Are You Watching HD - Or Not?

[Penn]

I was just perusing a thread online, a site called C-net.

Apparently, there are a bunch of folks across the country who have purchased a new flat screen HD television, have had it hooked it up to an HD converter box from Comcast, or Direct HDTV Satellite, and are assuming they are watching the highest signal available to them.

Wrong! Many of the "expert" installers are not using the required cables to correctly install those systems!

Make sure you have an HDMI cable running from your cable box, or Direct TV system - to your new TV!! Some of these clowns are not aware of the difference! DUH!

 

[John Z]

Agreed on the "duh" factor.

I'm one, however, that bought an HDTV and hasn't got HD service yet. The nice thing is that my set has a QAM tuner and it pulls in about ten HD channels (and I don't even have a digital cable box). So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

 

[glhs837]

I was just perusing a thread online, a site called C-net.

Apparently, there are a bunch of folks across the country who have purchased a new flat screen HD television, have had it hooked it up to an HD converter box from Comcast, or Direct HDTV Satellite, and are assuming they are watching the highest signal available to them.

Wrong! Many of the "expert" installers are not using the required cables to correctly install those systems!

Make sure you have an HDMI cable running from your cable box, or Direct TV system - to your new TV!! Some of these clowns are not aware of the difference! DUH!

Actually, component cables can carry any HD signal, you dont need HDMI. Now, 1080p is restricted to HDMI for HCDP content, meaning Blu-Ray movies wont play unless you have HDMI cables, but for anything else, component shold work fine.

That said, I know the cable guys are not always well versed in the intricacies of different hookups, its up to the consumer to educate themselves and ensure that they have what they need.

 

[Penn]

Actually, component cables can carry any HD signal, you dont need HDMI. Now, 1080p is restricted to HDMI for HCDP content, meaning Blu-Ray movies wont play unless you have HDMI cables, but for anything else, component shold work fine.

That said, I know the cable guys are not always well versed in the intricacies of different hookups, its up to the consumer to educate themselves and ensure that they have what they need.

Maybe I read it wrong, however, but if you're not using HDMI cables - between your TV receivers, or Blu-Ray players, YOU are not getting Hi-Def signals.

Possibly 720p - is what you are receiving. If your TV can display 1080i/p, then you need to make sure you are properly connected.

This article was simply stating that a lot of us do not realise that fact. We rely on those expert installers to ensure that we are getting the best that we are paying for, but not, in fact, getting.

PS: I made darn sure my system is properly connected. HDTV is AWESOME!!

 

[glhs837]

Component is capable of carrying 1080i just fine, believe me. I know the point was that folks must make sure they are getting what they pay for. But, my point is that you can get HD (720 and 1080i are both considered HD, actually) with component, you really can. What source are you using for your statement?

Heres mine


Component video - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Component video is capable of carrying signals such as 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and1080p, and new high definition TVs support the use of component video up to their native resolution.

MONSTER CABLE® - Component Home Video Cables

Almost every cable there lists 1080i as a supported resolution.

Me, my whole system runs HDMI, and thats really the best way to go, but component can do any resolution you can get from sat or cable, which top out at 1080i.

 

[Claff]

When I tried HDMI I got picture but no sound. This was a couple years ago and I never investigated to see if it was the cable itself, the cable box, the TV? Went back to component cables and don't think I'm missing out on much.

 

[glhs837]

Depends on system configuration, and components. Some early components wouldnt put out sound over the HDMI cable. Depending on what you might have changed since then, its probably worth looking to going to them. If nothing else, it cleans up the cabling somewhat. Not to mention when you do get a 1080p source, Blu-Ray player, or PS3, then youre ready for it.

 

[Penn]

Component is capable of carrying 1080i just fine, believe me. I know the point was that folks must make sure they are getting what they pay for. But, my point is that you can get HD (720 and 1080i are both considered HD, actually) with component, you really can. What source are you using for your statement?

Heres mine


Component video - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



MONSTER CABLE® - Component Home Video Cables

Almost every cable there lists 1080i as a supported resolution.

Me, my whole system runs HDMI, and thats really the best way to go, but component can do any resolution you can get from sat or cable, which top out at 1080i.

Let me try and go back to that site and thread. They were asserting that if you're not using HDMI, you're not getting all that's available to you. What is worse, was the fact that these "competent" installers were using component - red/green/blue cables - and ensuring that HD content was still available to those users. Not so sure of that!

 

[Pete]

It's all bull to try and get gullible people to buy high dollar HDMI cables you do not need.

 

[SJSWING]

It's all bull to try and get gullible people to buy high dollar HDMI cables you do not need.

I Think I agree with Pete, I have had my HDTV hooked up with regular component cables for the past 4 years. I can notice a great difference between a regular channel and a HD channel.

I also do however believe that the HDMI cable is a good way to go just to make sure you are getting the better picture quality out of your HD receiver. Do I have my TV hooked up with HDMI? Not yet, but am looking into hooking it up that way. My problem is that my tv does not support alot of HDMI inputs and with everything I have hooked up now through HDMI and what is going to be hooked up via HDMI in the next few months, what should I keep hooked up and what should I take away from being hooked up through HDMI. I know I am going to want the Blu-Ray hooked up through HDMI when I get it, but should I keep the XBOX hooked up through HDMI or should I hook the TV up HDMI.

I know it is off topic a bit but just wanted to ramble for a min or two.

 

[glhs837]

Get a receiver that has multiple HDMI inputs.

 

[Dye Tied]

Ask Daydreamer on here. He has an AV company.

I am hooked up with component cables and I receive HD just fine.

 

[Floyd2004]

I have a 1080p TV and still have basic cable running through it.
Theres nothing ever good on TV so why waste money on junk?

 

[GWguy]

Something that I was sure would be mentioned and wasn't...and this applies mostly to cable systems, even tho you have an HD receiver and an HD TV and HDMI cables and all the right stuff, and teh display on your set says 1080p, the ACTUAL resolution of the signal being carried over cable MAY NOT BE 1080p. In a lot of cases, it's only 720. They have limited bandwidth, so they sacrifice resolution for channel capacity.

I was at Best Buy looking at sets, and even tho they had everything set up at 1080p, it was VERY obvious from the display that it was not 1080p resolution being displayed. I have standard satellite service now, and my scrren is sharper than the Best Buy displays.

I think someone posted the actual resolutions carried by various vendors sometime ago, satellite having the best end-user resolution available.

 

[bfncbs1]

Something that I was sure would be mentioned and wasn't...and this applies mostly to cable systems, even tho you have an HD receiver and an HD TV and HDMI cables and all the right stuff, and teh display on your set says 1080p, the ACTUAL resolution of the signal being carried over cable MAY NOT BE 1080p. In a lot of cases, it's only 720. They have limited bandwidth, so they sacrifice resolution for channel capacity.

I was at Best Buy looking at sets, and even tho they had everything set up at 1080p, it was VERY obvious from the display that it was not 1080p resolution being displayed. I have standard satellite service now, and my scrren is sharper than the Best Buy displays.

I think someone posted the actual resolutions carried by various vendors sometime ago, satellite having the best end-user resolution available.

Best HD Quality
1. FiOS
2. Dish
3. Direct TV
4. Comcrap or any other cable provider.

 

[clevalley]

It's all bull to try and get gullible people to buy high dollar HDMI cables you do not need.

I notice a big difference with my DLP (1080i) over HDMI vs. Component.

The price of HDMI cables have come down considerably over the past year - you can get a good quality HDMI for <$20

GLH837 posted a link to MonoPrice.com sometime ago, I am using them now for cables and mounts - here is a link right to the HDMI cables

 

[clevalley]

Best HD Quality
1. FiOS
2. Dish
3. Direct TV
4. Comcrap or any other cable provider.

Reason is FIOS has no compression in their HD Signal... well, they do not compress what is given to them whereas Dish / DirecTV / Comcast uses compression to save on bandwidth.

Just .02 - take notice on a HD Satellite or Cable channel - look REAL closely at the center of the picture and compare it to the surrounding border (approximately 20% of the picture in a make-believe picture frame.) This surrounding border/picture frame will have more pixelation in it as our eyes tend to focus on the center of the picture. The video compression algorithms compress the borders more than the edges of the pic... at first it use to bother me, but now I have gotten use to it - or my eyes have gotten worse so it is all blurry anyhow.

 

[bfncbs1]

Reason is FIOS has no compression in their HD Signal... well, they do not compress what is given to them whereas Dish / DirecTV / Comcast uses compression to save on bandwidth.

Just .02 - take notice on a HD Satellite or Cable channel - look REAL closely at the center of the picture and compare it to the surrounding border (approximately 20% of the picture in a make-believe picture frame.) This surrounding border/picture frame will have more pixelation in it as our eyes tend to focus on the center of the picture. The video compression algorithms compress the borders more than the edges of the pic... at first it use to bother me, but now I have gotten use to it - or my eyes have gotten worse so it is all blurry anyhow.

Trust me I know! Comcast crams 3 channels per QAM...Reducing the quality.

Average Bitrates on FiOS v. Comcast - See link for comparison.

Comcast HD Quality Reduction: Details, Screenshots - AVS Forum

 

[GWguy]

Trust me I know! Comcast crams 3 channels per QAM...Reducing the quality.

Average Bitrates on FiOS v. Comcast - See link for comparison.

Comcast HD Quality Reduction: Details, Screenshots - AVS Forum

I was doing some research on this, and found that the originating station may not be full HD. Example: ESPN only transmits in 720p as per an article I saw from 2005. They may have changed that by now, but just because it says HD does not guarantee 1080p.

 

[bfncbs1]

I was doing some research on this, and found that the originating station may not be full HD. Example: ESPN only transmits in 720p as per an article I saw from 2005. They may have changed that by now, but just because it says HD does not guarantee 1080p.

That still stands true for ESPN.....The service provider is only 1 piece of the puzzle. The content provider is the other factor.