I have a Sony 36 HD capable system. I used to have standard basic extended (not with digital converter) before. I now upgraded it to HD.
Configured the component output to 720p (my TV also has 1080i but i chose to use 720 p after reading that 720p is better, and i didnt find much diff between them when i tried them). I set 4:3 override to 480p. Mine is 4:3 system by the way. The HD channels are awesome. Amazing clarity. Used optical cable for audio and Configured audio option to advanced and now I get surround sound audio when applicable through my 6.1 receiver. Thats the good part.
Now to the problem, my regular channel programming has deteriorated drastically after getting HD. Initially, I thought it was because it was relative. May be because of seeing HD quality it only feels bad. But then I realized it was indeed bad.
The picture clarity is bad, kinda blurry, much worse than what it was before i got HD. Has anyone seen this problem. The same 4:3 programming on the HD channel is much better. As in, if its a standard 4:3 telacast on CBS for instance, the picture in channel 5 is bad. But the picture in 705 (which is CBS HD channel) is much better (though not as good as HD because it is not HD telecast), and though there are dark bars all around the picture. Has any else seen this problem. Any solution. I have tried different options for 4:3 override option in the config menu. Nothing seems to help.
Anonymous
Posted on
I am guessing you have a Motorola H/D cable box, posible with a built in DVR. The problem is not with your TV or ComCast. The Motorola DCT 6400 series boxes have a problem with regular channel signals. IT has to do with how the box works, in digitizing the regular channels so that you can use the DVR feature of rewinding or pausing a program you are watching. The box runs all signals through the DVR. The box has to convert the signal in order to allow you to record the channel. To chdck this out for your self hook you cable directly to your TV and see how much better the picture quality improves. Motorola's web site notes their awareness of this trouble and are woriking on a fix. Hopefully it will be a downloadable fix that ComCast can push out.
Thunderstruck
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Thanks for the response. Oh i have already tried thedirec cable connection thing. Thats how i had it before i got hd. There is a clear noticable diff. I called comcast... theysaid..they ll senda tech over to possibly replace the box. I dont know how much it will help.
Thunderstruck
Unregistered guest
Posted on
The comcast tech guy came over today and said, there is no solution to this except to use a splitter and get analog channels directly and only HD channels through the cable box. He did it, and now i use direct cable connection for analog channels.
madmarty
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Why on earth would you want to put up with analog channels?
You did the best solution you can. I have the same problem with the motorola HD dvr, analog looks like crap! I'm lucky enough to have a cablecard HDTV, so I'm using the cablecard to watch the analog channels...which you actually don't need a cablecard to do.
Analog looks surprisingly good on my DLP through the cablecard...better than I expected and 1000x better than through the Motorola HD DVR.
For those of you with cablecard problems, there are probably firmware updates for your TV to fix many of the problems. I just got the Mitsubishi 4.05 firmware and it fixed many of the problems I was having with cablecard.
Ah, i should have read your entire post, I have another comment to make. There is a huge difference between your local channel in analog and the same broadcast on the HD channel even when the show is not HD. I'm guessing that is because the source of the broadcast is a much higher quality than analog cable is capable of, so when it is broadcast over the HD channel there is very little compression being done to the source. Therefore, a much better picture.