HDTV Forum

I get CATV from Comcast and just acquired their Motorola DCH3419 dual tuner HDMI DVR box primarily for HD features.

I had been receiving SD and HD from a basic cable connection directly to my Samsung's LN46A850 1080p LCD set via coax cable to the QAM tuner. We got the local broadcast stations in HD with is connection and the HD PQ was very good.

Now with the Motorola box and an HDMI connection to my HDTV, we get HD content for the rest of the cable channels we're authorized for but the local HD broadcasts don't have the crispness of the clear QAM signal.

I tried using the DCH3419 output coax to the HDTV but it doesn't appear to bypass the DVR tuners.

Is my only alternative to install a splitter on the cable before it goes to the DVR and HDTV?

Comcast said as of today they are cutting over to a local fiber optic loop in our area and that is supposed to result in a "clearer" HD PQ. Their definition of clearer may not be the same as mine...

One difference is the DVR could be up or down converting the broadcast signal. Make sure it's set to 1080i or allow it to pass through the original signal unconverted (sometimes called Native mode). Unless Comcast is using 2 totally different channels for the clear QAM local channels then you should be getting the exact same signal either way - with the DVR box processing being the only real difference.

You can split the incoming cable using a high quality, high bandwidth splitter and use the TV's built-in QAM tuner if you want.

The other possibility is that your HDMI input has not been properly setup or calibrated. Check the settings for the built-in tuner (color, contrast, tint, etc.) and compare that to the HDMI settings. The HDMI settings may need to be modified.

akirby wrote:One difference is the DVR could be up or down converting the broadcast signal. Make sure it's set to 1080i or allow it to pass through the original signal unconverted (sometimes called Native mode).

.

The DCH3416 has 1080i set in the setup menu for HDMI. Only appears to affect the HDMI output, not the coax jack output. There is no menu setting I can see for the coax jack so I assumed that was straight passthru feature.

Unless Comcast is using 2 totally different channels for the clear QAM local channels then you should be getting the exact same signal either way - with the DVR box processing being the only real difference.

You can split the incoming cable using a high quality, high bandwidth splitter and use the TV's built-in QAM tuner if you want.

The other possibility is that your HDMI input has not been properly setup or calibrated. Check the settings for the built-in tuner (color, contrast, tint, etc.) and compare that to the HDMI settings. The HDMI settings may need to be modified.

I think that's part of it. I calibrated the picture settings based on the QAM tuner input - not for HDMI. My BD source looks a bit too contrasty compared to QAM source.