Newbee with Panasonic Plasma: need help with picture

[haphhhazard]

Hello to all you knowledgeable folks. I am having trouble getting a clear picture out of my Plasma. I have the following components:
Panasonic plasma TH-42PD25 EDTV
Yamaha RX-V100 A/V Receiver
Pioneer DVR-810 H Progressive scan
I have Comcast cable STB ( Set top box )

I have tried wiring all this together every which way but loose.. oh wait , I did loose also. The picture that I get when watching regular cable is very blurry. The confusing part is that when I use the PIP, my little picture looks brighter and way more clear. When I use "split screen" the same thing. The right side is much clearer.
I originally hooked the cable directly to my DVR, leaving the analogue box out, because we get no premium channels, and I wanted to go without the STB if possible. I went from my DVR to my plasma VIA Component. I also ran R/F from the DVR to the Antenna " A" in on the plasma, as I was told that I need to input sources to use my PIP.
Both sources ( R/F in, Component in ) get the same blurry picture.
I then called Panasonic to see what suggestions they had. I was told that running straight R/F to the tv with no STB was the weakest signal I could get. So, I called comcast and had them bring a new STB that gets digital and HDTV quality signals ( At least that's what I was told ) .
I then plugged R/F into STB. R/F from STB to DVR. Component and R/F from DVR to TV. I went back through the "First time set up " with the Plasma, telling it that I now had a STB in the loop.
Guess what? My picture still looks the same.
The only thing I have run to my AV receiver is an optical audio cable so that I can get stereo sound when I want it. I chose this over routing everything through the AV receiver because I dont want to have to use my receiver when I am watching regular tV.
If you read all this, bless your heart.
What am I doing wrong?
DVD playing is very crisp and clear.
I fear that I am not getting the best signal to my Plasma, and I have run out of ideas to remedy it.
Here are some of the other hook-ups I tried:
R/F to STB, Component from STB to Plasma.
R/F from wall straight into Plasma.
All give me the same blurry picture. Football games are horrible to watch. The screen gives me a headache.
My ultimate question to you, How do I get the best picture I can with what I have? Please keep in mind that I have limited knowledge.
thank you
Gary

 

[MDS]

Doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong with the connections. You do have to remember that SD tv is a very low resolution signal (and my experience with Comcast has not been that great either). Anytime you blow up a low resolution signal to a large screen it's going to look less than stellar.

The fact that the PIP windows looks better is no surprise. The window is much smaller than viewing the entire screen. You could try any 'noise reduction' or similar features of the Plasma if it has such a feature, but don't expect miracles. This problem won't get better until all programming is in hi-def, but that will be a long time.

 

[Beegowl]

Trouble shooting

I have no experience with your brand or setup of equipment, but I trouble shoot problems with audio/video equipment in my setup all the time. When I'm trouble shooting equipment, I always try to eliminate what it can't be. Your post says that you get a good picture with the DVD player, so I assume that the tv is not defective. When you connect a different tv, is the picture okay? If it is, then what causes the picture to be bad on the Pan? I have no technical expertise, but if everything else is eliminated, it may be the tv tuner. Invoke the factory default settings all round, carefully follow the directions for hookup, and begin eliminating what it could not be. Through the process of elimination, you should identify the cause, then fix it. If you can't identify the cause, or once you identify the cause you can't fix it, call the dealer.

Good luck.

 

[haphhhazard]

Thanks for responding Beegowl, and Anonymous.
The cable that I have right now is "Supposed" to be getting four channels in High-def. All four of the channels look no different than the other channels. They are ALL equally blurry. That is another reason why I suspect that I am doing something wrong with getting the signal.

 

[MDS]

If all of the channels are blurry, then I would suspect that the problem is a poor RF connection.
That could be caused by any number of things:

1. Old coax cables with loose terminations. The F connector on coax often becomes loose over time. We had this problem at my sister's place and I had to strip the end of the cable and put on a new F connector. You could replace the cable rather than bother with replacing the connector.

2. If the cable is split to feed multiple rooms, the splitter may be old or not have enough bandwidth to pass the signal with minimal degradation. Comcast will supply you with a new splitter if you ask.

3. Good old ground loop problems. The cable is supposed to be grounded to the house ground system, but they rarely do it. Look at page 1 of your Denon manual. Like all electronic equipment, it should have a warning like 'Notice to cable installer' about grounding. The Comcast installer that came to my sister's house wasn't even aware that it should be grounded.

Beegowls approach is a good one - start with a minimal setup, one thing at a time.

I would connect the cable directly to the plasma (do not go through a surge protector and eliminate any splitters). Use the tv speakers so that the Denon is not in the loop. Because it sounds like the problem lies in the RF connection, the receiver likely has nothing to do with it, but we want the minimal setup for troubleshooting.

If the original cable is ok or you replace it and any splitters and the picture is still lousy, then you might have to address the ground. You can buy an isolation transformer - Jensen makes the best (about $50) - but you can pick up one that will work at Radio Shack.

Good luck.

 

[haphhhazard]

thanks again

I have tried wiring the R/F many different ways, including straight from the wall with a brand new cable. I have had Comcast come out and make sure I was getting a good signal, as well as check all my splitters.
The last thing you mentioned about the grounding, I have not yet checked, and, if my poor memory serves me correctly, when I lanscaped the front of my house earlier this year, I came across a grounding wire under the ground that had been severed many years ago. I threw it away, thinking nothing of it.
I shall check into it immediately.
thanks again

 

[resiemon]

A guess from another novice

I believe I have the same problem, and I'm not completely sure how to solve it. My understanding is that the DVR is limited to regular TV resolution, just like TiVo is. I'm not sure, but I suspect your receiver (and my panasonic receiver) are also only capable of standard broadcast resolution. To get a high resolution scan on my Panasonic TH-42PHW5 seems to require five cable inputs called RGBHV, ie two more in addition to the "component" leads. The HDTV common cable connection is through a computer-like plug called DVI or HDMI. I don't have that on my plasma screen. Do you? If not, then I think we have a problem. We need to find a TV tuner that outputs the RGBHV, which I think was originally a computer-type video signal. There is an expensive $1000 tuner called the Aurora XTuner, which seems to do whats required. At least it gives out the required 5 cable signals that we need. I mean for sure "I need", and maybe you need. Any advice from others here would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Have you tried hooking your HD STB directly to your plasma? A 'HD' set top box that is hooked up to another device via RF is outputing the WORST possible signal on that RF line. You are taking fine wine, pouring it in the toilet, then wondering why it tastes like crap when it is scooped out and put in a glass.



You have to keep the signal either component, or better yet, DVI, from the STB to your plasma. If you want to use your DVR - then you will have to choose to deal with a poor image to do so. OR: Get a STB with DVR built into it. I have cable and have avoided Tivo/DVR boxes because none of them are HD compatible. I instead waited until my cable company got HD cable w/DVR built in. Yes, I pay 10 bucks a month for the DVR service - but a DVR would cost me about $200-$300 bucks which is 2-3 years of rental - and in 2-3 years I would want something new anyway.

Keep it in the original format though - component to your TV from the STB. NO RF!

 

[resiemon]

Another thought

I have a similar setup. Might have better resolution, but I don't think that matters for the following reason: I use cable and pay for HDTV on Charter. I observe the following quality on pictures: DVDs look very good, HDTV on the few channels where it is available looks GREAT, truly better than anything else (see separate post on another thread). Regular cable and TiVo look truly SAD. On a large screen, the lack of resolution with standard broadcasts is just crummy. My guess is that you have everything hooked up just fine and you are just discovering like I did how bad regular TV appears. For sure I would not worry about any electrical ground wires from the house wiring, although you might want to check that out from a lighning protection point of view.

 

[resiemon]

Yet another thought

Make sure you have the right channel on the cable box selected for HDTV. I misunderstood that for several months. The "channel" is called the same, but the number of the channel is different for the digital signal. On my Charter Cable setup up, the HDTV channels have numbers in the 7-hundred range. Another thing that surprised me: the programming on the HDTV channels are not always the same as the programming on regular channels. Here at 6:30 pm for example, the newshour is showing on PBS, but the HDTV PBS channel is showing travelogs.