LCD tv- HDMI cable question

[Saturn0660]

Of course, none of those things address the picture quality, which was the question being asked and answered

Additionally, it was about regular DVDs, so none of the HD audio standards would apply. And would require adding a Surround system into the conversation as well, which isn't part of this. I guess some people still play with aspect ratio, but i haven't changed mine since i got the TV, staying at 16:9 seems to work fine, and just putting the vertical bars up on the 4:3 programming. Looks shitty stretched anyway.

A side issue is a programming one, about how much is blocked with respect to HD audio between devices. Seems that the studios are concerned about making hi-def copies of the discs, and limit what kinds of audio are carried over which formats/conversions.

I look forward to the stuff mentioned in HDMI 1.4, however...

But thats just it.. Not everyone is smart enough to put said bars up.. Thats why HDMI is better. I'd sooner use component over DVI.

 

[Scout101]

but video quality is the same regardless, which was the question...

Either way, DVI is a non-starter. Just an aborted, early attempt at HDMI, that's only still on some products because they take a while to design. If you ignore it for a short while, it'll disappear...

 

[Rii]

DVI originated as a PC standard whereas HDMI originated as a consumer electronics standard, that's all there is to it.

 

[Mistral]

I had to fiddle with internal settings on my LCD before my dvds looked "right". There may be filter settings you can alter to affect the picture. Also, your refresh rate can play into it. While I have a great tv overall, in sporting events excessively fast motion sometimes blurs due to a low refresh rate, making it look grainy.

 

[melancholymecha]

yeah, I certainly do not expect Blue Ray quality since well, its not a Blue Ray player, but I was just surprised at how bad the A.I. dvd looked, that and since both the tv and the dvd player were recently aquired(Im new to the technology, my last tv was a standard tube & standard dvd) it made me wonder if I was missing something, wrong cables, or if it was just the dvd's fault.

While I have a great tv overall, in sporting events excessively fast motion sometimes blurs due to a low refresh rate, making it look grainy.

Ive noticed this too, its similar to what I mentioned in an earlier post about the pixel-ish broken look when there's a scene of rippling water in an ocean. Does this happen with Blue Ray too?

 

[Scout101]

best solution would be to go to the AVS Forums website, and find the thread for your TV. Some fantastic A/V nerds have done all sorts of calibration on most TVs, and somewhere there will be a list of what to set EVERY little setting for to get the ideal environment for your model TV.

Other than that, yeah. SD doesn't look great on an HDTV. Depending on the source (cable, satellite, Blu-Ray), you'll get different quality from HD sources too.

 

[Saturn0660]

yeah, I certainly do not expect Blue Ray quality since well, its not a Blue Ray player, but I was just surprised at how bad the A.I. dvd looked, that and since both the tv and the dvd player were recently aquired(Im new to the technology, my last tv was a standard tube & standard dvd) it made me wonder if I was missing something, wrong cables, or if it was just the dvd's fault.

While I have a great tv overall, in sporting events excessively fast motion sometimes blurs due to a low refresh rate, making it look grainy.

Ive noticed this too, its similar to what I mentioned in an earlier post about the pixel-ish broken look when there's a scene of rippling water in an ocean. Does this happen with Blue Ray too?

The fact that you even own a copy of A.I. shows your lack of viewing quality.

 

[Jim Steele]

I really get frustrated about some of the upscaling misconceptions encountered these days.

A friend of mine spent £200 on an upscaling DVD player, even after I'd told him that he could spend the same money on a half decent bluray player which would would do at least as good a job of upconverting DVDs. His response? He read on the internet that a dedicated DVD upscaler is "better quality".

I know not all upscaling hardware is created equal. But come on.

I've also had numerous arguments on the internet with people subscribing to the suprisingly widespread claim that "upscaling" and "upconverting" are two different terms, and that one is a higher quality process than the other. Also, upscalers can "add detail". Where the fuck do people pick up this shite? Toshiba's marketing dept?

 

[BillJ]

1. Most DVD players will not upscale over component. It's HDMI or nothing.

2. Is the broken/pixelated look while watching cable? This occurs because HD cable is compressed.

 

[melancholymecha]

The fact that you even own a copy of A.I. shows your lack of viewing quality.

I like Gigolo Joe, OKAY??!!!!

1. Most DVD players will not upscale over component. It's HDMI or nothing.

2. Is the broken/pixelated look while watching cable? This occurs because HD cable is compressed.

I notice it while waching dvds too.

 

[Saturn0660]

1. Most DVD players will not upscale over component. It's HDMI or nothing.

2. Is the broken/pixelated look while watching cable? This occurs because HD cable is compressed.

I don't know of ANY play that will do it over the components.. I'm with you HDMI all the way..

True enough.. People are shocked to find out OTA HDTV looks better then anything their cable company can send of the same station.

 

[Saturn0660]

I really get frustrated about some of the upscaling misconceptions encountered these days.

A friend of mine spent £200 on an upscaling DVD player, even after I'd told him that he could spend the same money on a half decent bluray player which would would do at least as good a job of upconverting DVDs. His response? He read on the internet that a dedicated DVD upscaler is "better quality".

I know not all upscaling hardware is created equal. But come on.

I'm not so sure. A shitty BD play will do a shitty job upconverting. If you are going to get a BD player you need a nice one.. I'd take a Toshiba Upconvert over a Magnavox BD any day of the week for normal DVD's..

 

[Starbreaker]

You could always try the HDMI cable. They're a penny on amazon and it will certainly make the picture quality better on Blu Ray discs. Don't be fooled by these $50 cables. They're basically the same thing.

 

[melancholymecha]

about the HDMI cable, the tv's manual says that using an HDMI cable older than 1.3 will give you a bad picture (or if your dvd player supports HDMI older than 1.3.) How do I know what my dvd player supports? I cant find any info about that in the dvd's manual. Do I have to call the company on the manual?(blah!)

 

[Saturn0660]

about the HDMI cable, the tv's manual says that using an HDMI cable older than 1.3 will give you a bad picture (or if your dvd player supports HDMI older than 1.3.) How do I know what my dvd player supports? I cant find any info about that in the dvd's manual. Do I have to call the company on the manual?(blah!)

Don't worry about it.

 

[Jim Steele]

I really get frustrated about some of the upscaling misconceptions encountered these days.

A friend of mine spent £200 on an upscaling DVD player, even after I'd told him that he could spend the same money on a half decent bluray player which would would do at least as good a job of upconverting DVDs. His response? He read on the internet that a dedicated DVD upscaler is "better quality".

I know not all upscaling hardware is created equal. But come on.

I'm not so sure. A shitty BD play will do a shitty job upconverting. If you are going to get a BD player you need a nice one.. I'd take a Toshiba Upconvert over a Magnavox BD any day of the week for normal DVD's..

I'm not talking about getting a shitty bluray player. I explicitly said a "half decent" one in the £200 range.

 

[Saturn0660]

I really get frustrated about some of the upscaling misconceptions encountered these days.

A friend of mine spent £200 on an upscaling DVD player, even after I'd told him that he could spend the same money on a half decent bluray player which would would do at least as good a job of upconverting DVDs. His response? He read on the internet that a dedicated DVD upscaler is "better quality".

I know not all upscaling hardware is created equal. But come on.

I'm not so sure. A shitty BD play will do a shitty job upconverting. If you are going to get a BD player you need a nice one.. I'd take a Toshiba Upconvert over a Magnavox BD any day of the week for normal DVD's..

I'm not talking about getting a shitty bluray player. I explicitly said a "half decent" one in the £200 range.

Get a PS3.. Course the best rated player on the market right now it the Panasonic bd60k.. At least in the U.S and unless you want to spend crazy money.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I really get frustrated about some of the upscaling misconceptions encountered these days.

A friend of mine spent £200 on an upscaling DVD player, even after I'd told him that he could spend the same money on a half decent bluray player which would would do at least as good a job of upconverting DVDs. His response? He read on the internet that a dedicated DVD upscaler is "better quality".

I know not all upscaling hardware is created equal. But come on.

I'm not so sure. A shitty BD play will do a shitty job upconverting. If you are going to get a BD player you need a nice one.. I'd take a Toshiba Upconvert over a Magnavox BD any day of the week for normal DVD's..

I'm not talking about getting a shitty bluray player. I explicitly said a "half decent" one in the £200 range.

If we're talking Blu-Ray players, then I recommend Sony, no question. My first BR player, I chose not because of upconversion, but because I could DISABLE its upconverter. Because I knew the TV could do it better.

The concept of an upconverting DVD player is a marketing gimmick - nothing more. The companies are trying to convince people that it turns all DVDs into high definition, which is of course not true. There's really no need for a player to upconvert. The TV can do it better. If you've got a good enough TV, that is, which most people with HDTVs will.

 

[melancholymecha]

about the HDMI cable, the tv's manual says that using an HDMI cable older than 1.3 will give you a bad picture (or if your dvd player supports HDMI older than 1.3.) How do I know what my dvd player supports? I cant find any info about that in the dvd's manual. Do I have to call the company on the manual?(blah!)

Don't worry about it.

um ok...

what are the best HDMI cable brands? any to avoid?

 

[Scout101]

Don't even bother with brands, just gonna cost you more money for no gain. Go here, and pick the length/colors you want, couple bucks a whack...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10243

Unless you're running cables through a wall, the 28 AWG is plenty, and will cause less stress on the HDMI ports in the devices...