Discussion
Ive bought a Panasonic plasma 37in. Hooked up to NTL for my tv, dvd player and vhs.
ive paid £35 to a subcontractor (not the retail outlet) to set it all up etc cause im crap at it!
However the picture isnt, in my opinion, sharp/good quality. The main prob. is 'liquid distortion' on peoples faces when close up & a 'grainy' effect on certain channels
NTL have recently put a new samsung silver box in (ive had untold probs with these muppets funnily enough).
When i put a DVD on its fine. Sharp and good colour.
HELP please?
n.b. the shop i bought it from are good quality merchandisers who offer 5 year guarentees FYI. So im sure its not the TV thats the prob.
ive paid £35 to a subcontractor (not the retail outlet) to set it all up etc cause im crap at it!
However the picture isnt, in my opinion, sharp/good quality. The main prob. is 'liquid distortion' on peoples faces when close up & a 'grainy' effect on certain channels
NTL have recently put a new samsung silver box in (ive had untold probs with these muppets funnily enough).
When i put a DVD on its fine. Sharp and good colour.
HELP please?
n.b. the shop i bought it from are good quality merchandisers who offer 5 year guarentees FYI. So im sure its not the TV thats the prob.
Don't worry, you're seeing the crap effects of limited bandwith/low bit rate transmissions which pretty much define most Freeview, digital cable & digital satellite broadcasts.
I'm currently running some obscure European satellite feed which is pumping out some type of continuously looped high def broadcast and the picture quality, whether connecting via Hdmi, DVI, or component progressive - even on LCD or plasmas where the high def 'compatibility shouldn't exist (such as any current Panasonics [but, therefore, don't worry!]) - is sommat of a revelation.
Just wait 18-24 months and as long as Sky doesn't restrict the feed to Hdmi(/DVI) connectivity (i.e. it proceeds with a corresponding component route also) you should be laughing.
DeR.
I'm currently running some obscure European satellite feed which is pumping out some type of continuously looped high def broadcast and the picture quality, whether connecting via Hdmi, DVI, or component progressive - even on LCD or plasmas where the high def 'compatibility shouldn't exist (such as any current Panasonics [but, therefore, don't worry!]) - is sommat of a revelation.
Just wait 18-24 months and as long as Sky doesn't restrict the feed to Hdmi(/DVI) connectivity (i.e. it proceeds with a corresponding component route also) you should be laughing.
DeR.
KITT said:
Could it be the digital compression used on your NTL box that's casuing the problems and hence why DVDs look fine? I know Sky's transmissions are heavily compressed and your can really notice it when watching cricket etc.
Water is displayed particularly badly too - try watching a boat race.
I would imagine KITT is right. The fact that the display is large will also emphasise the problem.
I would have a look at your cables (assuming you are using a scart) and consider upgrading that to somwthing like a QED Squart. You can at least then get the best from the bad signal.
Think yourself lucky - you've bought a good plasma.
All the poor sods who spend £995 for a 42" had better like the way it looks on the wall as they certainly wont want to be using it for actually watching stuff on.
Try these guys for a scart www.creative-audio.co.uk - a Squart is about £50.
Also give them a call - they will im sure have a few other suggestions for you to improve things.
All the poor sods who spend £995 for a 42" had better like the way it looks on the wall as they certainly wont want to be using it for actually watching stuff on.
Try these guys for a scart www.creative-audio.co.uk - a Squart is about £50.
Also give them a call - they will im sure have a few other suggestions for you to improve things.
On some channels on sky water looks damned awfull , and thats only on a 32" sony.
Plasmas arnt as good as a good tube, are a lot bigger, and tend to need top quality signal to look great.
Thesedays the signal(especialy transmited) goes through that many digital stages who knows where the quality is droped, mostly on sky its low bandwidth/fixed bandwidth channels are worst.
Plasmas arnt as good as a good tube, are a lot bigger, and tend to need top quality signal to look great.
Thesedays the signal(especialy transmited) goes through that many digital stages who knows where the quality is droped, mostly on sky its low bandwidth/fixed bandwidth channels are worst.
cinque said:
i hear ya.
ive been told 'gold-plated' scart mumbles are the way forward?
is this overkill, or will it assist?
im pretty miffed! you shell out your hard-earned & get a picture thats 'worse off' than my 10 year old CRT!
ill go shout at someone makes me feel better
I improved mine about 50% by using gold plated scart leads, these are available in B&Q for about £30 or so. I also upgraded to Sky + which made an even bigger improvement.
ive had 5 pace boxes in as many years with NTL! the broad-band is good (& nicely priced as well) the phone system is spot on as well, I just dont think they've ever got the whole digital tv thing right, from the outset.
You know what its like though? its so much hassle to change over/organise engineers/special ariel teams/SAS/SBS etc etc etc
You know what its like though? its so much hassle to change over/organise engineers/special ariel teams/SAS/SBS etc etc etc
I've just bought the same TV, initially had it connected to Sky+ via scart (a decent cable is worth investing in) and the picture quality was good but not astounding.
I've now got a RGB to VGA converter from JS Tecnologies (£120) and connected via VGA lead and the quality is fantastic. One thing you do notice, however, is the vast variation in broadcast qualities between the different channels.
I've now got a RGB to VGA converter from JS Tecnologies (£120) and connected via VGA lead and the quality is fantastic. One thing you do notice, however, is the vast variation in broadcast qualities between the different channels.
RGB to VGA convertor? I thought that VGA carried the same 1V p-p RGB signals as regular RGB?
As for poor picture quality, its most likely down to being too close to the television, high compression on the signal, poor quality cabling.
Keep your mains cables away from the signal cables. If they must cross, make sure they do so at a 90 degree angle. You don't need to spend £50 on a scart lead, just get a nice one at half the price. We're only talking PAL here.
As for poor picture quality, its most likely down to being too close to the television, high compression on the signal, poor quality cabling.
Keep your mains cables away from the signal cables. If they must cross, make sure they do so at a 90 degree angle. You don't need to spend £50 on a scart lead, just get a nice one at half the price. We're only talking PAL here.
parrot of doom said:
RGB to VGA convertor? I thought that VGA carried the same 1V p-p RGB signals as regular RGB?
It does but need horizontal and vertical sync signals which are not carried in the same way on regular RGB. The VGA input on the Panasonic Plasma probably only needs a horizontal sync (same with all but the cheapest LCD PC monitors) which can be extracted from the composite video signal with a special IC. I made my own lead but in terms of time and effort you are probably better off buying one.
Some other places for useful bits like scart cables:
www.scan.co.uk
www.dabs.com
The picture quality is not your fault, but NTL's as they use technology similar to that of the videos you download from the net(mpeg's) and JPEG pictures. 2008 will probably see the launch of HDTV in the UK with the BBC and Sky.
If you want cool HDTV stuff now check out the trailers on the Microsoft media player website and burn 'em to DVD. Or buy the Terminator 2 HDTV special edition!
www.scan.co.uk
www.dabs.com
The picture quality is not your fault, but NTL's as they use technology similar to that of the videos you download from the net(mpeg's) and JPEG pictures. 2008 will probably see the launch of HDTV in the UK with the BBC and Sky.
If you want cool HDTV stuff now check out the trailers on the Microsoft media player website and burn 'em to DVD. Or buy the Terminator 2 HDTV special edition!
First off, not really sure what the decoders work at but MPEG 2, as I understand it, allows both poor and good quality signals to have its label. Not just bandwidth issues but to do with I,B,P frames as well and when they are used. So reason the is a difference between DVD and off air etc?
Also, water is a sod for MPEG. Doesn't lend itself to the prediction algorithms too well due to its nature. So by the time a 270mbit or pal originating signal is been through the mill and ends up as a 4 or 2 or whatever at the decoder, it can be a bit noticable. Depends if the original is in 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 as well.
Also, water is a sod for MPEG. Doesn't lend itself to the prediction algorithms too well due to its nature. So by the time a 270mbit or pal originating signal is been through the mill and ends up as a 4 or 2 or whatever at the decoder, it can be a bit noticable. Depends if the original is in 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 as well.
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