His problem wasn't with the digital signal.
A wire is a wire and if noise (analog) is present (from his box) it will travel on that wire (to the TV) and be visible.
The problem wasn't a wire, and was on both TVs. The problem was with the output of the 625
digital receiver. The result of the unknown problem in the
digital receiver was a picture quality change manifested as an artifact of wavy lines.
Digital Evolution:
First it was:
Digital is all-or-nothing. You either get it or you don't. If you got it, it will be perfect. Just two choices.
Then there were three choices of picture:
Digital is all-or-nothing, EXCEPT if you are at the low end of the signal strength where you may see some pixilation or tiling just before the picture is lost.
Then there became more choices and types of compromised picture:
Let's add mosquito noise, and describe other "less than perfect pictures", which we can explain as compression issues and calibration issues, but nonetheless, picture quality issues.
Now there are enough discerning eyes with HDTV to be describing blurry and blotchy, though stable, pictures. Not all of these come from compression because they can all be overcome with calibration and/or signal quality.
The truth is that if you are settling for less than what your neighbor is getting, or if your Dish HD is not VERY close to OTA HD quality, then something needs to be adjusted. If your SD is horrible, it is because of one of two things:
1. Color calibration
or
2. Signal quality
In time the science will come to the forefront as people are all trying to understand why their digital system doesn't provide the "perfect picture" that we have come to expect from a digital system.
Don't believe everything you hear. The "all-or-nothing" aspect of digital television was and is, an over-generalization of digital systems. It was and is, used to sell the better quality aspect of digital television. Unfortunately, engineers speak in higher math and the rest of us mostly speak in words. The science hasn't been taught because of two reasons.
1. A large number of installers wouldn't understand it.
and
2. During the early years of satellite, strong signal strength was easy and the noise factor was low.
As a result of the ease of high signal in the past, most installers will tell you that grounding doesn't matter and won't ever make any visible changes in quality. This also is a fallacy.
Now, as systems are more complex with added components DVR, etc, and with 5 to 6 times the amount of information needed per minute with HD vs. SD, we are evolving into a new understanding of digital systems. It is time for grounding, noise, signal strength (signal quality/BER ), and slow data, to be be taught, and understood.
That is the truth about digital TV.
