Not getting some HD channels, or coming in pixelated

[Vance]

Hello all! HD newbie here. I have had my set-up for a week or so, and have been getting very spotty reception for my actual HD channels. Some don't come in at all, some come in some of the time, but not other times, some come in pixelated some of the time. So, my Time-Warner telephone tech said he would set up an appointment to see whether I need a "booster".

But, when the tech comes out, I want to make sure I am armed with what I need to know. I have heard that the cables themselves could make a difference and that I may need to make sure my unused cable splits are capped off in some way. Are these the things I should be asking about as well? Is there anything else I should make sure while I have a live body on the premises?

BTW, I have T-W (as mentioned above) using a Motorola DVR box on an LG 32" screen, 780p.

Thanks for any help!

PS, is it normal for some of my standard def channels to come in at nearly HD quality (at least some of the time)? My Discovery channel comes in very sharp, but of course I don't have the HD version of that channel to compare it to right now, so maybe it just looks good to the untrained eye.

[Richard]

Your LG probably uses a pixel matrix that is not native to HD. I'll guess the popular 1366X768. That means everything has to be scaled and it would not qualify as a performance display although many would be pleased with the results. That same scaling is making the differences between content appear smaller or put another way more similar to each other.

As for your signal problem, since you are using a cable box the good news it's all their problem to figure out so sit back and hope the tech who arrives knows what he is doing.

[Vance]

Ah, that is very interesting about the scaling. I still have a few channels that come in less clear than others (and, as seems typical, looking less clear than on a CRT), but most are looking pretty good and, as you say, pretty similar. The range of quality is not dramatic.

I will be interested to see whether the cable tech knows what he is doing. I live in a rural farming town, and we wonder sometimes whether we are getting lesser service than the big-city folk.

[Vance]

The Time Warner tech came out yesterday and found the problem. It was a bad cable coming into the house. He somehow checked the underground cable and it was damaged or worn in some way. He fixed it there somehow (we weren't even there at the time) and left a number for me to call him to tell him whether it worked. He was pretty stoked when he found out that it solved the problem entirely! Now all the HD channels come in solid!