Need some help on clarity for my plasma and LCD tvs

[Skiboatski]

I have just purchased a new 42" plasma tv and a 32 LCD tv. Wall moutning was no problem and hooking up the connections went fine, however I would like to know why it seems that on both tv's the pixels shift or become shady causing the picture to appear blurry, especially when you view a close up of a person's skin or in shady or darken areas in a movie or tv show. The picture is quite an improvement from projection, but it isnt as clear as I thought it would be. Any suggestions?

 

[Tsunamii]

Skiboatski, What are you viewing when you see this pixel shift. True HD content via Cable, a DVD, SD stations? What kind of connections are you using, HDMI, DVI etc?

 

[Skiboatski]

Thanks for the reply......I am viewing pixel shift or the blurryness in mostly shady or darken areas in movies or TV shows thru my directv receiver (not a HD box). I have regular plugs that came with the directv box from the TV (Samsung EDTV, HD ready) to the receiver, with a S-Video from my Magnavox DVD surround sound sys. to the TV, and regualr plugs from the receiver going to my surround sound sys. I purchased a $80 surge protector designed for the TV, receiver, and surround sound sys. in which everything is plugged into. The picture is great, but I can notice the blurryness here and there.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Ah yes... you are looking at garbage.

More details, as covered extensively throughout this site:

There is no such thing as a 'normal' connector for video, there are six types of video connectors that you most often see...
1. Composite - A single connection for video typically with a yellow plug and RCA connectors on both ends. Lowest quality of video possible.
2. S-Video - Uses two cables inside a single wrapping. Typically with a mini-din connector on both ends. A bit better than composite, but not much.
3. Component Video - THREE separate wires typically with one red, green, and blue RCA connector on each end of the cable. The lowest type of connection necessary for HDTV and for progressive scan DVD. This is the minimum connection required for a decent looking image.

4. & 5. HDMI & DVI - Digital cables with a single connector on both ends that is proprietary for either type. Both transfer digital video down the cable where it is received and decoded by the display device. Very comparable to a component or DB-15/SVGA connection.

6. DB-15/SVGA - This is what you find on the back of computers and monitors and uses a small 15 pin connector and cable that provides excellent video quality. This is almost exclusively found on computers.

So, with your BEST connection being s-video, you are definitely losing out on video quality. For testing, if you don't have HDTV, then you should hook your DVD player up via component video, turn progressive scan 'ON' within the DVD player, make sure the DVD player is set up to feed a 16:9 television, and then see how the image looks.

I would expect that you will see a drastic improvement.

Long, but I hope that helps you understand why the video quality isn't the best.

For audio, you really should be using a digital connection between your DSS box and the surround system. Either digital optical or digital coax. Pick either.

 

[Skiboatski]

Thanks alot for the help..........should I upgrade to high quality monster cables for all my connections, you think the picture would clear up?

 

[BMXTRIX]

You should read the 10,000 posts that tell you to avoid Moster Cable in retail stores.

Please consider www.bluejeanscable.com for your cabling needs or pick up another lesser expensive brand from your local Wal-Mart or Target stores. The quality of the cable is FAR less important than using the right cable in the first place.

You should see a pretty dramatic improvement right away.

Also - get into your DVD menu and make sure it is configured for a 16:9 screen and if possible, turn progressive scan 'ON' on the DVD player.

 

[Skiboatski]

Thanks for the help, I will try this stuff out. Do you recommend me getting a high dollar surge protector or power box to power my eqipment ie: TV, Satellite, DVD player, etc?

 

[jaxvon]

I think a high-quality power conditioner is always a good idea, but you needn't spend a ton on it. I'd say go for the HT10DBS from Tripp-Lite. The best price from a reputable store I can find is at J&R

Edit: Nevermind, as you already have a good unit. If you're ever need another one though, I would recommend the Tripp-Lite unit above.

 

[Skiboatski]

Thanks alot, I purchased the digital cable connections that you recommended and the picture seems to be much clearer.

Thanks again
J

 

[Gossimerg]

I have a 42" sylvania EDTV. I have exactly the same problem described here. Subtle transitions in dark areas or over larger areas with subtle shade changes. (I can almost always see this when looking at a womans cheek where the cheekbone is pronounced). I am using component outputs from my DVD player (not set for progressive scan. chose to use the progressive scan input for my X-Box) composite video from my DTV box, X-box component progressive scan. All sources display this, Xbox not as much but I felt it was due to the nature of the graphics having well defined edges. Is there a fix to this? The display model in store does not show this problem that I could see, I stood there for 15 minutes watching a broadcast cable connection.

This is really disapointing to me as this was nto an inexpensive purchase even though it was a fairly inexpensive 42" plasma. Please help if you can.

 

[Rabuf999]

I will admit that I know little compared to the majority here, however, I have learned enough to know that with EDTV, you are starting the definition race giving the others a head start.

As a cynic with all things retail, I think ED is more a creation of the marketing departments, than by the engineers. You may, unfortunately, have a display that never reaches your expectations. Sorry.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I looked at that Sylvania I believe and was astounded at the image quality. One of the best looking EDTVs I had ever seen in a retail store off the bat, so I played with it for 30 minutes, then asked about a DVI/HDMI input.... which it lacks. So, I said, thanks but no thanks to it.

If you are having something that looks like a dithering effect like this:

Then it may be something in your settings or a bad plasma that is causing the issue. Especially if you are hooked up correctly via component video. You can try switching to s-video/composite to see how that looks as well. It should look WORSE, but if you continue to have serious problems, then maybe try to take the DVD player AND the disc you used, into the store and try it out there for them. If you don't see it on their display, then your display may have some processor issues.

Another example:

 

[Gossimerg]

The second example is much closer to the situation I am having. It happens on all DVD's and all sources. Some are better or worse then others. I do have a service call in but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't imagining things as far as picture quality I realize I will not get HD images but I think that dithering is unacceptable on a 2k TV (msrp not what I paid).