Pioneer Plasma - HD Setup

[fpeguero]

I recently purchased a Pioneer PDP 4340 Plasma Screen and can't get the HD setup to work. Does anyone have a Pioneer with a media center that can tell me how they got this to work? Comcast cable came out to check the HD Cable Converter box and told me that my setup is wrong, but won't offer help to fix it. Here's what I've done (per Pioneer User Manual):

1. Installed cable splitter from wall.
2. Installed One cable from splitter into Media Center - DTV IN
3. Installed Other cable fromsplitter into Media Center - Antenna A (In)
4. Installed TV Antenna A (Out) - to - HD Cable Converter (In)
5. Installed Cable Converter (Out) - to - TV Antenna B (In)

I get sound and picture, but I am sure that it is not in HD. Any help is appreciated.

Confused (and getting annoyed)...

 

[MDS]

I recently purchased a Pioneer PDP 4340 Plasma Screen and can't get the HD setup to work. Does anyone have a Pioneer with a media center that can tell me how they got this to work? Comcast cable came out to check the HD Cable Converter box and told me that my setup is wrong, but won't offer help to fix it. Here's what I've done (per Pioneer User Manual):

1. Installed cable splitter from wall.
2. Installed One cable from splitter into Media Center - DTV IN
3. Installed Other cable fromsplitter into Media Center - Antenna A (In)
4. Installed TV Antenna A (Out) - to - HD Cable Converter (In)
5. Installed Cable Converter (Out) - to - TV Antenna B (In)

I get sound and picture, but I am sure that it is not in HD. Any help is appreciated.

Confused (and getting annoyed)...

I don't have a Pioneer with Media Center, but that setup just doesn't look right to me either. I thought the media center was just a convenient location to hook up all sources and then run fewer cables to the tv itself.

The HD signals need to be unencrypted and decoded and that is the job of the cable box. The way you've described the setup, the TV gets the signal BEFORE the cable box.

I assume you are splitting the signal from the wall so that you can watch the non-encrypted channels on one antenna and the rest on the others. If so, then make sure the splitter has a high enough bandwidth rating to fully pass the HD (and digital channel) signals - a simple splitter you may have used in the past won't work. It will need to be at least 1 GHz.

So try it this way:

1. Install cable splitter from wall. Make sure splitter has correct bandwidth
2. Install one cable from splitter into Media Center - Antenna A (In)
3. Install Other cable from splitter to HD Cable Converter (In)
4. Install Cable Converter (Out) to Media Center - DTV IN
5. Install video cables from Media Center to the TV.

 

[guess88]

you're not getting HD channels because it looks like you're using the RF cables from your HD cable converter. Here's what you should do in general....

1) Have 2 RF coaxial cables from the splitter going towards your tv.

2) Have 1 of the RF cable signals going to Ant A directly to your TV, and the other cable signal going straight to the HD Converter Box.

3) The rear panel of the HD box should have component video outputs.. you know.. those 3 wires used JUST for video. Some also have a DVI output jack as well... either one will be fine but are NEEDED for HD display. *if you got the cable box from comcast, they should've supplied you with the necessary component video cable wires.

4) After locating the component video or DVI output from the HD cable converter, connect it to either the DVI input on your tv, or one of the component video inputs accordingly. *some tv's have a set of component video inputs labeled DTV or so. Doesn't really matter which one you use.

5) Viola, you should be done. Now turn the brightness down, color warmth to low, fix the contrast and enjoy Amateur Babysitters 5 in HD. =)