• Just got an HDTV. SD doesn't look too good on it
    27 replies, posted
I purchased this Samsung plasma last night from BestBuy for $800 because my friend is an empliyee there, and I saved $300 over the original savings for it. It looks AMAZING when I'm playing 1080p or 720p quality. Here's the TV: [url]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+50%22+Class+/+1080p+/+600Hz+/+Plasma+HDTV/9789343.p?id=1218175322173&skuId=9789343[/url] I know that this is a problem with most HDTVs, but my new Samsung 50" Plasma HDTV that I just bought looks AMAZING when I'm watching BluRays or playing my PS3, but when I have SD quality playing, like just from my basic cable, the quality is very meh. I mean it's almost like my CRT TV, but if it's any brighter than the level 8 out of 20 of brightness it will look good (brightens wise) but a little blurry around the edges of things). Level 8 brightness is OK, but if I'm watching some movie or show in SD that has a lot of dark areas (or if there are black people) the detail seems to be off what it would look like on my 27" CRT -- and in the case of the black people, their faces are hard to make out the detail in. I have calibrated the TV using settings I found online here: [url]http://reviews.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/samsung-plasma-tv/samsung-pn50c550.html[/url] Is there a way to get around this?
I don't think so. I have pretty much the same thing but I have a 42 inch instead. I don't have the same black issue as you but, I would still like to know how to get better quality.
We're using a HD decoder at home. It doesnt only give you HD channels, it also makes the SD channels look ALOT better. I don't know how its done, think its a sort of upscaling. You have to contact your ISP/Provider to check if they got things like that.
I had the same problem when I managed to score my family a nice 40 inch 1080P Toshiba LCD TV off Newegg for $500, have you checked to see if your cable package includes HD channels? Ours did for the longest time, but we could never watch them without an HD TV. Even though HD channels are only broadcast at 720P, they still look leaps and bounds better than your standard 480I signal. Another pain in the ass we had to do was call our cable provider and request a HD compatible cable box, or some such nonsensical thing, although they took their sweet time getting it to our house, it was free.
Does your provider have digital versions of the SD channels? Ours has a analog and digital simulcast (for backward compatibility). The digital versions look infinitely better, since black is more accurately represented, and doesn't have any signal noise, and can perform the best they can at 480i. They also sound slightly better too. And if your provider is like ours, they provide the local channel's (ABC, CBS, FOX, etc.) HD channel for free.
Part of the cost of having HD tv is upgrading your service(cable, satellite, whatever) to HD. Lots of people forget that. If someone goes to the expense of buying an HD tv, it makes NO sense whatsoever to be watching SD on it. So you save $10 a month having SD cable instead of HD...you just spent almost $1000 on an HD tv! If cost was an issue you shouldn't be buying a new tv.
Of course SD will look shit on a huge screen.
You have to upgrade your TV service to standard HD from the pre-historic SD days. There's even free HD local channels in the air. Get with the times people, fuck.
[QUOTE=Pixel Heart;24078857]You have to upgrade your TV service to standard HD from the pre-historic SD days. There's even free HD local channels in the air. Get with the times people, fuck.[/QUOTE] just use the internet, what the hell who even watches tv anymore. get with the times people, fuck.
Right, I don't really watch TV as much unless it is sports. Sometimes some of the non-cable channels display in HD for free, but since nothing is connected to my TV using an HDMI cable they will look SD. How do I get those free HD channels to display? Can I just purchase a box from a store and hook up my basic cable to it?
[QUOTE=collegegrad;24083135]Right, I don't really watch TV as much unless it is sports. Sometimes some of the non-cable channels display in HD for free, but since nothing is connected to my TV using an HDMI cable they will look SD. How do I get those free HD channels to display? Can I just purchase a box from a store and hook up my basic cable to it?[/QUOTE] You need to call your cable provider, figure out if your cable package has HD included, and if not, find a package that suits your needs. Next you need to talk to them about getting a new cable box that has HD decoding or whatever the hell it is. And, about the whole HDMI thing... Uh, you don't need one for HD cable, you may need one for Blu-Ray (I don't know, not my thing) but you can use just about any damn cable from your cable box to your TV and it'll support HD. The exception being, if your setup was as bad as mine, coaxial cable, which cannot transfer HD (Don't worry about the cable coming into your house, mine is coax but I still get HD after plugging it into my cable box and using an HDMI cable from the box to the TV, something I don't quite understand, but I'm sure somebody does). For the purpose of simplification, just score some[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812339005&cm_re=hdmi_cable-_-12-339-005-_-Product] cheap HDMI cables[/url] off Newegg and use those.
[QUOTE=collegegrad;24083135]Right, I don't really watch TV as much unless it is sports. Sometimes some of the non-cable channels display in HD for free, but since nothing is connected to my TV using an HDMI cable they will look SD. How do I get those free HD channels to display? Can I just purchase a box from a store and hook up my basic cable to it?[/QUOTE] Before I got my service upgraded, I got by with just an antenna. In my area there are tons of free channels. Local stations affiliated with networks like ABC can have up to three separate channels- free. Here's what I made: [IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/cecilb6/coathangerantenna.jpg[/IMG] All you need is a piece of cardboard, some coathanger wire(or other wire), something to attach the wires together and attach them to the cardboard(I used foil), and the most expensive piece- the arrow points to the 75ohm to 300ohm adapter. You connect that antenna to your tv's antenna input with a piece of coaxial cable, which can also be bought dirt cheap if you don't already have some laying around. Youtube has lots of how to videos on this.
Why are there so many people who say they bought an HDTV and it dosent look good on their xbox, i mean seriously if it dosent look good thats a prefrence and its not going to get any better.
send it to me and I'll fix it :smile:
I had to get one of those Comcast converter boxes and I have to use it on my 27" LCD HDTV and it looks like Comcast's pounding a sack of shit with the quality.
[QUOTE=pedroion;24088338]Wow dude what a good joke :downs:[/QUOTE] thanks :downs:
[QUOTE=Kilr;24087374]You need to call your cable provider, figure out if your cable package has HD included, and if not, find a package that suits your needs. Next you need to talk to them about getting a new cable box that has HD decoding or whatever the hell it is. And, about the whole HDMI thing... Uh, you don't need one for HD cable, you may need one for Blu-Ray (I don't know, not my thing) but you can use just about any damn cable from your cable box to your TV and it'll support HD. The exception being, if your setup was as bad as mine, coaxial cable, which cannot transfer HD (Don't worry about the cable coming into your house, mine is coax but I still get HD after plugging it into my cable box and using an HDMI cable from the box to the TV, something I don't quite understand, but I'm sure somebody does). For the purpose of simplification, just score some[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812339005&cm_re=hdmi_cable-_-12-339-005-_-Product"] cheap HDMI cables[/URL] off Newegg and use those.[/QUOTE] You can get HD over coaxial without a box. You only get the local channels in HD granted, but if your cable provider does it, they should send those channels free of charge, along with the digital versions of the standard channels.
[QUOTE=collegegrad;24083135]Right, I don't really watch TV as much unless it is sports. Sometimes some of the non-cable channels display in HD for free, but since nothing is connected to my TV using an HDMI cable they will look SD. How do I get those free HD channels to display? Can I just purchase a box from a store and hook up my basic cable to it?[/QUOTE] You just need an antenna, and the HD channels have decimal points, like 8.1 and 49.1 SD TV channel 8 is just 8, but the HD TV channel for 8 is 8.1, get it? The best way to see what HD channels you get for free is to let your TV do an AutoScan.
[QUOTE=Pixel Heart;24119050]You just need an antenna, and the HD channels have decimal points, like 8.1 and 49.1 SD TV channel 8 is just 8, but the HD TV channel for 8 is 8.1, get it? The best way to see what HD channels you get for free is to let your TV do an AutoScan.[/QUOTE] But how can I view HD without connecting something via an HDMI to my TV? Hmmmm??
[QUOTE=collegegrad;24127103]But how can I view HD without connecting something via an HDMI to my TV? Hmmmm??[/QUOTE] Component, DisplayPort...
[QUOTE=Odellus;24127123]Component, DisplayPort...[/QUOTE] Stop speaking in puzzle mode.
it's easier to give an answer if the question had substance. HD what?
[QUOTE=collegegrad;24127103]But how can I view HD without connecting something via an HDMI to my TV? Hmmmm??[/QUOTE] You connect the antenna to the coaxial input of the TV, and the TV's built-in digital tuner (HD) picks up the digital (HD) signals out of the air, sending them to your TV screen in HD. That's it, really.
Your TV probably just has a bad upconverter.
[QUOTE=Cornelisjuh;24065088]We're using a HD decoder at home. It doesnt only give you HD channels, it also makes the SD channels look ALOT better. I don't know how its done, think its a sort of upscaling. You have to contact your ISP/Provider to check if they got things like that.[/QUOTE] Perhaps it converts the colour space properly.
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