Sure you're watching HD on your HDTV?
Mon May 12, 2008 4:01PM EDT
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Two good friends of mine just bought a big, beautiful Samsung plasma HDTV, and I finally had the chance to take a look over the weekend. Flicking on the 50-inch, 1080p set, my pals tuned into Discovery HD, and yeah, it looked good—it just wasn't in HD.
I took a look at their setup, and everything looked right. They had an HD DVR courtesy of Time Warner Cable, properly connected via component cable. And yes, the box was tuned to Discovery's HD feed (on TWC Brooklyn channel 766, not the SD feed on channel 66).
So I checked the video output settings of the HD DVR, and there was the problem: It was set to output at 480i only, instead of 1080i.
I made the change, saved the new settings, and the screen flickered momentarily before snapping back—this time, in HD. My friends' eyes widened; they were seeing HD for the first time.
Afterward, my buddies confessed that although they liked their new Samsung, they'd been secretly disappointed by the fuzzy image quality. Well, no wonder.
Frankly, I'm amazed that the cable guy who installed their HD DVR didn't notice that the box wasn't outputting an HD signal to the set.
The moral of the story? If you're getting your first HDTV, make sure to check the settings of the devices you're hooking up to your new set. High-def DVRs, upconverting DVD players, and HD-capable gaming consoles like the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 all have their own video output settings, and unless they're set to HD resolutions (720p, 1080i, or 1080p), they won't deliver HD to your HDTV.
You also need to make sure you're using the proper cables and connections, not to mention the right equipment from your cable or satellite providers. Click here for the scoop.
Already know all this? Then here's a thought: The next time a buddy of yours gets a new HDTV—especially if it's their first one—invite yourself over and make sure they are, in fact, watching HD on their HDTV. You just might be doing them a big favor.
Related:
Six Must-Know HDTV Facts
Beginner's gude to video connections
Comments on Sure you're watching HD on your HDTV?
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2 Posted by middlenamefrank on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:19PM EDT Report Abuse
It does get interesting with multiple sources. My DLP 'only' does 720p, so broadcasts in 720p look better on my setup than 1080i (since the 1080i gets downconverted to 720i). So I have my cable box set to downconvert 1080 to 720, and my DVD set to upconvert low-res sources, with digital (MPEG) content up- or downconverted as necessary. It can be rather difficult to keep track of what's on which input, and get them all optimized to look as good as possible.
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3 Posted by alexgannis on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:50PM EDT Report Abuse
I had the same problem we where watching football with my brother in law I thought the picture was a little fuzzy atfer the game i found out I had it in tv mode in the input setup so I change it to hd mode wow.
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4 Posted by scottiecordes on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse
#4, not all HDDVR has HDMI. I have Moxi by Charter (sux) and it only has component out. We have 2 of them, and in both instances, the "barely English speaking" technicians were going to let it go at 480i. In our area, Charter sources out the installs, and refuse to let the customers install themselves. Fact of the matter...since they don't hire "professionals", you really cannot expect a professional. It's all good by me, since I know about this stuff. I genuinely feel bad for the folks that do not know any better. Thanks for the blog Ben.
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5 Posted by damienanderson228 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:34PM EDT Report Abuse
@ scottiecordes I hear you!! Charter.....hum, I'm disappointed. I agree with everything that you said. I hate when I have to call them about internet issues!! When I first moved to the apt that I'm living in now, the tech tried to convince me not to get HD. Weird. He told me that the SD channels look just as good. Well, since I've had HD before I knew this wasn't true. No one really has a clue at Charter.
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6 Posted by gabake420 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
If you are not using HDMI (you component video doesn't cut it Ben) you are not getting HD
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7 Posted by mark_butler@verizon.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:08PM EDT Report Abuse
HD is still far too complicated. Try managing all the different aspect ratios with the various channels with the other devices connected. It takes me 17 button pushes on 6 different buttons on 3 different remotes to switch between my non-HD dvd player and an hd channel. And of course some "HD" channels are actually SD being sent as HD so they get stretched out wide and you have to use the TV's aspect changer to make it change, then some channels don't record correctly when the cable box is set to wide-aspect so you have to change it as well. We have a long way to go before HD is easy.
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8 Posted by gabake420 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
if they are buying plasma, the are not to bright to begin with
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9 Posted by scottiecordes on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse
#8, you are wrong...you do get HD over component. HDMI has many advantages...one cable for audio and video for one, but you can get digital sound with coax/optical, and pass HD video on component. Now given a choice, HDMI all the way. But to say you can only get HD on HDMI, that is just totally wrong wrong wrong.
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10 Posted by scryer_360 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:10PM EDT Report Abuse
Lol, so many neighbors and friends have had the same problem. We were watching the Super Bowl last year and every was enjoying the new TV, but they had to tell me to stop ----- ing about the image quality (he did not have an HD box). Finally, during halftime, I stood up, took the remote, switched over to the antenna and programmed in the digital channel with HD feed of the Super-Bowl. Everyone yelled and told me to sit down and shut up, until the picture flickered on. I've never seen so many eyes go so wide at once. Afterward a few people grudgingly thanked me, but ever since, I keep getting called to help them set up their first HD sets.
1 Posted by matt_archbold2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:11PM EDT Report Abuse
when we had Uverse installed, HD was included. The tech installed it all and turned it on to TLCHD and he was telling me how good american chopper looked in "HD". I looked at it and thought it looked a little hazy and not the way my Dish Network looked in HD. I politely asked for the remote and went to the menu and changed it from 480P to 1080i. He then said in one ashamed breath, "Woops". Lesson learned: Cable services that offer HD need to thuroughly train its technicians in the art of HD set up. I mean come on, it's basic set up.