First LCD buy, DSTV issues.

[Optimal01]

Hey guys!
My old man finally went ahead and purchased for the family room a LCD tv, the Sinotech 42" FULL HD to be specific. I connected my Ps3 and Xbox 360 to it and ran it on full HD and was extremely impressed by it, i personally own a Samsung 40" tv *which i use as a pc screen/gaming mostly* and the difference was marginal although contrast ratio is better on the sammy.

Only query is that my dad still has quite an old DSTV decoder connected via newly purchased component cables and iv read about how rubbish the signal is but gosh... on the Sinotec it looks absolutely horrid!
I realise you pay for quality but would this be remedied if he were to purchase the HD PVR decoder. Yes, i know it will stuff in HD on channel 170 but does the decoder upscale/improve old SD channels?

Iv been reading around and saw a box that supposedly upscale SD channel to i think 720 via hardware upscaling etc.Iv read on the AVforums thats its not worth it since it doesnt improve as much.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[ipodmusicman]

What is the picture quality like if you hook up your 40" Sammy to DSTV?

Some people say that SD looks horrid on LCD hence why I am settling for plasma when I buy my TV in a few months time.

I don't know much about hardware scalers, but I'd imagine that they'll help a bit, but only if you're prepared to pay a truck load for one.

 

[Smurfatefrog]

The SD channels on a HDPVR wont look much better, if he is going to use it to mainly watch DSTV then I would suggest he takes it back & gets the HD Ready Plasma, SD displays much better on plasma. I have the 42" plasma & am very happy with it, HD is awesome on it & SD is good

 

[Optimal01]

I dont have DSTV since i think its such a massive waste of cash.
As was mention i think it also has to do with a quality product, im sure the Sony/LG tv etc with their more advance engines must upscale the SD channels immensely better. I also think the issues is with the distance, the TV at the moment has yet to be mounted on the wall which will easily add an extra meter to the viewing distance.

 

[arf9999]

The SD channels on a HDPVR wont look much better,

This is completely untrue. The HDPVR produces a MUCH cleaner picture for SD Channels via HDMI. I have both the SD PVR and the HDPVR and the SD channels look acceptable on my Sony LCD from the HDPVR, but awful via the SD PVR.

 

[Optimal01]

You rate HD PVR is worth the investment then? Surely there must be other 3rd party hardware that can upscale these channels to a more acceptable quality. I hear SCART to component could help?

 

[arf9999]

The HDPVR has an advantage in that it scales the native DVB signal. There is no D-A conversion involved. Any third party scaler (like the one in the TV) will mean additional D-A conversion.

 

[Optimal01]

Its such a pity really because i think the Sinotec is immensely great value for money for gaming but definitely not worth it for general TV viewing purposes but poor quality SD signal is too blame for that aswell. Im sure the extra meter added to the viewing distance will help when it is mounted

 

[Keeper]

why didn't you check what the Standard Quality TV looks like in the Shops?

 

[Optimal01]

I did but they were running it through PVR HD via HDMI. The decoder on that thing is like 4k. Now your thinking... ya but if you took the extra 4k towards a well known brand my dad wouldnt have this problem with SD channels. According so some articles a R2000 decoder is coming early next year so i guess he can wait.

 

[Keeper]

take the samsung you use for PC/gaming and use that for TV, and then take the Sinotec and use that for Gaming on the PC instead. check if it's any better?

I have a 42" Sino as well and I have no complaints using it for a PC screen @ 1920x1080

PS: You should of gone plasma for TV use - you don't need FullHD in South Africa really

 

[Optimal01]

Make note... i do not live with my folks guys
Just went shopping with my dad for the LCD and value for cash he got the sinotech.
I told him to get a sammy but the 5yr warranty sold him on the sino. Like i said it makes for a great pc/gaming panel no doubt but im amazed by how poor and pixelated the SD signal is.

My dad says he has the DSD 910 decoder... that thing is pretty ancient it seems. Im sure upgrading the decoder aswell will help with SD viewing. Like many of you guys im a quality whore but my dad is not really tech savy and as long as he has a big screen he is happy. I for one would like to improve that SD quality though... or il go nuts everytime im over there

 

[Keeper]

Well this is a problem most people in south africa have unfortunately...,

It doesn't really matter if you even have a 1080p samsung OLED TV - our TV Signals Suck, and so will the picture..

not much one can do really except for shell out for an upscaler - my boss says the quality improvement is way better, but i'm not so sure hey....

you can't really make small images bigger without quality loss/blurring/etc - not even photoshop can do that really, nevermind at 25 fps....

 

[Optimal01]

Do you know what upscaler you boss uses?
I would rather fork out for an upscaler than waste cash on HD PVR decoder + install of new satelite with 4 outputs

 

[DVD007]

Do you know what upscaler you boss uses?
I would rather fork out for an upscaler than waste cash on HD PVR decoder + install of new satelite with 4 outputs

I have a HD PVR and the SD channels look much better on a big screen with HDMI, than the normal SD signal sent via AV.

But I should metion the fact that i'm using an ACER Projector showing a screen size of 200cm by 125cm. But compared to the image quality that I got with my 1110 decoder it is much better with the HD PVR.

 

[Smurfatefrog]

This is completely untrue. The HDPVR produces a MUCH cleaner picture for SD Channels via HDMI. I have both the SD PVR and the HDPVR and the SD channels look acceptable on my Sony LCD from the HDPVR, but awful via the SD PVR.

I cant say I noticed much difference between SD content from my 990, 1110 & HDPVR, maybe the SDPVR is just cr@ppy

 

[Optimal01]

Im thinking of getting him the new PVR decoder with SCART. I think a SCART to composite cable should do a better job aswell

 

[Optimal01]

sup guys.
At my dad's place this eve and discovered something intersting. The DSD 900 being as old as it is has composite out only. I decided to connect the yellow plug from the composite cable to one of the component video inputs, switch the tv source to component and the tv picked up the video and said 576i.
The video was in black and white with a few long rectangular lines of boxes, which made the screen look like a checkered flag. However watch MM1 i could already tell the picture being displayed looked ALOT sharper and clear.

My question is which decoder has propper component support or even S-video support?

 

[Trix]

The inherited dsd720i decoder I have has svideo. Picture only comes through in black and white when I connected it up to the in-laws plasma. I think that I had to change something in the output settings. Couldn't get to it cos I inherited a damaged remote and haven't found it worthwhile to buy a new remote yet. Now that the plasma is gone I'm biding my time and saving up the best I get now is with composite to my CRT cos the old CRT only has RF and composite.