Component vs HDMI from HD Cable Box

[jdoggg12]

I noticed after hooking up both HDMI and Component outputs on my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR that on non-digital channels the signal from HDMI is pretty crappy. The only channels that look good are the ones in HD, everything else is subpar.

Is anyone else experiencing the same/similar issues?

My provider is Cox if it matters.

 

[Muadib]

Are you saying that the standard channels look worst on HDMI than they do over component?

 

[jdoggg12]

Yes. So my HBO non-HD channels look better using component. There's little difference in the HD channels though

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I wonder if it's trying to do some crappy upconversion of the SD channels via HDMI whereas the same thing doesn't happen via component?

Have you tried playing with the video output settings of the cable box to see if that makes any difference?

 

[Captante]

I did notice that colors seemed slightly more saturated using component, however once I calibrated my TV that problem went completely away ... I've gone back & forth a couple times since calibration & at this point I honestly can't tell any difference at all between the two.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Captante
I did notice that colors seemed slightly more saturated using component, however once I calibrated my TV that problem went completely away ... I've gone back & forth a couple times since calibration & at this point I honestly can't tell any difference at all between the two.

When I compared my Toshiba HD-A3(HDMI) to a Panasonic DVR/DVD player the HDMI initially looked much better when displayed on a Samsung HP-S5053. However, once I went into the panasonic's settings and changed black level to "darker", the sets were very similar in appearance provided a DVD was playing in both.

 

[Rio Rebel]

This is not that surprising. It's not because the cables make such a difference, but because you're not comparing apples to apples out of your display. Displays can look very different from one input to the other. My projector looks very close out of the box through the DVI connection, but I had to really work with calibrating the component input to get it close.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
This is not that surprising. It's not because the cables make such a difference, but because you're not comparing apples to apples out of your display. Displays can look very different from one input to the other. My projector looks very close out of the box through the DVI connection, but I had to really work with calibrating the component input to get it close.

I agree with you. Odds are the OP didn't calibrate both inputs. TastesLikeChicken could also be right. The OP's box has 2 upconversion settings. Try the pass through setting and see what you think.

 

[jdoggg12]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
This is not that surprising. It's not because the cables make such a difference, but because you're not comparing apples to apples out of your display. Displays can look very different from one input to the other. My projector looks very close out of the box through the DVI connection, but I had to really work with calibrating the component input to get it close.

I agree with you. Odds are the OP didn't calibrate both inputs. TastesLikeChicken could also be right. The OP's box has 2 upconversion settings. Try the pass through setting and see what you think.

I'll try that - thx