random yet very common questions

[jelmarsh]

Brand new to this HD thing. Just bought a Toshiba CRT RPTV and have Comcast HD service. The difference between that and my 10 year-old RCA 27" is like going from b&w to color. But being the perfectionist that I am I want to make things as good as they possibly can be. So I notice that even when i watch some of those stunning programs in the INHD channels (they seem to have the best picture) I do notice some "snow" or noise in the picture - usually on objects that are not the main focus of the picture (i.e. the sky in the background). So I have the following questions:

1) what, if anything, can I do to ensure that I am getting the best quality signal from comcast?

2) does splitting the cable affect picture quality?

3) Does a surge protector with "clean power" features affect picture quality or will a regular surge protector suffice?

4) Cable box has DVI and TV has HDMI. Will that connection be better than the Component, or should I wait for cable to have HDMI as well?

5) Does upgrading cables from comcast provided ones to Monster (or similar) make a huge difference?

6) What is the best way to view non HD channels (i.e what inputs and cable types should I use)?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

[akirby]

1) what, if anything, can I do to ensure that I am getting the best quality signal from comcast?

It's digital - either you get a picture or you don't. If you get dropouts or no signal then you should worry about it.

2) does splitting the cable affect picture quality?

No, because it's digital. But splitting does affect signal strength and low signal strength could cause loss of signal or dropouts.

3) Does a surge protector with "clean power" features affect picture quality or will a regular surge protector suffice?

I think there's a thread on this but the answer is no. It will have more potential affect on your audio system but unless you're an audiophile with expensive equipment even that is questionable.

4) Cable box has DVI and TV has HDMI. Will that connection be better than the Component, or should I wait for cable to have HDMI as well?

DVI and HDMI are the same for video. HDMI just adds audio in one cable. Since you have a CRT display you might get as good or better picture with the component video which is analog, not digital. Your TV will convert the digital DVI signal back to analog anyway.

However if you need to view content protected by HDCP you'll have to use the DVI interface - component is not HDCP compliant. For now it's probably not an issue. I'd start with DVI and if it looks good keep it.

5) Does upgrading cables from comcast provided ones to Monster (or similar) make a huge difference?

For component - maybe. For DVI - unless it's a very long run (over 30') probably not. Try signalcable.com for component cables if you want to upgrade.

6) What is the best way to view non HD channels (i.e what inputs and cable types should I use)?

It's easiest to use the cable box for both but the picture quality won't be great. Try splitting the cable and running one into the cable box and the other into the normal cable input on the TV for analog - that should be better. The other option is to use any old VCR as an analog tuner and run that into the TV input or through an external scaler.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

SET YOUR USER CONTROLS IMMEDIATELY. Use Avia or DVE or Sound and Vision DVDs to set the various user controls like color, tint, contract, etc.
This is crucial to getting a good picture. You should also consider a professional ISF calibration to get the absolute best picture (around $300).

Since you have a CRT RPTV you need to also set the convergence. Hopefully you have an advanced capability to set the convergence at various intervals around the entire screen. Should be described in the user's manual.


If you have not done this already, RUN (don't walk) to your TV and turn down the contrast to no more than 50% to avoid burn-in. The default is 100% and is called "torch mode". The mfrs do this to make the sets look better in brightly lit store displays.


Hope that helps.

[raff]

jelmarsh,

A good portion of these questions could be answered with a little research and reading the FAQs. We are always glad to help, but more is learned from researching than asking.

1) what, if anything, can I do to ensure that I am getting the best quality signal from comcast?

Make sure all the coax cabling in your house is RG-6. Comcast will only run RG6, but if you had existing wiring from a contractor, it could be RG-58/RG-59.

2) does splitting the cable affect picture quality?

Absolutely. You lose at least 3.5dB for every split. Enough splits and quality will suffer significantly. In the digital world, you will get drop-outs.

3) Does a surge protector with "clean power" features affect picture quality or will a regular surge protector suffice?

This is a debateable subject. In general, most Surge Protectors are very similar. There are some who will say otherwise, but this is a case-by-case issue.

4) Cable box has DVI and TV has HDMI. Will that connection be better than the Component, or should I wait for cable to have HDMI as well?

This is really determined by the TV type. In this case, you have a CRT based projection TV and Component should be the best hook-up. Make sure the cable box is set to output at 1080i, not 720P.

5) Does upgrading cables from comcast provided ones to Monster (or similar) make a huge difference?

Debateable issue by die-hard Monster cable lovers. If the cable run is under 10 feet, buying expensive cables buys you absolutely nothing. The comcast cables are probably pretty cheap, so go to Best Buy and get some AR cables. Good quality at a fraction of the monster price.

6) What is the best way to view non HD channels (i.e what inputs and cable types should I use)?

S-Video is your best bet

[hoopnoop]

Well, I largely refer you to Richard on this one and also suggest that you search through the threads on this site for discussion of a variety of issue. But here are a few thoughts:

1. Get either the AVIA Home theatre disk or Digital Video Essentials. This will enable you to do a basic callibration of your tv. Also, consider whether you want to get a professional callibration. Its somewhat expensive but some people feel that its well worth it.

2. Check the native resolution on your TV. Its is probably 1080i. If so, you are probably best off feeding that resolution to the TV. There should be an option on your cable box to fix the resolution coming out of your box to the desired resolution. Alternatively, you can feed the native resolution out of the cable box and let the TV do the upscaling. See which one your prefer.

3. Consider upgrading your dvd player to an upscalable dvd player. I have a Zenith DVB 318 that I like very much. There is a new Sony upscalable DVD player out and there is also others made by Samsung, Bravo, etc. These players can provide a somewhat better (though not high definition)image for playing dvds.

4. I don't think that upgrading cables or switching to a DVI cable is much of a big deal. Regarding DVI, I think the advantage is that you can keep certain HDTVs in a purely digital format without any switch between analog. But you should check the separate thread on this.

5. Consider your HDTV programming options. I'm not sure what Comcast offers but you should also consider satellite TV along with an OTA antenna. DirctTV and Dish offer HD programming plus an HD DVR at least if you are willing to spend the money ($549 for Dish and $999 for DirecTV). Comcast may offer an HD DVR you can lease for around $10/month. Voom offers the most HD channels but does not have an HD DVR yet.

Good luck!

[jelmarsh]

Thanks for all your responses. I have looked through these forums quite a bit and do not recall seeing these exact issues addressed (of course I do not have all day to search so I may not have stumbled upon them - or I am not searching effectively).

Sounds like I can save myself a few hundred dollars by not splurging on the best cables or surge\power conditioners.

Thanks Again!

[akirby]

Start with the basics and only upgrade if you see room for improvement or you're not happy with the results.

As for an upscalable DVD player, since the display is a CRT it may already do native 480p so I'm not sure how much of an improvement you'll really see. It would be nice to have that feature but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it right now. It will be cheaper with more choices a year from now.

[Richard]

Jelmarsh,

Welcome to HD Library!

1) what, if anything, can I do to ensure that I am getting the best quality signal from comcast?

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=438

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=1120


3) Does a surge protector with "clean power" features affect picture quality or will a regular surge protector suffice?

I am in the midst of writing an article on this topic for Waveform. Until then the in and outs of this and what it may mean for you is covered here...

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=312


4) Cable box has DVI and TV has HDMI. Will that connection be better than the Component, or should I wait for cable to have HDMI as well?

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=1293


5) Does upgrading cables from comcast provided ones to Monster (or similar) make a huge difference?

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=199

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=310


6) What is the best way to view non HD channels (i.e what inputs and cable types should I use)?

http://www.ilovehdtv.com/hdlibrary/viewtopic.php?t=1275

since the display is a CRT it may already do native 480p

Toshiba is native 1080I only and typically performs best using 480I or 1080I/540P scan rates.

Good Luck and let us know if you have anymore questions!

[akirby]

Toshiba is native 1080I only

Interesting - maybe that's why Chuckken saw such an improvement using the upscaling DVD on his Toshiba?

[Richard]

Yup and also why component looked worse because his player does not allow HD scan rates using component.