Poor quality using 625 for non HD on new Samsung 56" DLP???

[j0nnyhb]

Does anyone have a Samsung 56" DLP, model hlr5668w? If so, are you getting a good picture with your Dish 625 hooked up? Mine sucks (at least ESPN and ESPN2 - anything with sports motion).

Is there any issues with the 625 because it is a DVR where the picture quality will suffer when hooking it up to a big screen TV? Perhaps I have too much recorded (I still have 38 hrs of recording time free, so it isn't close to being full) and it is automatically reducing the quality of the picture to save space on the hard drive???

The TV looks great when receiving HD or when using the DVD player, so I don't think it is an issue with the TV itself.

Please help! My plan is to hook up my 301 basic receiver to the Samsung once my basement is complete, but right now it is hooked up to the 625 (I'm hoping it is just some simple thing to adjust on the 625 or the 301 will just perform better).

Thanks in advance.

P.S. Forgot to mention, I'm getting HD channels through my local cable service, Dish isn't in the current plan for HD at this moment in time, will cross that bridge later this year. We don't get Local channels via Dish, so getting my internet + local channels through cable (and now my new TV gets the HD channels via the cable connection, which is a nice bonus).

 

[rdinkel]

What connection to the TV are you using? S-video, composit, or RF?

 

[j0nnyhb]

I used S-video then just the composit video (tried both, no difference), connected to the TV's AV in. I didn't try the RF yet.

 

[shadowwalker]

I have installed many SD receivers on HD TV sets and to be honest the picture suffers quite a bit even when the s-video is used. The 211 coax out seems to have improved this problem quite a bit but the image is not that great. That my 2 cents

 

[dfergie]

Get an Avia disc, or have it professionally calibrated. But with the compression you are not going to get steller results from the E* SD...

 

[j0nnyhb]

shadowwalker ... thanks for the input ... I'm kind of a newbie, so can you explain exactactly what this means?

"The 211 coax out seems to have improved this problem quite a bit but the image is not that great."

Is the 211 a diff. reciever which would only have a coax output? thanks again!

 

[rdinkel]

That should be better than the RF. But you have nothing to lose, so give RF a try. The new HD sets are optimized for HD sources. Many sets larger than 36" do a terrible job with SD sources.

I have found the 625 to do fairly well even with RF, but my HD set is smaller and has higher-end electronics. Good luck.

 

[goaliebob99]

That should be better than the RF. But you have nothing to lose, so give RF a try. The new HD sets are optimized for HD sources. Many sets larger than 36" do a terrible job with SD sources.

I have found the 625 to do fairly well even with RF, but my HD set is smaller and has higher-end electronics. Good luck.

thats what i was about to say ... anyhow why have an hdtv and not use it for its intention..

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Use s-video, make sure your Samsung is adjusted for proper color temps, brightness, and contrast (i.e. make sure these are not too high, in torch mode), and if not that good, then at least watch them in 4:3 mode with black bars on the sides. The image quality gets worse if you stretch it to widescreen mode.

But it's never going to be a particularly sharp picture. Dish's SD quality is mediocre at best, when exploded up to a wide screen, it really suffers.

 

[j0nnyhb]

ha! ... "anyhow why have an hdtv and not use it for its intention."

Oh I intend to use HD, but when 90% of the sporting events I want to watch are NOT broadcast in HD, i really cannot use it ;o)

This is disappointing, and probably will push me back to cable after my contract is up (right before football starts next fall) if I cannot get a better picture. I just bought a 3K TV to watch sports on (specifically college football and basketball), and if the Dish SD isn't going to cut it, I'll have to go elsewhere until everything is broadcast in HD ;o)

Thanks for everyones input ... I'll post my results after some more testing, hopefully the quality can improve enough to actually watch the stuff.

 

[rthomp03]

Cable isn't going to be any better. You can't take a SD picture with 480 lines of resolution and display it that large and expect a decent picture. New TVs with screen sizes greater than 36" were intended for one purpose and one purpose only... HD. Use it as it's intended and you will be thrilled.

 

[j0nnyhb]

"Use it as intended and you will be thrilled" ... you obviously aren't in marketing ;o) ... you might actually tell real customers the truth.

My bad for not knowing all the intricacies of SD and HD and the quality differential (I knew there was obviously going to be a difference, but the discrepancy is pretty stark). And BTW, the basic cable signal when watching sports wasn't as bad IMO ... I don't live and breath this stuff like some of you (I have a job outside this field), that is why I'm on here. Thanks for the information..

 

[charlesrshell]

Good luck with your Samsung. We had a Samsung 50" DLP and just traded it off for a Panasonic Plasma. The Samsung was only a year and a half old. Went through two each light engines and then the video board went bad. Luckily we had the extended warranty from Best Buy and got to trade it in under the Lemon policy. The Panasonic we got is rated number one plasma in Consumer Reports and it sure is much better than the DLP we had. And of course we took out the extended warranty again.

 

[NightRyder]

I've had my Samsung 50" DLP for 2 years. Not one problem. Still on the original lamp with 7000 plus hours. As in all things mechanical or electronic, YMMV.

Make sure you follow everone's advice about getting the set properly adjusted. For best picture don't leave it on factory settings and find a way to turn DNIE off.

NightRyder

 

[gbrowndsl]

when you dont run at the TV's optimum resolution the picture may look a bit grainy. Same thing occurs on my Panasonic plasma in anything other than HD or at least watching a DVD via upconversion.

 

[JamesThurber]

I just recently bought the JVC 56" (HD-ILA). I know that it is different than the Samsung but I also noticed the diiference with my 522 hooked up either through s-video or composite. OTA HD was excellent though so I knew I had a good television. I contacted JVC as well as Dish and was told basically the same thing, the TV was upconverting the signal to try and make it HD. Both suggested that I switch to a HD Receiver so I waited till 2/1 and placed an order for a 622 to (hopefully) be installed 2/13. I will have that connected by the HDMI port with hopefully better SD picture quality. I will post my results when I get them.

 

[j0nnyhb]

JamesThurber, thanks for that tidbit ... I tried using the coax from the 625 to the TV's coax in, no difference.

I may have flipped the DNIE on ;o) ... I was trying lots of things (but I'm pretty sure it didn't make any difference ... I'll go back and make sure that is off now).

 

[Tom Bombadil]

There may be a small improvement when using a 622, but don't get your hopes up for much. I've used both an 811 and a 942 and there was very little difference on SD as compared to a 510. Now if you tune into a channel getting good bandwidth, then it is definitely better.

To test, tune to a PPV channel during the first 6 minutes, which are free. Those get more bandwidth and are a better indicator of what is possible, but not probable, from Dish SD. Some of these look acceptable on an HD set.

HDTV sets do vary considerably in their ability to do SD well. Some of the 42" plasmas and LCDs are fairly good. Larger rear projection usually not so good.

I've been hanging around HD forums for about 6 years now and I've read this same complaint at least a thousand times. If the quality of the SD broadcast were better, which it could be, then I think nearly everyone could live with it. But they tune the quality to look good on a 20" to 24" set and don't worry about larger than 36" sets.

 

[j0nnyhb]

Thanks Tom, yes, I have seen a very decent SD signal through cable actaully, so I still think it is an issue with Dish or the 625. There are levels of "bad picture" and ESPN and ESPN2 via Dish (or via Dish + 625) are really bad, not even close in quality to some other SD channels I get (goes to your bandwidth comment). I'm pretty sure it isn't the TV now.

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress. I want to try my basic 311 vs the 625 when I have time.

 

[John Corn]

Cable digital vs dish digital.....I like Dish slightly better. You won't see any difference going to cable.

Jonnyhb, have you had your TV hooked up to digital cable before changing to Dish? I felt the sameway when I first got an HD set, I still feel the SD pictures aren't that great, especially in sporting events.

One thing I found was watching an SD sporting event was much better in 4:3, I didn't like stretching the picture.