Standard Def on High Def Panny Plasma.

[mitch57]

I just got my new Panasonic TH-50PX50U on Sunday. The high def channels from Direct TV with my HR10-250 TiVo over component video look absolutely amazing. Kind of like looking through a window amazing. But the standard def channels look absolutely horrible!

I've tried all the different settings including "zoom, full, Just, and 4:3". When in 4:3 mode the picture looks okay but not good and then of course I get the ugly side bars.

I've heard that this is an issue with any high def tv when displaying SD channels. Is this true? Is there anything you can do about this other then wait for more high def channels to come out? I would prefer to watch SD on a standard 4:3 set over watching it on a HD set. My Sony Wega 36" had a great picutre on SD channels but of course, I didn't have high def signals at the time.

DVD's look great on the Panny as well. Everything looks good with the excpeption of SD.

Woe is me . Does anyone else share my grief and disappointment? You know how it goes. Misery loves company.

 

[BMXTRIX]

While bad, it shoudln't really look horrible. It could be an issue with poor processing between the DirecTV receiver and your plasma.

There are a few things you can try which may (or may not) help.

1. Switch your DirecTV box so it outputs in the native resolution of the broadcast it receives. So, 480i material goes to your TV over component at 480i.

2. Switch the box so it outputs everything at 1080i or 720p. See what looks best.

3. Connect S-Video from the box to your plasma and see how good of a job the plasma does with processing the s-video connection for SD channels. Leave the component wire in place for HD channels.

4. Consider picking up a DVDO processing unit via eBay. It may not be new, but can help you determine if an outboard processor can help with your image quality woes. If you aren't happy, resell it and pretty much get your cash back. Or purchase from a place that allows for returns.

Hope that helps - share with us your testing and any noted improvements you see. I'm considering that exact model for my home.

 

[edwelly]

Same issue here - I got a Samsung DLP 56" and HD looked great, stand cable looked horrible. I found 2 things -
1. cable box was set to 480p, changed that to 480i and that made some difference
2. I got used to it - this alone was the biggest deal. I actually went back to the place I bought my TV to see about taking the TV back. The guys there had the same setup as I did and when they switched to standard def, it looked just like mine.

 

[mitch57]

Same issue here - I got a Samsung DLP 56" and HD looked great, stand cable looked horrible. I found 2 things -
1. cable box was set to 480p, changed that to 480i and that made some difference
2. I got used to it - this alone was the biggest deal. I actually went back to the place I bought my TV to see about taking the TV back. The guys there had the same setup as I did and when they switched to standard def, it looked just like mine.

Strange! I find just the opposite with mine. If I switch to 480i or 480p on the TiVo the picture distorts less but is very grainy. When I switch to 720p or 1080i the picture is less grainy but is more blury in certain spots. I would assume this is because it's streatching the image.

BMXTRIX,
Unfortunately I can't hook up both component and S Video with the TiVo. If both are hooked up I believe component will cancel out the lower grade signal.

 

[edwelly]

Strange! I find just the opposite with mine.

I totally agree. I would have thought the higher mode would have looked better but it didn't. Who knows, it may be an odd issue with my cable box...

 

[ironlung]

HDTV= waste of money

Mitch,

It's called HDTV buyers remorse. It happens when you get your new baby home open it, set it up, and realise how little programing is in HD and how crappy SD looks. Don't worry by 2010 only 40 percent of TV buyers will be buying new SDTV's.

Read the "All these beautiful displays" under displays and projectors and "Growing HDTV Demand and IPTV Potential" under front page news & discussion. To see how I really feel.

Apparently the best reason to buy an HDTV is to watch all your 480p DVD's in "widescreen".

 

[moverton]

i have the commercial verison of the display TH-50PHD7UY. My standard def channels look pretty darn good. At leats as good as my old standard def mitsubishi 36". I use component input from Comcast Hidef DVR (motorola). The dvr is set to output 480p on standard def but it looked just as good outputting 480i. I would think about hooking another tv to it to see if there is something wrong with the standard def signal from the directtv box.
Now, i did have some trouble with some analog channels at first. Certain channels looked bad. Comcast came out and told me that was thier signal problem and it cleared up over the next two weeks.

 

[mitch57]

moverton,

Actually, things have improved significantly. The SD picture looks much better now. No comparrison to HD of course but much better then it was when I first got things hooked up.

Even my wife noticed a difference. I asked her today on the phone if she was watching HD or SD and she didn't know. She said the picture looked good though.

I did wind up reconnecting my cables while I was experimenting with the HDMI versus component feed. The compoent looks much better then the HDMI as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Method]

I couldn't agree with the author MORE.

My SD channels...the HBO's and SHO's and MAX's look like absolute SH!T!.

I could not f*cking believe that, after talking with people at Sound Advice for two hours, they wouldn't mention this at ALL...ESPECIALLY when they're ringing up a 6K+ tab.

I picked up the New Pioneer Elite 1130, and yeah, the HD channels look f*cking phenominal, but all the SD pics, especially the SD "movie" channels, look horrid (big blotches of digital color).

I have not played around at all with my cable box, and perhaps that could be something.

I would love to know exactly what to do to troubleshoot this.

Also, what do you guys know about BURN-IN with Plasma? I always heard that this can be an issue, and ALWAYS assumed that it was a long-run issue (i.e. not something that would be a problem straight away)...long story short, if I watch ESPN HD, the programs that aren't shown in widescreen, ESPN has these funky looking sidebars that have these verticle white stripes...I noticed, after two weeks of having the TV, that when I switch the channels after having ESPN HD on, that I can see these verticle stripes.

Anyone comment on this? Could I have a f*cked up unit? Or is this normal?

 

[MDS]

My comment is that your language is inappropriate. Go back to Sound Advice and speak to the salesman like that...see how far it gets you.

 

[Tomorrow]

I had a similar experience with my HD lcd. It's the resolution setting in the tv. You have to switch the res setting everytime you switch from HD to SD. That's something I wasn't willing to do (or more accurately, the missus didn't want to do).....sooooo, I dropped the HD service from Dishnet. I expect to re-sign for the HD in 2006 when more networks go HD.

But I must admit....even watching the HD weather channel is entrancing...HD is THAT good. SD in 1080 looks like swine leavings.

 

[Cosmo Kramer]

Ironlung

Ironlung, could not agree with you more!! I love looking at HDTV's @ Best Buy, Ultimate Electronics, etc., but WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!! The FCC ain't gonna switch over to HD programming in a year, while only 10 percent of consumers have HDTV!

The best solution: WAIT for another 5-7 years until 1080p and HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is all figured out, and ALL programming is in 1080p resolution, because that is FULL HD, and it would be best to sit and save your money until the FCC supplies all of the tools needed to run successful HD programming!

 

[Tomorrow]

Ironlung, could not agree with you more!! I love looking at HDTV's @ Best Buy, Ultimate Electronics, etc., but WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!! The FCC ain't gonna switch over to HD programming in a year, while only 10 percent of consumers have HDTV!

The best solution: WAIT for another 5-7 years until 1080p and HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is all figured out, and ALL programming is in 1080p resolution, because that is FULL HD, and it would be best to sit and save your money until the FCC supplies all of the tools needed to run successful HD programming!

Whatever happened to the original FCC mandate that all broadcasts go HD/SD in 2006 with no more SD support in 2010???

 

[Method]

"My comment is that your language is inappropriate. Go back to Sound Advice and speak to the salesman like that...see how far it gets you" -- MDS, Audioholic Samurai

Sorry if it's not the way of the Samurai...perhaps that's why the pompous Samurai has gone the way of the dinosaur.

In all seriousness, apologies if you found the post offensive. I didn't think it was at all, but whatever. It was an emotionally fueled response, probably stemming from the fact that I spent $6,500 on a TV that produces poor SD picture, and out of about 300 channels, only 10 or so are in HD.

 

[MDS]

It was an emotionally fueled response, probably stemming from the fact that I spent $6,500 on a TV that produces poor SD picture, and out of about 300 channels, only 10 or so are in HD.

All things that you should have learned about BEFORE you dropped that much cash on a TV. There is no perfect display technology and each has its pros and cons.

 

[Method]

Cool. Maybe you should start a thread entitled, "I told you so".

This is isn't that.

 

[westcott]

I blame poor SD picture quality squarely on the content providers.

Compression of the signal has gotten so bad that even watching SD on a 26" CRT can be a disheartening event.

I was looking at the numbers and SD compression can be as high as 50 or 60 times the "standard" display definition of 480i. To allow for more channels, satellite and cable are both compressing the viewing material to intoleable levels even for a small crt display. Now you know why your DVD at 480p looks so good. It is devoid of all this compression.

If they did away with all the paid programming and the channels I do not watch, they would not need to compress the signals so much. Even HD is compressed but looks a lot better than SD.

It is only now that people are buying better displays that they are starting to notice the compression. The macroblocking in dark scenes is a dead give a way that severe compression is taking place.

It is not on every station and it is not all the time so many never noticed before. I use a 26" crt for SD program watching and my projector for DVD and HD programming.

 

[ironlung]

Sad but true

The best solution: WAIT for another 5-7 years

sad but true Few people have HDTV even less care about content. HDTV is just another status symbol. Like the Ferrari 360 that never goes to the track!

$6,500 on a TV that produces poor SD picture, and out of about 300 channels, only 10 or so are in HD.

Remember on the 10 "HD" channels only a fraction is in true HD. CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, UPN, WB might have a few hours a day in HD and only in primetime. ESPN for example how many college football games were shown in HD? Not that I'm trying to rub it in. I'm in the same boat!

I don't understand all the worry about interconnects (HDMI,DVI,component) ISF calibration etc. My 1989 13" zenith can keep up with my new HDTV for picture quality on content 95% of the time.

I expect to re-sign for the HD in 2006 when more networks go HD......SD in 1080 looks like swine leavings.

Where are you getting firm info on networks switching to HD? I can't even find anything on availability when current HD channels will become available on Comcast Chicago. ESPN2HD, UPN, Bravo are HD but I don't know when they will be added to the lineup in Chicago.

 

[ironlung]

I blame poor SD picture quality squarely on the content providers.

Compression of the signal has gotten so bad that even watching SD on a 26" CRT can be a disheartening event.

I was looking at the numbers and SD compression can be as high as 50 or 60 times the "standard" display definition of 480i. To allow for more channels, satellite and cable are both compressing the viewing material to intoleable levels even for a small crt display. Now you know why your DVD at 480p looks so good. It is devoid of all this compression.

If they did away with all the paid programming and the channels I do not watch, they would not need to compress the signals so much. Even HD is compressed but looks a lot better than SD.

It is only now that people are buying better displays that they are starting to notice the compression. The macroblocking in dark scenes is a dead give a way that severe compression is taking place.

It is not on every station and it is not all the time so many never noticed before. I use a 26" crt for SD program watching and my projector for DVD and HD programming.

I imagine the people claiming to be happy with the HD status quo are good at kidding themselves.

 

[turbodog]

I was in a position where I HAD to buy new TVs, so I went with HD for 'future-proofing'. Agree there is not enough HD content now. I have found settings that help me live with SD on my panasonic TH-42PX50U's. In addition to those mentioned, you might try:
- reducing color saturation setting slightly
- reducing sharpness setting.

I have also found that SD via satellite is the worst possible scenario. Not only is it NTSC, but also MPEG2 compressed. I can clearly see the MPEG compression artifacts (football field broken up into visible squares, etc) in addition to the other stuff. The sharpness reduction helps to smooth this crap out.

Fortunately, I get good OTA HD signals (Dallas) and can at least watch NFL and weekly prime time series in HD. Even better, my alma mater (Va Tech) seems to be on ESPNHD almost every week!