are NOT global!

Folks who feed composite SD into their new HD sets need to get over the fact that SD isn't as sharp as HD.
AND they need to color/contrast/brightness tune for best picture.
Try that and you should be happier.

I would imagine you can get much better set-up info in our HD TV forum, but since ya asked here . . .

 

[paulm]

Anole,

Thanks for the input!

My captiveworks box has svideo, but I couldn't find an svideo cable (i know i have one around here somewhere!), so I'll have to try that out.

The SD feeds you get out of your FTA receiver... are they 480i or 480p?

 

[paulm]

Forgot to add, the TiVo is an old old philips series 1 that we run unsubscribed and ONLY for the trick play features while watching hockey. I'd be willing to spend the money on an FTA dvr that could do the same trick play features (the cw600s doesn't even have blind scan, so wouldn't mind upgrading anyway).

 

[Anole]

25¢

Twenty-five cents at one of our fine Gold Sponsors: SatelliteAV.
Buy a dozen so you and your friends never run out.
I did last year. - :up

Note also the composite cables, and the RS-232 cables.
Stock up.

While you are there, check the LNB page.
Down at the bottom, grab a pair of spare Universal LNB Mini's for cheap.
I did last year! -



Or, alternately, if you want to spend more (and this is a cheap place), lookup MonoPrice . com for cables.
Only problem there, is digging through all the choices!
I got my tilt 'n swivel LCD TV wall-mount for under $50, and it exceeds the function/features of $100..$200 store-bought mounts!

 

[Tron]

All SD FTA I've ever seen is 480i, and I doubt that most FTA receivers can output a progressive signal. On the other hand, most DVDs are natively 480p.

 

[paulm]

well, I found one thing that helped a lot: turning the "sharpness" setting waaay down!

I'll try switching to svideo (receiver--svideo->tivo--svideo->tv) and see if that helps too.

 

[boomer_106]

The pansat 9200 HD has a setting for 480p. Quite frankly, I don't know if it helps anything or not. I haven't seen any improvement with it. Like it was said earlier SD on a HD set just looks bad. SD looks better on an old Tube TV. A good tube tv that is.

Having said that, it also makes a difference in what you are getting from the broadcaster. Not all SD or HD feeds are equal. I've seen some SD on my set that didn't look bad and some that looked horrible. All HD looks decent but, some looks downright spectacular.

 

[schlever]

If you can do composite, do that instead of S-video .... much better picture! Whether it sends it in p or i @ 480 or even 1080 its not going to be a noticiable difference. I have a 32 inch 1080i and a 50 inch 1080p and I can't see any differnence at all.

 

[gillham]

If you can do composite, do that instead of S-video .... much better picture! Whether it sends it in p or i @ 480 or even 1080 its not going to be a noticiable difference. I have a 32 inch 1080i and a 50 inch 1080p and I can't see any differnence at all.

I'm guessing you meant component. My 1080P TV's scaler sometimes interacts poorly with the signal from my FTA receivers, especially on lower bitrate channels. Some are jaggy to the point I can't easily read the details on the score bar across the top. As a test I've recorded a somewhat poor looking signal and viewed it on my computer. It usually looks better than the FTA receiver from a detail perspective and unreadable scores / logos turn out to have decent detail.

I highly recommend component cables if your receiver supports it as well as adjusting your TV contrast / sharpness a bit as mentioned above.

 

[designimp]

On a slightly different thread about quality of picture.--Could anyone direct me to a link where I might be able to download descrambling updates fora pansat3500sd to maximize its effectiveness over time? Thanks, designimp.

 

[Tron]

If you are referring to hacked firmware, you should really read this:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-ai...atellite-tv-you-will-get-you-banned-life.html

 

[Radioguy41]

I would assume your new HDTV has more than one input. Are they all the same? Check the manual and make certain which inputs can handle SD, ED, or HD, they may not all be the same. If your old TIVO only outputs 480 then that's all you're going to see, a 480 image. Split your incoming cable and feed it direct to a 720 input on the TV. Feed the other side of the split through the TIVO to a different input. Flip back and forth between the inputs to get a good idea of how much that TIVO is degrading the signal.

 

[bruin95]

On a slightly different thread about quality of picture.--Could anyone direct me to a link where I might be able to download descrambling updates fora pansat3500sd to maximize its effectiveness over time? Thanks, designimp.

Boy, your stay here was really short. See ya.