Question:
Hello, Big Picture Big Sound,
I purchased a 50" Panasonic plasma TV with built in HD tuner in February and get the normal HD channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, MYQ2). I am hooked directly into the coax cable (no cable box) with Comcast. The high definition programming is amazing.
What I was wondering is when the switchover takes place will I be able to get channels that I get now that aren't in high definition (like the travel channel, food network, discovery channel, history channel) in High Definition without a box?
The reason I am concerned is because we tried the HD box with HDMI cable twice on this TV and the picture was terrible (white lines on the top and side of the screen, HD not nearly as clear as when it is hooked directly into cable, as a matter of fact it looked like 480i programs do on the tv now!).
Your reply is appreciated.
Regards,
-Teresa
Answer:
Hi, Teresa,
Actually it sounds like you have a bad cable box (or possibly a bad HDMI cable), or the cable box is set to 480i or 480p output instead of 1080i or 720p. Check the cable box'es system settings (in the cable box set-up menu) to verify that you have the TV set to 16:9 (widescreen) and the output resolution set to 720p, 1080i, or "native."
Broadcast (over the air) HDTV is generally of the highest quality because of lower compression than cable, but there is no good reason for the HD channels to look better on your Panasonic TV's built-in QAM tuner than they do on your cable box connected via HDMI, assuming you are using the same exact cable feed.
As for when channels like Food Network, Sci Fi network, History Channel, etc. will be available in HD, that's up to the channel itself and the cable provider. When the "switch" from analog to digital is made, you shouldn't lose any channels. The current analog cable channels should be broadcast in digital equivalents, though not all will necessarily be available in HD (it's possible to broadcast 4:3 SD material over digital cable).
But your cable provider is also able to determine which channels will be broadcast as unencrypted vs. encrypted (scrambled) format (within reason). Discovery is one channel that is already available in HD, but it's possible that your cable provider considers this a "premium" channel and encrypts the signal so you can only watch Discovery-HD via the cable box. It's likely that the only HD channels you'll ever get over cable (without a box or CableCard) are the standard broadcast networks.
For this reason, if there are channels you want to watch in HD, that you're not currently able to tune in directly on the TV, you should first try a replacement cable box and look closely at the cable box system settings. If you can't get an acceptable signal from a second box (or a second HDMI cable), then insist that the cable company send a technician to investigate the problem at your home.
Regards,
-Chris
