Why does my HDTV look bad w/ regular channels?

[Archebaldo]

I just got a Sony HDTV (36KBR450) and it looks great w/ my progressive scan dvd player. I haven't got the HDTV receiver yet but I have digital cable and it looks horrible. Digital cable looked much better with my 36" Sony WEGA (non HDTV). Does anyone know why this is? Is this normal with all HDTVs? :brokenheart:

 

[spidey07]

You're seeing much more of the source. SD television is really pretty crappy and now you have a nice monitor to view it on.

Also you used to perceive the scanlines as a "sharper" picture when in reality your new HDTV is much higer resolution and detail.

play around with DRC, turn svm to low, use pro mode and avoid standard/vivid.

 

[Archebaldo]

Thanks I'll give it a try. Do you know if its like that on pretty much all hdtvs?

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Archebaldo
Thanks I'll give it a try. Do you know if its like that on pretty much all hdtvs?

Yes pretty much.

It is like playing a 320x240 res file on your computer with a smaller monitor. It looks alright but when you step up to a bigger monitor the lack of resolution in the source shows even more. More pravalent if your new monitor or in your case tv has better resolution which is it capable of.

Koing

 

[NogginBoink]

It sounds like you've now got a TV that shows just how awful the picture from the cable company really is.

Pathetic, isn't it?

 

[AU Tiger]

I know little about this, but I believe that non HDTV signals have be doubled up to fill the extra lines in the HDTV display. This doubling of lines sometimes makes the edges of text and other graphics not look as sharp as it did on my old tv.

 

[Amused]

Yep, crap in, crap out.