Picture quality, TiVo HD vs. DVD on HDMI input

[cmontyburns]

I've just set up my new TiVo HD, using an OTA antenna as the signal source. Just for the moment, I've appropriated an HMDI cable and its input on the TV that were previously dedicated to an upscaling DVD player. I had tuned the TV picture on this input using a Digital Video Essentials DVD. Color, contrast, and sharpness were just beautiful.

With the TiVo HD connected via the same cable and input, however, the picture is really disappointing: low contrast, very grey blacks, and overall quite washed out. It compares poorly with the OTA picture on the associated antenna input of the TV; in other words, the OTA signal as displayed by the TV via the TiVo is worse than the OTA signal tuned by the TV itself, and much worse than the video signal from a DVD player on the same HDMI TV input.

Obviously I could simply adjust the TV's picture settings again using the TiVo's signal (although I would lack the assistance of a good set of reference frames like DVE provides) but I am curious why the TiVo passes along such a poorly-adjusted picture as compared to the same signal tuned by the TV on its antenna input, or another device using the same HDMI cable and digital input.

Any thoughts or advice on getting a satisfactory picture?

[Tom White]

Without having any idea what your equipment might be, I'll take a couple of shots at this.

Does your DVD player have various settings for black level input and/or output? If so, maybe changing those would get you to a picture that compares to what you see with the TIVO. You could then use the setup DVD to make adjustments compatible with both sources.

There may be other settings on your DVD player that effect the picture that you might what to investigate.

Have you tried the component inputs? I find that sometimes you actually get a better picture using those than you do using the HDMI.

I know that may not have been a lot of help, but it is somewhere to start, anyway.

[jrm01]

Obviously I could simply adjust the TV's picture settings again using the TiVo's signal (although I would lack the assistance of a good set of reference frames like DVE provides) but I am curious why the TiVo passes along such a poorly-adjusted picture as compared to the same signal tuned by the TV on its antenna input, or another device using the same HDMI cable and digital input.

Any thoughts or advice on getting a satisfactory picture?

Callibration needs to be done separately for each video source (even if it different sources on the same input). Just because the tivo settings are different than the dvd doesn't mean they are poorer.

Adjustments made for the dvd on hdmi just may not be appropriate for the tivo on hdmi.

[TolloNodre]

Callibration needs to be done separately for each video source (even if it different sources on the same input). Just because the tivo settings are different than the dvd doesn't mean they are poorer.

Adjustments made for the dvd on hdmi just may not be appropriate for the tivo on hdmi.

+1
I don't understand why people have such a hard time with this.

It's like getting into a new car, not adjusting the seat at all and then blaming the car for not being 'comfortable'...

[cmontyburns]

+1
I don't understand why people have such a hard time with this.

It's like getting into a new car, not adjusting the seat at all and then blaming the car for not being 'comfortable'...

Plenty of cars are not comfortable even after adjusting the seat.

Anyway, I am not "having a hard time" with this. I completely understand that the picture needs to be tuned to whatever the signal source is. I was more (a) expressing surprise at how "untrue" the TiVo picture signal appears, at least as compared to the same input (antenna) tuned by another device (the TV) -- and heck, even the TiVo screens themselves look flat and washed out; and (b) asking for advice on how to true up the picture.

[cmontyburns]

Without having any idea what your equipment might be, I'll take a couple of shots at this.

Does your DVD player have various settings for black level input and/or output? If so, maybe changing those would get you to a picture that compares to what you see with the TIVO. You could then use the setup DVD to make adjustments compatible with both sources.

That's an interesting thought; thanks.

[wblynch]

I would suggest trying a higher quality HDMI cable first.

My TivoHD is very sensitive to video cable quality. I am running through component but there was a marked difference in PQ when I swapped cables between my DirecTV HD Tivo and the TivoHD.

Surprisingly, the picture quality on the old DTivo HD did not suffer from using the 'poorer' set of cables. So now, both units look equally pleasing.