Do I have to sacrifice standard definition program quality on an HDTV? I have a JVC HD-ILA HDTV and my standard definition program quality is atrocious. It's blotchy and blurry and rough.
I watched a basketball and couldn't even read the names on the backs of the players jerseys on my 52" HDTV yet I can on my 27" non-HDTV.
Am I doing something wrong? MY 15 year old 60" tube TV didn't have this problem. Is the problem this TV? Do all HDTV's have this problem.
I just want an HDTV about 42" in size that gives me SD program quality as good as my old tube TV but also gives me good high definition. I don't want to sacrifice 100+ SD channels for 10 HD channels.
Can someone recommend me a TV that will cover my needs?
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Unregistered guest
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Yes NO NO Yes Yes DLP or LCD
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Still Learning
Unregistered guest
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It's not the TV! It's the crappy signal your feeding it! Standard definition? What is that anyway. For some it's analog cable. For others it's off-air analog. Some are going through a 3.5db splitter or two before feeding through a junk VCR or other (not so passive device), not to mention low shielded coax with crappy connectors. What do they expect?
Get a satelite service (digital) and feed component or DVI straight to the set. Get cable (digital cable) and feed component or DVI straight to the set. A digital TV needs a digital signal. Quit fooling around!
Anonymous
Posted on
The extreme problem described looks more like a DLP problem from what I have heard
I'm running a Panasonic PT-AE700U FRONT PROJECTOR LCD on a 92 inch screen with Comcast HI DEF via HDMI/DVI hookups - and just checked out ABC sports ice skating championship on regular cable channel.
Of course it looks awful compared to true HD or even regular digial HD - however its as good as regular TV on a regular set. Also, I can clearly read all the signs in the skating rink etc, not like the problem described above
best to watch ONLY HI DEF anyways as it all looks like garbage
Nachoman, I have a Toshiba 44" DLP HD2+ television and I subscribe to digital cable. Coax (of course) runs to the digital cable box, then high-end component from the box to the TV.
A few things to note: 1. There are many people (myself included) who believe that standard definition programming/stations look a lot better on an SD unit than they do on an HD television. This is generally a matter of opinion and/or visual acuity and/or the television make and model, but there are a number of factors at play. In the first place, the majority of people own a far larger HDTV than their old SDTV, and the large screen spreads the picture over a larger field, so it appears pixellated ("cartoon effect"). Secondly, the high def monitor allows you to see all of the imperfections in the transmitted signal that are glossed over by an SD set.
2. The majority of programming, even on the so-named high-definition stations, is shot in SD. Therefore, even though you're watching a channel that's broadcasting high definition, the source program is SD, meaning that the viewing experience amounts to a sort-of "enhanced definition". For example, if you watch an SD program NBC's HD channel, it'll look a lot better than the same program on NBC's SD channel, but still a little grainy and not even close to the quality of an HD program. There will come a time when the vast majority (if not all) of new programs are shot and broadcast in HD, but for now it's limited to most prime-time programming and major sporting events.
3. When viewing 4:3 SD programming with a 16:9 widescreen monitor, you're forced to choose between living with the annoying vertical sidebars, or using the "stretch" function on the digital terminal to convert the image to 16:9. The problem with stretching the image is that it further compromises the quality of the already inferior picture (imagine watching an MPEG at 300% -- that pretty much describes the experience), as discussed in the previous points.
4. There IS a difference between no-name $20 component cabling and the high-end Monster cabling (and certainly between component cabling and S-Video or *gasp* composite video). When I bought my TV, the salesperson threw in some of the no-name stuff. The next week, I went out and purchased Monster Video 3 cabling -- it cost me a bundle, but it made a very significant difference. If you've spent in the neighbourhood of $3000 on your new TV, why would you then cut corners with the cabling? Sure, HD television viewing at it's finest is breathtaking, but the higher PQ also means that it's more sensitive to inferior inputs and components. Such is life.
My personal advice is not to consider that you're "sacrificing" 100+ SD channels for the 10-15 HD stations. You're buying an HDTV specifically for the HD experience. Enter into this purchase as an informed consumer and realize that -- in the short-term, at least -- you will only be able to take full advantage of the HD television's viewing capabilities with HD programs broadcast on HD stations. If you're unsatisfied with that fact, wait 3-5 years until more HD stations and programming are available.
