Fuzzy SD Signal on HDTV?

Rick Meyer

Rick Meyer

Veteran
Hello all-

I've been charged with picking up a new 42"+ TV for my mother. It could be anything between an EDTV or HDTV. Thing is, I have noticed that an SD signal on an HDTV always seems to look TERRIBLE. This would drive her crazy I know.

However, she wouldn't mind bragging rights of having a big HDTV. I have also read that because of pixel shape, EDTV delivers a MUCH better image quality than HDTV with respect to a Standard Def broadcast. Hence the dilemma.

Can anyone testify to a good HDTV brand that does a great job with an SD image? Right now, I am leaning towards getting her an EDTV (since her cable company only has a handful of sports channels that are in HD...worthless to her) so her QVC and or whatever else she has on all the time will look good. But, I hate to invest the $ in something that might be obsolete as soon as 2009.

Any brand suggestions or experiences to share?

Thanx!
Rick
 
EDTV is already obsolete, i have a hard time finding them now adays. Id say snag a 900-1000 dollar HD plasma, they are around 1024 x 1024 or 1024 x 768, so the lower res wont destry SD signals as bad, but still look good for HDTV. Of course it accepts all signals.
 
Cynic821 said:
EDTV is already obsolete, i have a hard time finding them now adays. Id say snag a 900-1000 dollar HD plasma, they are around 1024 x 1024 or 1024 x 768, so the lower res wont destry SD signals as bad, but still look good for HDTV. Of course it accepts all signals.
Click to expand...

Would this work for 42"+ ?
 
Is the cable box connected through RGB at the very least? If not, it'll definitely look bad.
 
Oh sorry Zach, i thought i mentioned the size. ya, those 900 to 1000 dollar Plasmas are being phased out, and are all 42" in size. from magnavox ive seen a 1000 dollar one my mom got, and it works out for her perfectly, she watches alot of SD during the day and HD at night, movies and what not on HBO HD etc. The nightly dramas look good in HD as well.
 
Cynic821 said:
Heres an example:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=05775245000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link and the input. Thing is, I see decently priced HDTVs all the time as in

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11200281&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4001381&Mo=10&pos=0&No=10&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=3314&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=


But, they are always 1080i. I am okay with this. The 1080p TVs are MUCH pricier. The thing I am having a hard time digesting is the fuzzy SD picture. For my mother, its all she watches. She never rents movies and is a home shopping network junkie.
 
well when you say 1080i you mean supports 1080i, unless you are buying a CRT based HDTV, its not natively 1080i.

If you are going projection, stay away from CRT projection, burn in can be a problem, and if attractiveness of the TV is important, then CRT Projection is not even close to an option.
 
Hey, thanks for getting back to me Cynic. I have been doing a LOT of reading and a LOT of researching...

Its very difficult because there is a lot of garbage on the Internet these days regarding these different types of technologies.

Everyone seems to contradict everyone. I should have probably titled this thread "WHERE IS BARRY GREEN WHEN YOU NEED HIM?" and just waited for the wisdom to flow. No offense, Cynic. You understand I'm sure.

Last question...I've read in a few articles that due to the shape of the pixels, EDTV (which IS being phased out) offers the best SD picture from all three levels of television; SD, EDTV, and HDTV.

My question is, if an HDTV has a 480p compatibility, is that in essence saying that there is an EDTV built right into the HDTV? In other words, can you set the HDTV to run 480p to get the best possible SD picture? Or, are you just stuck with the analog signal on an HD tv and blurry edges be damned?!

Rick
 
rlm7189 said:
My question is, if an HDTV has a 480p compatibility, is that in essence saying that there is an EDTV built right into the HDTV?
Click to expand...

Kinda sorta...

A TV is stuck with a certain resolution image, no matter what. SDTV will always display in SD. An EDTV will always display in 480p (usually). An HDTV will uprez to whatever resolution it supports...whether that be 720p, 960i, 1080i, or 1080p...or some flavor in between. What makes the difference is how well that set digitally upconverts to the SD signal to one of those HD resolutions.

You can ask 100 people and get a 100 different answers about what set does the best upconverts. But there are so many factors: signal coming to your house, cabling, set-top boxes, etc.

All of this is the reason why I've stuck with a 34" widescreen CRT HDTV. SD upconverts rather well...still doesn't look as good as it does on an SDTV, though. I've also got a 1080i LCD...SD looks like crap on it. Even the HD doesn't look as good as it does on the CRT.

So, what I recommend to most people is to take a hard look at HD CRTs. They're cheap, and they're still the best thing out there for people who want HD and SD to both look good. Only problem with them is that they're big and heavy...mine weighs 250 lbs, so go help Mom when it gets delivered.

But, if you absolutely need a 42"+ set, your best option will be a 720p LCD (as plasmas are bad with burn-in, and QVC will be hell on a plasma). Do yourself a favor and stay away from the crazy offbrand sets.
 
Last edited:
"Last question...I've read in a few articles that due to the shape of the pixels, EDTV (which IS being phased out) offers the best SD picture from all three levels of television; SD, EDTV, and HDTV."

EDTV is an SD resolution, just in a natively progressive format.

i dont really take offense, just dont understand why you need barry to confirm something for you.
 
Cynic821 said:
i dont really take offense, just dont understand why you need barry to confirm something for you.
Click to expand...
I don't. I was just making a joke because he seems to know everything about anything. So, it was a joke for those of us who respect is madd technical prowess!

But I truly appreciate your input.
 
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