Why do HDTV channels look better on my SDTV??

[yepimonfire]

when i was playing around with the HD channels using an sdtv, it seemed to look somewhat clearer then the standard signals, it wasnt a huge improvment, but never the less it did look slightly better, why?

 

[yepimonfire]

forgot to add that i once heard somewhere, but dont know if it is true, that SDTV broadcasts are 480x480 resolution and that DVD's are 720x480, im wondering if when the box down-converts it to SD if it is the 720x480 resolution, similar to DVD and that is why it looks better. i dont know though.

 

[lsiberian]

Video Quality has more to do with the source quality than with the resolution. Better cameras make a better picture. This is why it's hard to tell the difference between some Really well done DVDs and a Blu-ray. Sometimes the DVD was just incredible. HD stuff has much higher picture quality and will look way better than the older stuff. Of course what matters most is the entertainment quality and not the picture quality.

 

[bandphan]

How are you viewing HD on an SD display

 

[yepimonfire]

How are you viewing HD on an SD display

...........because 90% of all HD devices have composite video outputs.

 

[bandphan]

...........because 90% of all HD devices have composite video outputs.

Hello , you cant veiw hd cannels with composite, you are viewing sd channels.

 

[yepimonfire]

i can still view the HD channels. of course it is an SD downconverted picture, but it still seems to look slightly better, can anyone on here confirm or deny that i may be getting the full 720x480 versus 480x480 on the downconverted signal?

 

[yepimonfire]

i mostly watch them because i can get real 5.1 that way rather then having to use Dolby PLIIx and hope it can give me decent imaging.

 

[bandphan]

i can still view the HD channels. of course it is an SD downconverted picture, but it still seems to look slightly better, can anyone on here confirm or deny that i may be getting the full 720x480 versus 480x480 on the downconverted signal?

you cannot get any thing above 480I with composite, period. And I doubt thats what your even getteing

 

[bandphan]

I guess we start the whole debate of smaller screens and crappy big screens, but thats another day.

 

[yepimonfire]

480i is ___x480, but what is the blank number??? all resolutions have two dimensions to them.

 

[bandphan]

If its over cable maximum is 720x480i, which in reality your not getting that. You are limited by connection type and broadcast.

 

[yepimonfire]

thats why i am thinking it may be why the HD looks better even though im on an SDTV, it like DVD clarity, which i never get on SD cable, and yes, composite video supports 720x480i. normal broadcasts are 480x480, so apparently i am able to see the HD channels in 720x480i, which is why they look better then the SD channels.

 

[bandphan]

I give up, im out

 

[nibhaz]

 

[bandphan]

I give up, im out

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[Patrick_Wolf]

Forget about resolution. Digital (HD) channels are simply higher quality than analog channels. That's why they look better, even when down-converted for an SDTV.

 

[AVRat]

Champagne perception on a beer buzz!!

 

[Patrick_Wolf]

Thanks to whoever left me a red chicklet. You couldn't have just replied to my post? I know a higher resoluion = higher quality. Nobody is that stupid. My comment "forget resolution" wasn't a general statement. It was directed toward the OP who is obviously confused. Though it's understandable as most of the responses here weren't too helpful...

My point was there's more to video quality than just the resolution. From what I've seen, non-HD broadcasts on digital channels generally look better than their analog counterpart despite having the same resolution.

Normally you can't view HD broadcasts on an SDTV because it doesn't know what to do with that high of a resolution. If you can, your STB or some other device must be down-converting the picture so your TV can accept it. In which case the picture may look clearer/sharper since the original quality was higher.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't be a douche and leave a red chicklet.