Radio discussion on NTSC shutdown & HDTVs - Page 3 - Videokarma.org TV - Video

RCAkid · #31 03-07-2007, 06:10 PM

Well, for what it's worth, I will add my two cents.

I have one of those Samsung HDTV DLP projection sets. Yes, I know, DLP stinks, the set has other issues as well. It likes to shut off right after turning it on. Sometimes takes 5 minutes of on-off-on-off-on-off to get the thing to stay on. However, I have never been more disappointed with a tv in my life. The picture, in my opinion, is lousy. Sure, if you are on an HD channel, it looks nice but for everything else, it stinks.

I hooked up my LD player, yes I connected the Svideo cable, which has produced remarkable high quality images on my JVC 36" CRT set and my jaw hit the floor.

The picture reminded me of a 3rd generation 80's VHS copy. Very disgusting. The DVD isn't a whole bunch better. I put on Harry Potter, Goblet of Fire last night and the whole pixelized, digitized look just hacked me off.

The whole HD thing is a joke. I have HD Cable and the regular programming, non HD that is, whether it is on an HD channel or not looks downright crummy. I have a 27" LCD unit at my office that does the same thing.

I find myself longing to watch my old 50's BW Zenith or an RCA CTC-16. The picture was far superior to the pixlized mess we get today.

You would think, in this day of "high technology," the picture, no matter HD or SD, would be darn near perfect.

Yes, I am irked.

site123a · #32 03-07-2007, 10:48 PM

I was going to say this in the first post. In the radio show, they never mentioned buying a HD CRT as an option... Anyone noticed?

dr.ido · #33 03-08-2007, 01:07 AM

This seems to be a common problem. I've seen quite a few HD sets that look good when being fed a HD signal (barring reception problems), but feed them an SD analog signal (VHS, Laserdisc, game system) and they look awful. I've yet to see one that scale SD up to HD (which has to be done on any display device with a fixed resolution such as plasma, LCD or DLP) without introducing distortion and artifacts. Dot crawl seems to be much worse on the LCD sets that I have seen than on any CRT set.

I've yet to see a HD CRT set, but I doubt they would have the same problems as they could display the SD sources as is without scaling them up to HD.

RCAchild: Have you tried hooking the composite output from your LD player to your DLP set instead of the S-video? It may be better. LD video is recorded in composite on the disc. The S-video output on the player is provided by a comb filter built into the player. If the comb filter in the Samsung is better than the comb filter in the LD player (or at least better matched to it's scaler) it may be better.

RCAkid · #34 03-08-2007, 11:16 AM

By dr.ido: "Have you tried hooking the composite output from your LD player to your DLP set instead of the S-video? It may be better. LD video is recorded in composite on the disc. The S-video output on the player is provided by a comb filter built into the player. If the comb filter in the Samsung is better than the comb filter in the LD player (or at least better matched to it's scaler) it may be better."

I did try the composite connections thinking that same thing. It was marginally better but not by much. I just decided to put the LD player back on the 36" JVC CRT set in my bedroom.

Oh how I wish the CRT's weren't going away. For me, that is one tube that out performs virtually anything else. At least from what we have been shown thus far anyway.

site123a · #35 03-08-2007, 12:46 PM

If I had to get a HD TV it would have to be a Sony KD-34XBR970. This TV can out perform any plasma or LCD set on the market.

Damn I want it so badly, if only I can afford it.

dr.ido · #36 03-09-2007, 11:28 AM

Unfortunately sets like that Sony seem to be completely unheard of here in Australia. Sony Australia only offer the Bravia series LCD sets.

I'm not in any hurry to get into HD though, so maybe I'll just wait until I can find a nice pro monitor cheap. Something like a Sony BVMD32E1WU would do. It might take a while for what is currently a $34000 monitor to drop into my price range though...

site123a · #37 03-13-2007, 01:49 PM

Will the converter box be able to display a full picture? I notice that most of the newer shows I watch are being displayed in HD (black bars on the top & bottom of the screen). Will this be more of a problem with a digital tuner, or will the box allow me to overscan the picture?

andy · #38 03-14-2007, 02:52 AM

I don't know about the coming cheap receivers, but every HDTV receiver I've used lets you select how you want the picture to look. You can normally choose letter box, stretched, or cut the sides off. I prefer letterbox because I like to see the entire picture.

superdeez · #39 03-25-2007, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy

He also missed the point on the VCR issue. It will be impossible to use a VCR for timer recording because there will be no way for the VCR to select the correct channel to record. You'll be limited to recording the channel the box is set to. People who what to do time shifting will have to buy a DVD recorder, or PVR with a built in digital tuner.

Actually, about 5 or 6 years ago I had a similar problem with timer recording. Then my VCR setup was an old JVC VHS VCR with a VHF only tuner and a Sanyo Beta VCR with (manual) VHF and UHF tuners. As long as I had the beta on and tuned to the channel I wanted to records off of, I could set the timer on the VHS and it would work fine. Recording multiple programs off multiple channels did present a problem though.

wa2ise · #40 03-26-2007, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by site123a

I was going to say this in the first post. In the radio show, they never mentioned buying a HD CRT as an option..

I'm using large VGA CRT computer monitors as HD displays. But I don't think anyone makes them anymore.

prewtv · #41 04-10-2007, 02:20 AM

A lot of Satellite TV boxes are being dumped, some old and some cant make
mpeg2 to mpeg4 change. They are cheap. Why get one, because some not
only pick up Satellite TV, they also have a OTA and cable tuners in them.
They can take OTA HDTV or cable tv and change it to any format you want
and play it on anything, from your TV collection to Flat panels to VGA monitors.
Looks like you need the Satellite TV card to set up box to a no Satellite TV
mode, then card not needed anymore to use as a tuner. I bought one to try out.
Under $30.00 and that was high. I will use it with a NEC FE2111 22 inch multi sync monitor. Boxes output svideo, composit video, vga, RF, componet video, ect, ect, and can do 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i. Not all outputs can handle all the modes with out converson to a lower format.
A RCA 621 might not show a HDTV program well but box could convert it to 480i
and send it to TV?

Manual on one box

http://www.directv.com/learn/pdf/Sys...RCA_DTC210.pdf

prewtv · #42 04-12-2007, 04:05 PM

Update
There are many boxes like the RCA, I bought the HUGHES version but Sony, Zenith also have boxes like it.
On the HUGHES the card has to be in the box or its like I never turned it on.
In set up menu I turned off Satallite and had it scan ANT and cable.
It found 1 thru 99 for cable and many HDTV channels and sub channels on the ANT line.
Because the NEC monitor is 4 by 3 format the HDTV stations show up as letter
box.
Any questions Email me.
I have more manuals for other models.

andy · #43 04-12-2007, 05:38 PM

I have an early Proscan (RCA) HD box that works even without the card. It's nice because it can receive both ATSC and NTSC. It even upscales the NTSC to HDTV over RGB, or component. It also has NTSC outputs (including RF), but it can't output HD and NTSC at the same time. I paid about $10 at a goodwill for it.