Just got HDTivo-Question

[oilcan00]

Hi all, new to this site, and I see how many experts are out there. Quick question....HD is all new to me so forgive my inexperience. When I watch HD channels the picture is amazing......but when I change the channel to non HD channels it seems the picture was better before I got HD. Is there something else I need to plug in? I am currently plugged into the DVI input on my TV.
Thanks for any advice!

[phox_mulder]

Sadly, that's usually the case.

Some HD TV's display standard definition better than others, but for the most part, non HD doesn't look that good on an HD TV, at least in my experience.

You can try experimenting with the different setups on the TV, but you risk hurting the HD picture more than fixing the SD picture.


phox

[jhays]

Search the AVS Forum for "Polishing Turd"

(Sorry, I can't post the URL)

[newsposter]

oil what tv do you have? I got a CRT RPTV because i knew that was one of the best things to watch SD on, which is what a decent amount of programming still is. It's a nice compromise between HD and SD and it may not have the absolute best picture possible, I'm confident for the price it does :)

[TyroneShoes]

...I got a CRT RPTV because i knew that was one of the best things to watch SD on, which is what a decent amount of programming still is...You make a valid point.

CRT's have a built-in artifact that actually tends to give the perception of more detail than is actually there. Video on a CRT has a small amount of ringing that accentuates transitions from light to dark, which gives a false, but still very effective, impression of detail. This is the very same type of thing that analog image enhancers do on purpose, by electronically manipulating the transitional edges in the very same manner.

SD on a flat screen seems fuzzy not only because it it blown up bigger and we are typically closer to it (and are in a more critical frame of mind having just seen "CSI:Miami" in HD) but also because we miss that little false artifact that gave us the impression of detail on our old CRTs.

That being said, HD typically looks better NOT on a CRT, first because it doesn't need the help from the ringing artifact, and also because the interlace and DC restoration is usually much better than on a CRT, which improves the perceived vertical and transient detail.

[btwyx]

SD on a flat screen seems fuzzy not only because it it blown up bigger and we are typically closer to it ... but also because we miss that little false artifact that gave us the impression of detail on our old CRTs.Most US displays have a "sharpness" control to reindtroduce the artifact, artificially if necessary. Calibration DVDs have patterns to tune that, turned down as much as possible is usually a good approximation.