RAnT! I cant really tell huge differance with HD over SD with Voom

iceshark

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
May 10, 2004
533
0
Pacific Northwest
Okay since I am venting on STB..
When I had Comcast cable (very short time. Hated it). There was a noticable differance watching inhd channel and local like Jay leno ect in HD with my SOny xbr wega HD tv. And I was using component cables not DVI.

I love my Voom but I have to say with exception of Worldsport. I dont really notice big differance between SD and HD broadcast.

I have my Sony set up so one input is regular standard rca jack video,
One component video,
and one DVI video.

If I switch between inputs on the same HD broadcasts I dont notice the huge differance in clarity I noticed with Comcast box.

Yes I have it hooked up correctly.
Currently I have voom STB only set to highest 1080I setting.

In fact the cinama channels look Standard no matter what I play them with.

Moov, gallary, HD news and locals I think COmponent looks sharper then DVI but not really better by much over standard rca jack output.

AM I NUTS!!!

I just definitly know comcast you would want too wipe off a players sweat it ws so clear!!!!
 
As I was told on this forum, most Voom's exclusive channels are broadcasted in 720p. They also said that Voom suppose to upgrade its equipments and then those channels will be in 1080i.
Now, I believe that your Sony's native resolution is 1080i but when it receives 720p stream, it'll downconvert it to 450p. I know this because it is the only reason why I both Toshiba HDTV - it upconverts 720p signal to 1080i.
It doesn't mean you have a bad TV. I am not very happy with "upconverted" Voom channels on my Toshiba either. They just don't look like a true 1080i. I guess we have no other choice but to wait until they upgrade their hardware. I emailed Voom about this but got no response yet. Hope the upgrade will happen soon.
 
The difference between HD and SD is huge on my Panny plasma. I use native mode and component for both.
 
iceshark...

Did you misplace your glasses? :D I agree the VOOM exclusive channels are awesome any time you switch to them, the others seem to vary a lot with content. TND-HD is looking pretty good tonight on 521, BTW. Thanks, VOOM.
 
You people are not reading all posts. His TV downconverts 720p feed to 480p, that's why hi sees no big difference. Most Voom's channels are 720p.
 
so output 1080i, but thats what hes doing and it still sucks. Hmm Buy a decent HD set and stop whining about it here?
 
vurbano said:
so output 1080i, but thats what hes doing and it still sucks. Hmm Buy a decent HD set and stop whining about it here?

Actually not to start a flame but this model of Wega was rated better then most HD setups and was one of the first HD DVI certifyed.

Could be me the user is the problem. Definatly not the set! ;)
 
Conjuror said:
You people are not reading all posts. His TV downconverts 720p feed to 480p, that's why hi sees no big difference. Most Voom's channels are 720p.


Thanks for the help. However I batted around buying the Toshiba vs. The Wega and They both upconvert to 1080I. So It must be me not the TV>


Also I have it set to 1080I only (top bar) And on locals that are in 1080I and HDnews BravoHD espnHD I just dont see a huge differance with dvi vs even standard rca out.

Maybe I need glasses. It wouldnt bother me so much but I did very much see differance with ComcastHD box.

Thanks for your help! ;)
 
Conjuror said:
You people are not reading all posts. His TV downconverts 720p feed to 480p, that's why hi sees no big difference. Most Voom's channels are 720p.
Sony - Sony KV-36XBR800 36" FD Trinitron Wega™ XBR® HDTV-ready TV

The KV-36XBR800 is one of Sony's highest-performing Hi-Scan™ TVs. This stylish 36-incher comes loaded with innovative technology that will enhance your viewing for years to come, from regular TV shows and VHS tapes all the way up to today's best video sources — HDTV and progressive-scan DVD. You get a total of 7 A/V inputs, including two "wide-bandwidth" component video inputs. You can use one component video input to hook up a separate HDTV tuner, and the other to connect and enjoy maximum performance from a progressive-scan or standard DVD player. When it comes to HDTV sources, the KV-36XBR800 is compatible with both 1080i and 720p signals (720p is converted to 1080i — a big advantage, as many TVs must downconvert 720p to 480p). And thanks to this XBR's HD Detailer™ wideband video amplifier, you'll experience for yourself all the breathtaking color, detail, and dimensionality HDTV has to offer. A DVI digital input is also included for greater compatibility with future HDTV tuners — especially tuners that receive satellite and/or cable HDTV signals.
 
Okay, so your TV upconverts 720p to 1080i. As I said, I am not very happy with this upconversion either. Voom's cinema movies don't look NEARLY as good as, for example, HDNet movies on Dish. Some people on this forum will say that they are the same. I don't have problems with that but then, in my opinion, they don't really need an HDTV set, SD should be good enough for them.
They told me too that I need glasses, better TV, and that I'm using who knows what kind of cable but not the right one. So, don't be too upset about their responses.
To me (and many other people), the difference in picture quality between SD movies and Voom's channels is equal to one between Voom's movies and HDNet movies. In other words, if Voom's channels look 3 times better than SD then HDNet and HDNet Movies on Dish look 3 times better than Voom's channels.
I asked Voom support about this 720p speculation but I got no answer yet.
 
Ice,

I had your TV and was NOT happy with it. I was a long time Sony user, but I've left the fold. I think that plasma and hi-def are a match made in heaven.

Outside of that- I would try a component only hook up..i've had problems with DVI and I think that you might need your TV looked at, if HBOHD or TNTHD is NOT amazing next to A&E or say TLC.

There is such a huge difference on my set that you could drive a truck though it.

Good luck man.
 
Seawaves said:
Ice,

I had your TV and was NOT happy with it. I was a long time Sony user, but I've left the fold. I think that plasma and hi-def are a match made in heaven.

Outside of that- I would try a component only hook up..i've had problems with DVI and I think that you might need your TV looked at, if HBOHD or TNTHD is NOT amazing next to A&E or say TLC.

There is such a huge difference on my set that you could drive a truck though it.

Good luck man.

Thanks for the reply, I only wish I had waited about 5 more months and the Base Plasma would have not been but a few hundred bucks more then this huge tv and taken up less room.
Funny, I did a lot of research before buying and found either excellent reviews or poor ones.

I still see it go either way. Nothing in the middle.
I have been telling people all along that I believe my picture is best with Component over DVI. some say its the cable.
I have tried messing with settings.

I will tell you that I do notice a much better picture with new TNTHD vs sd tnt on my voom vs my dish network. Maybe its those first twenty something
exclusives that are not impressing me because like the last poster said they are not true 1080I. But I am noticing a better picture as we are talking wathcing tnthd

THank you for your help.
 
Conjuror said:
Okay, so your TV upconverts 720p to 1080i. As I said, I am not very happy with this upconversion either. Voom's cinema movies don't look NEARLY as good as, for example, HDNet movies on Dish. Some people on this forum will say that they are the same. I don't have problems with that but then, in my opinion, they don't really need an HDTV set, SD should be good enough for them.
They told me too that I need glasses, better TV, and that I'm using who knows what kind of cable but not the right one. So, don't be too upset about their responses.
To me (and many other people), the difference in picture quality between SD movies and Voom's channels is equal to one between Voom's movies and HDNet movies. In other words, if Voom's channels look 3 times better than SD then HDNet and HDNet Movies on Dish look 3 times better than Voom's channels.
I asked Voom support about this 720p speculation but I got no answer yet.

So it sounds like you and I are on the same wavelength. You believe Vooms HD picture is substandard to Dishnetworks HD and I believe it is substandard to Comcast cable HD tv...... That makes sense. I know it is not the set as
why would it look sharp on comcast and not on Voom.

Sounds like we are up a creek until they change to 1080I.

I will say that new channel TNThd looks sweet.

Thanks for the help.
 
G.i.g.o.

Realize what Hi-Def is all about. LIVE events or Documentaries using HI-DEF cameras is what true HiDef is. That's why you can see the athlete sweat drip, that's why the wildlife look so impressive on Discovery HD Theater.That's what makes HDNews looks HD. Its' the format using Hi Resolution cameras.

Pop in a Widescreen formatted DVD movie and you basically have all the movies you watch on Cinema 10 or any the other plus packs. Those movies are just upconverted and transmitted via satellie to your living room. I have a 60" lcd rear projection TV (Sony by the way) and the picture is stunning on any channel being presented where a Hi-Def camera was used. Standard definition is a horse of a different color. Especially on a BIG screen. I had Dtv and their SD was crap. It's hard to imagine it's called digital TV. I guess there's no snow or ghost imaging so it's an improvement, but when you have a 60" screen it really demands a good camera resolution, and when it's there it's heaven. That's even when using component cables. With my TV the native resolution is 768p. I believe everything is converted to that, so when the signal is not so great you get the old Garbage In = Garbage Out.

Plasma may convey HD slightly better, blacker blacks I think, maybe a higher contrast ratio, but take a look at the prices for a 50+ model. My Sony cost about 1/3 the price of a 60" plasma.

just my 2 cents,

nc2
 
So we agree the Cinema 10 channels could improve...

and I've read here on this forum that the 720 to 1080 is a temporary thing until they get some hardware issues resolved. But the rest of the VOom pack is stunning, so is DiscoveryHD, BravoHD, and even the new TNT-HD. But it all depends on the content. Like the man said, garbage in, garbage out...
 
By the way, it's only the Cinema 10 channels + Epics + Monsters that are currently in 720. My Sony won't show 720, so if I set my STB on "native" I lose the 720s. Most of the stuff they show probably isn't the best souce for HD anyway. I agree with nc2, LIVE is where it's at!
 
I'm baffled why you don't see a significant difference, but I can only guess alot of it is attributable to the rather small size screen your using. I think if you had a screen size of 50" + the difference would be much more pronounced.

Even on my smallish plasma the difference is obvious, but SD still looks excellent. On the 92" screen SD is outright fugly looking.