Confused with different info on sky picture quality

[londonr]

Confused with different info on sky picture quality

I have just made the decision to purchase a large screen for my TV viewing. I live in Ireland and watch only Sky Plus. I watch mainly Movies, Soccer, and a little junk (Lost, Bones etc). I hade made the decision to go with a 42” Plasma (probably Sony or Panasonic?) as in my research they seemed to give the best bang for the buck. However after seeing a game of soccer at my friends house on a 42” Plasma (Phillips) I began to change my mind! I went into my local Sony dealer (I live in a small town, Wexford, we only have I audio visual dealer, and that is the Sony Center). I checked out a game of soccer broadcast by SKY on both the 42” plasma and the 40” LCD, and a 50” 3LCD – They were all crap, a lot worse picture than I currently get on my little ole 29” 4.3 Grundig. The reason the salesperson told me was the weak and low bit rate signal from Sky! He also exclaimed the magic of HD was coming on Sky soon, and then everything would be fine (so go ahead and buy now!). I looked up a few forums and found out that it is just a few sports and movie channels and a couple of selected channels that will be HD and that could be as long a wait as August this year, maybe more. So that still leaves me with the crappy pictures on SD broadcasts. So what to do? I heard about this Scalar option and said, could this really be the answer to all my prayers? But even if I do get it, what is the best equipment to use with it (given my viewing preference) and will it work with SKY HD (when or if it arrives in Ireland?). Of course the other thing is, do I need a scalar to watch the programs I watch, or is there (holy grail) a display out there that has a pretty good processing unit in it that will keep me pacified until HD arrives? I know this is a lot to ask, but I feel you would be answering a lot of other peoples questions with this one answer, there must be thousands of us out there thinking the same thing?

[ahin4114]

If you're settled on Plasma then I would forget about the Sony for a start. I haven't seen a single Sony plasma that impressed me, especially when parked next to a Panasonic or a Pioneer. Typically the feeds in shops like the Sony Center are poorly distributed and not representative of how the set will look in your house, which is a shame, as typically it's the only impression you get before parting with your cash.
It is possible to get a very good image off of any of the sets you mention when they're set up properly, though some are better than others. Panasonic and Pioneer are currently the cream of the crop for Plasma, with Fujitsu also putting in a strong performance. Sony, Phillips and Leowe are all producing very good LCD sets, worthy of a proper audition. Any of these sets will benefit from a scaler, but whether you feel the gain is worth the outlay is another matter.
The un-official best guess for Sky HD is now beginning of April, but I doubt there will be any serious mainstream takeup and hence more content until August time. In the meantime, stop searching for the holy grail, it doesn't exist. Every technology has it's problems, it's a case of picking one where the picture and problems best fir your requirements.
Personally I opted for a Sony V40 LCD, simply becuase I wouldn't consider a plasma under 50", and I couldn't fit a 50" set into the space for the TV. Plenty of people are really happy with their 42" plasma's and wouldn't give LCD a second look. Only you can decide which you prefer, but looking at the makes I've listed above, should be a good first step, then once you've narrowed down your options, come back here with a shortlist and we can pick through it with you.

Best of luck.

Tony

[David PluggedIn]

The reason the salesperson told me was the weak and low bit rate signal from Sky! He also exclaimed the magic of HD was coming on Sky soon, and then everything would be fine (so go ahead and buy now!)

that old chessnut

The problem is due (as you have already figured out!) to the generally poor video processing in large flat panel screens.
You can get fantastic picture quality today using a Sky SDI box and SDI enabled video processor, which will probably beat the upscaled standard def output of the new HD boxes. Of course there is a cost attached to this..

On the other hand, if you are prepared to wait for SkyHD then you might find that the balance of the cost of the box + monthly subs , the premium HD programming and upscaled SD broadcasts works well for you

so, its the age old decision of invest now or invest later

[londonr]

Obviously I am looking for a balance ( I guess holy grail is out of my grasp). What I really want is a balance of a decent picture (as good as I am getting on my Grundig 29” CRT works for me) and cost, plus ease of use/convenience.

What is the cost of the SKY + SDI box and will there be a hi def version coming out? And if I buy this box without a video processor and pick say a Panasonic 42 Plasma, will I then get as good a picture as I am currently getting on the CRT, or will I have to also buy the processor, and if so, how much is that?

You see my dilemma, all I want is as good a picture as I am getting on my little CRT on a newer bigger screen, I didn’t think it was too much to ask, maybe I was wrong and should just go out and get my self a 36” 100htz CRT?

[David PluggedIn]

regarding pricing, then its all on our website but basically you are looking at the cheapest video processing solution being a PC card, the SweetSpot for example, which costs under £200 including cable, and this fits in to a PC. This would use your existing RGB outputs and will give great results. The SDI option on the Sky box is really for people looking for perfection , and/or front projection systems where any image issues are more visible.

Standalone video processors start around the £700 mark, and go from there.

Regarding HD SDI, then that depends on the boxes at launch, and of course you need a video processor that support HDSDI. The only unit that does that any time soon is the Crystalio2 Pro, available in a month or so for around £3700.

Its really a time of transition, when SkyHD does arrive then I suspect that for many people it will be 'good enough' when paired with a typical flat panel, external video processing will all remain the preserve of the dedicated enthusiast!