Question:
Dear Big Picture Big Sound,
My name is Dorian [Hello, Dorian!]. I live in the north east side of Baltimore city. We just bought a 42 inch Toshiba REGZA HDTV. We also just got DIRECTV. Now we only have regular DIRECTV cause we ordered it right before we got the HDTV. I know, I know. We are planning to upgrade, but they want almost $300 more to come and do the upgrade to HD. And we JUST got Direct TV like 3 days ago.
Anyway. The problem here is the picture looks like crap. And my wife is mad. Nothing I do has made any difference. Does 1080i only work when you have a HD Direct TV box? I have s-video cable hookup. That didn't help. I don't know how to tell anything what I want it to be as far as (480, 720,or 1080i).
Is the dish pointed in the wrong spot? My signal scan had some transponders coming in as low as, 19. some were 78 - 95.Some still were 47, 56, 64.all over the place.
We are buying a 1080i up-scale or, up-something "Home theatre system" and will get HD Direct tv upgrade. BUT, and thats a big "but". What can I do until then?
Please help.
Sincerly,
-Dorian
Answer:
Hello, Dorian,
Well they say you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, and the same holds true for trying to make standard definition TV (particularly a compressed satellite signal) look good on a high resolution HDTV. It just can't be done. It has nothing to do with which way your dish is pointed. If you're getting a signal then it's pointed in the right direction and it won't get better by moving your dish.
Oh there are tweaks you can do - calibrating your HDTV would help, and setting the picture mode on your Toshiba to "Cinema" or "Pro" mode instead of "Vivid," "Sports" or "Normal" as well as stepping down your "Sharpness" control a few notches will definitely help take that nasty edge off of standard definition material.
But you really *REALLY* have to upgrade your DIRECTV signal to high definition. DIRECTV is capable of displaying high quality HD material (720p and 1080i) but only with a high definition receiver or DVR. Your DirecTV box is not capable of resolution above 480i, no matter what cables you use. You are definitely within your trial period so if they tell you it will cost you $300 to upgrade to HD, then tell them you want to cancel your service because DISH Network will come out and hook you up with HDTV for free (which is absolutely true). Faced with this alternative, I suspect they will waive or reduce the upgrade fee in order to keep you as a customer. If they don't, then make good on your promise and cancel your service. There are always alternatives.
And an "up-something" home theater system isn't going to help you in this regard. I assume you're talking about an upconverting DVD player and home theater in a box package, right? These packaged systems rarely improve the video quality of standard DVDs and they definitely are not going to transform your standard definition satellite TV source into high definition. They may give you decent surround sound (certainly better than the TV speakers) but don't expect a big improvement in picture quality.
The only way to really make the most out of your HDTV is to give it a real HDTV source, and this comes from one of two places:
The easiest, quickest thing you can try, in order to get real HDTV on your new set is also the least expensive: a good old-fashioned UHF/VHF antenna. Baltimore currently has HD transmitters for all of the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, etc.). These transmitters broadcast digital signals over the UHF bands. A decent UHF antenna pointed toward the broadcast towers (preferably outside or close to an exterior wall) should be able to pick up most if not all of these stations for free, and the ATSC tuner inside your Toshiba HDTV will magically tune them in. You should not need a fancy or expensive powered antenna unless you're out in the fringes or are in a basement (in a basement, you'll probably have trouble getting the signal even with a powered antenna).
To find out exactly what you need, go to AntennaWeb.org, click on "Choose an Antenna" then provide your address and zip code and then click "submit" to view your local stations and antenna recommendations. Click on "Street Level Map" and you can even see exactly where to point the antenna for best results. My guess is that a medium directional antenna would be all you'd need to pick up your local HDTV transmissions. We got good results with the Terk HDTVi (under $30) in New York City.
Once you have the antenna, plug it into the coax antenna input on your TV, then get into your set's Set-Up Menu to add channels. If your set is like the 46-inch REGZA HDTV we just reviewed, then the menu you need is "Installation" then "Terrestrial" (select "ANTENNA" not "CABLE") then select "DONE." Now go back into "Installation... Terrestrial... Channel Program... Start" and the TV will search for all local broadcasts. If it finds any, you will know - the difference between HDTV and standard def TV is pretty drastic. The big tip-off is that shows will now fill the 16:9 screen without being stretched or distorted.
And here are some links to additional information you might find useful:
Hope that helps,
-Chris
