HD tv

[gavroche]

can anyone really tell the difference between a HD picture and a normal one?
I recently bought a freeview HD top box but cant really tell the difference, and yes I know, you have to swicth to channel 50/51 etc to get HD.
My wife feels the same, she cant tell the difference either.
So, is HD a bit con to get you to buy yet another topbox?

 

[Trembler49]

can anyone really tell the difference between a HD picture and a normal one?
I recently bought a freeview HD top box but cant really tell the difference, and yes I know, you have to swicth to channel 50/51 etc to get HD.
My wife feels the same, she cant tell the difference either.
So, is HD a bit con to get you to buy yet another topbox?

No, I think HD is brilliant, but it depends on the original footage. For example the TDF on ITV4 is much better in HD, but Eurosport is only a bit better.

 

[marinyork]

can anyone really tell the difference between a HD picture and a normal one?
I recently bought a freeview HD top box but cant really tell the difference, and yes I know, you have to swicth to channel 50/51 etc to get HD.
My wife feels the same, she cant tell the difference either.
So, is HD a bit con to get you to buy yet another topbox?

'Standard def' is a very varied set of video. Sometimes the source material is poor, sometimes the bitrate isn't good enough, some tv channels there isn't even 'full' SD resolution and yet it's still called SD . If we lived in a perfect world where every channel was like BBC1 in terms of bitrate and source material, SD would be a damn sight better than it is now and it wouldn't be such an issue. We live very far away from that world indeed.

Personally I think there is a vast difference and that most people should be able to see this on a 32-37" screen depending on a few factors (some may see it on smaller screens). Night and day (or whatever cliche you feel appropriate).

Eurosport is a great example. It wasn't so long ago it was 4:3 and was one of the weaker channels in terms of picture quality. HD transformed this. The joy of HD that some of the crappest channels we suffered for years become fairly pleasant pictures in HD - ITV1, Living, Eurosport etc.

 

[gavroche]

if HD is so good, is there any setting I need to change on my TV set then?
I know absolutely nothing about electronics so please explain clearly.

 

[User482]

You need to make sure that your TV is set to something like 720p/ 1080i/ 1080p

 

[marinyork]

if HD is so good, is there any setting I need to change on my TV set then?
I know absolutely nothing about electronics so please explain clearly.

Some people do genuinely claim not to see it. However it is possible something isn't set up correctly, a fairly large minority of complaints on cable was from people with HD boxes watching it in SD in the olden days as the settings were a bit mysterious. Anyway I digress.

Which tv do you have? If you're using freeview HD I would be checking that it's in 720p/1080i/1080p.

On a generic tv this usually involves pressing 'information' or having a play in the menu/display settings. If you tell you what tv you have should be able to go into a bit more detail.

 

[gavroche]

I have a Hitachi plasma P42H01U 44inch screen.

 

[marinyork]

I have a Hitachi plasma P42H01U 44inch screen.

On the second row of buttons on your remote there is an input button, a square with an arrow in it pointing into a box.

Pressing this should say source selection and
0. Tv
1. Av1
2. Av2
3. AV3
4. AV4
5. Component
6. HDMI1
7.HDMI2.

Select either 6 or 7 by pressing this number and then enter and see what it does.

 

[gavroche]

I have selected 6 (HDMI1) when I set up the box, including 16.9 picture format as it says in the book. Maybe I should change to 1080i instead of 720?

 

[2PedalsTez]

As said broadcast quality can vary significantly (although it doesn't stop me being obsessed in using the HD channel over SD!)

The best example of broadcast HD comes from BBC productions like Blue Planet (or the most recent one that I can't remember for the life of me).

Your best HD picture will come from a modern Blu-Ray movie. (Star Trek, Alice in Wonderland to name but a few)

Plasma TVs tend to have a more subdued picture compared to LCD/LED, so making sure it is optimized would be worth checking too.

 

[betty swollocks]

IMO HD is very much better than standard definition, but it does rather depend on quality of the the source material.
First things first: are you receiving Freeview HD? Are you sure: have you checked?

 

[Rezillo]

According to the manual:

"This set is classed as “HD-Ready”. This means that it is capable of displaying HD (High Definition) signals when connected to a suitable HD source, such as an HD receiver or DVD player that has HD capability, via HDMI, DVI, or Component Video connections".

So presumably you are watching HD channels from another box [edit - just read back and you are!] If that is the case, make sure the box is connected by hdmi only - if the scart is connected as well, remove it, as this may take priority and will not give you an HD picture.

If the above is not the case, you need to look at the setup menus for the box - it should be set up to output hdmi either as 'auto' or 1080i (the TV will not do 1080p).

John

 

[gavroche]

Just checked the box and it is set on 576p resolution. Not very high is it?

 

[derrick]

I don't think anyone actually broadcast in full hd, put a bluray disk through it and you will see the differance,

 

[2PedalsTez]

According to the manual:

"This set is classed as “HD-Ready”

There is a good chance the TV is 720P and not 1080P (which is usually referred to as "Full HD"

There is an opinion that it is hard to notice a significant difference on screens below 50" anyway.