HD Antenna

dcorrea
dcorrea Posts: 80
edited June 2004 in Electronics
I just purchased an RCA DLP set. I was originally going for the Samsung but I got the RCA w/ built in Decoder for almost 1500 less than the Samsung! I couldnt pass that up and the picture quality to me looks no different. In fact the RCA has a more vibrant picture IMHO. Anyway I also purchased a Terk indoor HD antenna to recieve over-the-air broadcasts.

After hooking it up and tuning to some local channels being broadcast in HD 1080i I was blown away at how good the picture looked. It was clean and crisp. My friend came over today and saw the picture and he was also impressed, but he said that the picture did not look like true High Def. I know the TV is 720p but he said that the picture should look way better than my DVD player which looks fantastic even though its not progressive scan. After looking at the two inputs I realized that the OTA broadcast does not look noticibly better than my dvd picture.

Does anyone know if I am doing something wrong or what? Can you recieve full resolution 720p or 1080i broadcasts over a coax line going into the decoder?
HK AVR 525
Polk RTi-100 Fronts
Polk RTi-38 Rears
Polk CSi-40 Center
Polk FXi-30 (have nowhere to put them just yet)
Post edited by dcorrea on
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  • TheGrayGhost
    TheGrayGhost Posts: 196
    edited June 2004
    ”Does anyone know if I am doing something wrong or what? Can you recieve full resolution 720p or 1080i broadcasts over a coax line going into the decoder?”

    You can if the 8VSB (DTV) signal being received is actually HD and not 480i upconverted to HD resolution.

    What network and show titles were you watching? Last night CBS was showing 13 Days in HDTV 1080i and it looked good (better than DVD).
    Best Regards, Cliff
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  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited June 2004
    Which set did you get?? I have the 61", and I'm sorry, but I think the picture is better than a Samsung. I checked them out side by side.

    I actually haven't tried the TV's tuner, I got sattelite soon after.

    sorry to hijack...
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  • dcorrea
    dcorrea Posts: 80
    edited June 2004
    Which set did you get??

    I got the 50 inch. I think the picture was about the same, although like I said the RCA is a brighter picture. And for 1500 less it makes the RCA pic even better.:D

    Anyway currently I am watching golf on nbc. Its channel 5-1 here in Dallas. The info screen says the incoming signal is 1080i but I have no idea if its true 1080 or just upconverted. I guess I need to wait to see a channel that actually says "presented in HDTV" to make the comparison.
    HK AVR 525
    Polk RTi-100 Fronts
    Polk RTi-38 Rears
    Polk CSi-40 Center
    Polk FXi-30 (have nowhere to put them just yet)
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  • TheGrayGhost
    TheGrayGhost Posts: 196
    edited June 2004
    Originally posted by dcorrea
    I got the 50 inch. I think the picture was about the same, although like I said the RCA is a brighter picture. And for 1500 less it makes the RCA pic even better.:D

    Anyway currently I am watching golf on nbc. Its channel 5-1 here in Dallas. The info screen says the incoming signal is 1080i but I have no idea if its true 1080 or just upconverted. I guess I need to wait to see a channel that actually says "presented in HDTV" to make the comparison.

    Golf is not in HDTV. The dead give away is the black bars on the sides of the 4:3 video image.

    Tonights lineup in HDTV are;

    NBC (1080i)

    9PM EDT, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
    10PM EDT, Crossing Jordan

    CBS (1080i)

    8PM EDT, Cold Case
    9PM EDT, The Cider House Rules (good movie)

    ABC (720p)

    8PM EDT, Bicentennial Man (also good movie)
    Best Regards, Cliff
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  • TheGrayGhost
    TheGrayGhost Posts: 196
    edited June 2004
    Were you able to check out any of the HDTV programs tonight?

    Bicentennial Man looked excellent on my highly calibrated Samsung DLP HDTV.

    I recorded Cider House Rules for later viewing.
    Best Regards, Cliff
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  • dcorrea
    dcorrea Posts: 80
    edited June 2004
    I watched bicentennial man last night and then CSI Miami tonght. All I can saw is WOW!!! What a phenomenal picture.
    Bicentennial Man looked excellent on my highly calibrated Samsung DLP HDTV

    Did you calibrate yourself using the AVIA disc or have a technician do it?
    HK AVR 525
    Polk RTi-100 Fronts
    Polk RTi-38 Rears
    Polk CSi-40 Center
    Polk FXi-30 (have nowhere to put them just yet)
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  • TheGrayGhost
    TheGrayGhost Posts: 196
    edited June 2004
    ” Did you calibrate yourself using the AVIA disc or have a technician do it?”

    I calibrated the TV myself, but not using AVIA.

    I’m a retired engineer and sometimes I do consulting work. I contracted with a shop in Los Angeles to write a calibration procedure for Samsung DLP rear projection TVs using a high definition signal generator and colorimeter (designed for DLP RPTV) connected to a laptop computer.

    My procedure was done in the internal service menu and included gray scale tracking, gamma correction, color decoders on all analog inputs and color wheel timing (color purity).

    Of course I had to return all the test and calibration equipment after the procedure was done.
    Best Regards, Cliff
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  • TechChallenged
    TechChallenged Posts: 106
    edited June 2004
    Originally posted by dcorrea
    In fact the RCA has a more vibrant picture IMHO.

    I am absolutely amazed at what that RCA does for the money.
    [/i] Anyway I also purchased a Terk indoor HD antenna to recieve over-the-air broadcasts. [/B]

    For the money Terk Sucks. You are going to have HD over the air for a long time get an antenna in the attic. The link below will help with your selection.
    http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

    [/i] After hooking it up and tuning to some local channels being broadcast in HD 1080i I was blown away at how good the picture looked. It was clean and crisp. My friend came over today and saw the picture and he was also impressed, but he said that the picture did not look like true High Def. [/B]

    1080i and 720p are both HD quality. Don't assume that 1080 is better simply because the number is bigger. I use 720p. There are plenty of articles that prove (mathematically) 720p is superior to 1080i for moving objects. I don't have links readily available, sorry.
    [/i] I know the TV is 720p but he said that the picture should look way better than my DVD player which looks fantastic even though its not progressive scan. After looking at the two inputs I realized that the OTA broadcast does not look noticibly better than my dvd picture.[/B]

    Inconceivable IMHO. Below is a good link for checking HD broadcast listings.
    http://www.titantv.com/TTV/MyTitanTv/Login/index.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fTTV%2fGrid%2fGrid.aspx
    [/i]Does anyone know if I am doing something wrong or what? Can you recieve full resolution 720p or 1080i broadcasts over a coax line going into the decoder? [/B]

    Yes You can. However if a program is not in HD you are receiving it in 480i digitally, which is equavalant to standard DVD mode.
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  • dcorrea
    dcorrea Posts: 80
    edited June 2004
    For the money Terk Sucks. You are going to have HD over the air for a long time get an antenna in the attic.

    Unfortunately I live in an apartment right now so I cant do that just yet..but soon I will.
    1080i and 720p are both HD quality. Don't assume that 1080 is better simply because the number is bigger. I use 720p. There are plenty of articles that prove (mathematically) 720p is superior to 1080i for moving objects. I don't have links readily available, sorry

    I stated my original statement wrong. I understand the complete differences between all the different HD resolutions. What I meant is that the broadcast said it was 1080i, which would be 720p for my set yet it did not look considerably better than my dvd video(which is not progressive scan.) Another give away that was that my RCA said the broadcast was 16:9 even though it was being shown as 4:3.

    What I now realize is that during the day, even though a broadcast says 1080i, it is only upconverted 480i video so it is not true HD. However once I saw a true HD broadcast I was simply blown away. The true HD broadcast automatically scales to 16:9 on the set.This RCA set is phenominal to say the least.
    HK AVR 525
    Polk RTi-100 Fronts
    Polk RTi-38 Rears
    Polk CSi-40 Center
    Polk FXi-30 (have nowhere to put them just yet)
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  • amulford
    amulford Posts: 5,020
    edited June 2004
    You can't beat it for the money!
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  • TechChallenged
    TechChallenged Posts: 106
    edited June 2004
    My Samsungs are OK, but I wish the RCA DLP was available 18 months earlier. Enjoy.
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  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited June 2004
    Originally posted by dcorrea
    What I now realize is that during the day, even though a broadcast says 1080i, it is only upconverted 480i video so it is not true HD. However once I saw a true HD broadcast I was simply blown away.

    Bingo! Enjoy the real HD.

    Regards,
    PolkThug
    Never Forget
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  • dcorrea
    dcorrea Posts: 80
    edited June 2004
    One last question.

    Does anyone know why the upconverted 480i signal gets very pixelated during fast moving scenes? It is a drawback of the television or the broadcast. It does not happen at all with DVD movies and I also havent noticed it with actual high definition.
    Has anyone else noticed this?
    HK AVR 525
    Polk RTi-100 Fronts
    Polk RTi-38 Rears
    Polk CSi-40 Center
    Polk FXi-30 (have nowhere to put them just yet)
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  • TheGrayGhost
    TheGrayGhost Posts: 196
    edited June 2004
    Originally posted by dcorrea
    One last question.

    Does anyone know why the upconverted 480i signal gets very pixelated during fast moving scenes? It is a drawback of the television or the broadcast. It does not happen at all with DVD movies and I also havent noticed it with actual high definition.
    Has anyone else noticed this?

    I did see this on my original HLM Samsung TV but after 6 months Samsung gave me a free digital processor board upgrade that made it equal to the HLN model and the pixelation was gone.
    Best Regards, Cliff
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  • dcorrea
    dcorrea Posts: 80
    edited June 2004
    I can update my software directly through the internet, but no upgrades have been released. Maybe this will be fixed with next update.
    HK AVR 525
    Polk RTi-100 Fronts
    Polk RTi-38 Rears
    Polk CSi-40 Center
    Polk FXi-30 (have nowhere to put them just yet)
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