Self Install - what else can I do???

1975jas

Standard Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2006
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Hi

I received my Samsung (in a brown box, so I will look to see if it is graded) HD box last Wednesday so have given it a week now.

Picture on Standard def seems worse than my old box, but more disappointingly is that you can barely tell the differnce on the HD channels - rarely do I see a program that is any different at all, and when it is its maybe a bit more colourful, thats it.

I have tried both 1080i and 720p, and I have also bought a new HDMI cable instead of useing the cheap looking one Sky provide.

I went for the self install should just plugged in and paired card - is there any software type thing I should be doing to improve picture?

I am running through a Pioneer Plasma from around 5 years ago - PDP 436XDE (which I am told can accept even 1080p).

Thanks
Jason
 
You wasted money on the HDMI cable - you can't get a better HDMI cable by spending more money, it either delivers a digital signal or it doesn't. A more expensive cable can't turn the ones into anything other than ones, or the zeroes into anything other than zeroes.

Your main problem is probably that telly - it's very old, its only 1024 x 768 (most HD TVs these days are minimum 1366 x 768, even the 32" models), and without knowing the viewing distance between you and it, you may well not notice the difference between HD and SD. Unfortunately, something that was cutting edge in 2006 is unlikely to be considered cutting edge these days.
 
Thanks for the reply - really appreciate that.

There are many threads on here stating that the 436 xde accepts and displays 1080p which I thought was the max - all of them say 'only 1080/24 though' - sorry, not sure what that means.

I would say we sit around 5 metres away from the screen.

Would you say there is nothing I can do but accpet that HD will not look much different on my setup.

Would you say its worth changing the tv? I have it on the wall and the wires are plastered into the wall - I don't suppose there are new Pioneers that can use the same cabling so I just have to swap the screen?

Thanks
Jason
 
Being able to accept 1080p input doesn't mean it can display a 1080 picture - all it means is that it will downscale it to fit on the screen resolution it can achieve. Which is a lot less than 1920 x 1080 (about a third of the pixels on a full HD screen).

At five metres away from the TV, you will almost certainly not notice any difference between HD and SD. Not on a TV of that size. From that distance you need to be looking at 70" or more.

And Pioneer haven't made tellies for years.
 
Last edited:
Thats a shame as I always thought my Pioneer was top drawer.

Interesting you say about 70", some people say the 43" screen we got is too big for the distance we sit from it (I am much the opposite and would buy a bigger one now).

Do you know by any chance what model number is the latest one the did make? Was thinking if I could find someone selling old stock I could upgrade my system cheaper but not necessarily to the latest standard

Thanks
 
I don't I'm afraid - never owned a Pioneer. The Kuros was a very respected model that they had on sales about three or so years ago - but whether any were full HD, and supported 1920 x 1080 screen resolutions, I don't know. Certainly any full HD TV that you can buy these days must support at least that resolution.
 
There's a couple of calculators online or you can use a graph like this

You're about 16.5 feet away which puts you well into the 'no difference' area for anything <55" and ideally you want to be at about 70" and above.. or sit closer :p

The Kuros were basically the best you could get and were full HD 1080p. (you can still get them but they're running out of stock). Kuros are also *not* a cheap upgrade..
 
Last edited:
Great Thanks

Don't suppose you know where I could get a Kuros from?

Jason
 
I would say we sit around 5 metres away from the screen.
Then you're perfectly OK with a 42" TV.
I don't know where all these 60s and 70s come into it - or do I?! :D
 
You wasted money on the HDMI cable - you can't get a better HDMI cable by spending more money, it either delivers a digital signal or it doesn't. A more expensive cable can't turn the ones into anything other than ones, or the zeroes into anything other than zeroes.

Your main problem is probably that telly - it's very old, its only 1024 x 768 (most HD TVs these days are minimum 1366 x 768, even the 32" models), and without knowing the viewing distance between you and it, you may well not notice the difference between HD and SD. Unfortunately, something that was cutting edge in 2006 is unlikely to be considered cutting edge these days.

I respectfully disagree. Had a faulty box which showed really bad pixelation with the standard cheapo HDMI cable. Bought a good one (not too expensive £20 but had 24k gold connectors etc.) and the pixelation was dramatically reduced. I could still see some but just slightly...still enough to return the box though, why should I put up with a faulty box?

I also read on Amazon when looking for a component cable and digital audio cable, this techy expert dude (he was an engineer...a pro in other words) was ssaying not to bother spending money on the digital audio cable cos it's all 1s and 0s and gold will do nothing cos it's not subject to interference, BUT the HDMI cable is a different matter as it IS subject to interference (hence gold plating is good) but he also said to forget the really expensive HDMI cables as they are all a con but to get a decent one and you will notice a difference. And I have noticed it myself. So have to disagree with you there...
 
Last edited:
unless you're looking at long lengths of cable, probably around 3M or higher a relatively normal, cheap HDMI cable, such as the one you get with the Sky+HD box will do perfectly fine.
 
Your main problem is probably that telly - it's very old, its only 1024 x 768 (most HD TVs these days are minimum 1366 x 768, even the 32" models), and without knowing the viewing distance between you and it, you may well not notice the difference between HD and SD. Unfortunately, something that was cutting edge in 2006 is unlikely to be considered cutting edge these days.

I'm sorry that is ludicrous - there is an awful lot more to HD than resolution.

I have a 436 - and the difference between HD and SD is night and day. And it still provides the best SD picture (from any source) I've ever seen on a flat panel.

I would suggest the OP searches these forums for recommended settings.
 
there is an awful lot more to HD than resolution.

Agreed. But I was trying to explain to him why his TV, which he thought was the best thing since sliced bread, may not be delivering the ideal high definition picture. I have a high regard for Pioneer television sets, but it is still a five or six year old model. You can see a massive difference between HD and SD - he can't. As I said, I don't own a Pioneer, never mind that telly, but I do know that it doesn't have even as high a resolution as the smallest HD set you can buy these days, which may be contributing to his disappointment, particularly if he has seen Sky HD on an alternative TV which does have a higher resolution.

However, I think what we have all deduced (apart from you, or so it seems) is that the main reason he isn't seeing much difference is because he is sitting over sixteen feet away from his TV set.

Don't tell me I'm ludicrous. I used to have a lot of respect for you and the suggestions you made to people who had problems. That's all I was doing for the OP. Just because you've got a six year old TV, and you still enjoy watching it, doesn't invalidate my suggestion to the OP. You obviously sit a lot closer to your TV than sixteen feet if you can see a massive difference between SD and HD on that particular set. Bravo. Rejoice in that. don't have a go at me.
 
I respectfully disagree. Had a faulty box which showed really bad pixelation with the standard cheapo HDMI cable. Bought a good one (not too expensive £20 but had 24k gold connectors etc.) and the pixelation was dramatically reduced. I could still see some but just slightly...still enough to return the box though, why should I put up with a faulty box?

HDMI delivers ones and zeroes from one end to the other. If the ones that go in one end come out as ones at the other, and the zeroes that go in one end come out as zero at the other, gold-plating it can't make it any better. That is all it has to do.

Now agreed, if the cable is damaged and some of the ones come out as zeroes, or some of the zeroes come out as ones, then you wouldn't get a clear signal, and would get audio drop-outs, pixellation and even total loss of signal. But the cable would have to be damaged for that to happen - not just a standard cheapo HDMI cable like the one Sky gives you. If the one that Sky gives you, no matter how cheap it is, delivers ones and zeroes from one end to the other - and lets face it, it does - then replacing it with a more expensive cable can't make it any better. You can't improve a digital signal - you can't make it better with shielding and gold.
 
I know its slightly off the subject but regarding HDMI leads I believe that the more expensive ones are usually the chunkier ones (i.e. heavier).

Since HDMI leads usually approach their inputs at both ends horizontally they can put an unacceptable weight load on the board they are connecting because of the larger radius the cable will describe in the highest input / output resulting in a potentially very expensive repair to the PC board the input belongs to.

So if you think your TV deserves the best cable money can buy whether for perceived technical or even its different appearance, make sure you have an adapter to change its 'angle of dangle' to vertical or support its extra weight in some other way.
 
I have to respectfully dissagree with the comment about being too far from the tv to notice the difference. I have a 40" Sony LCD and i sit about 7-8 meters away, and yes while the tv is still abit too small for the room (i have a pj though so that doesnt bother me), i can clearly see the difference between SD and HD.

The best channel to test picture quality is Discovery HD and BBCHD as they appear to deliver the best HD programming in my expierience, compare that to a normal sky one program etc, and if you still cant tell then id say get a new tv and/ or box.

And fyi i used the basic cheap HDMI cable sky included and it does the job fine.
 
I have to respectfully dissagree with the comment about being too far from the tv to notice the difference. I have a 40" Sony LCD and i sit about 7-8 meters away, and yes while the tv is still abit too small for the room (i have a pj though so that doesnt bother me), i can clearly see the difference between SD and HD.

Seriously you're 26 feet away your TV? That's a bigger room than most people have. I doubt I could tell the difference between HD and VHS at that distance..
 
Agreed. But I was trying to explain to him why his TV, which he thought was the best thing since sliced bread, may not be delivering the ideal high definition picture. I have a high regard for Pioneer television sets, but it is still a five or six year old model. You can see a massive difference between HD and SD - he can't.

4 1/4 years ago just before I got sky HD it was the arguably the best display around. It is only within the last 18months I've started to see pictures on things other than top end plasmas that come close. But that's by the by.

Hopefully mine will be relegated to the games room in time for the World Cup quarter finals. :thumbsup:



Don't tell me I'm ludicrous.

I didn't say you were ludicrous - I said that the idea that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between HD & SD on the display in question is ludicrous.

See the difference.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom