HD picture quality -- Help PLEASE!!

[dache]

I have two LCD HD tvs (one a Samsung 42", the other an LG 37") and two receivers (612 in the bedroom and 622 in the living room).

Lately my HD picture quality is just absolutely horrible. It's very pixelated on fast moving pictures, and very grainy on everything else. It's almost like having SD in 16x9. I've tried everything, including calling Dish out to check the satellite. Both TV's are showing the exact same issue. The 612 is hooked up via a Monster HDMI to the LG and the 622 is hooked up via component to the Samsung.

My signals are green for 110/119/129 and are all above 40. I have a dish 1000, but it shows up as a 500. The cables on the dish are ONLY hooked up to 1 and 2. There is nothing on the LNB in or #3. Both receivers are setup for 720p output.

I've attached some pictures to show what I mean.

Full Disclosure: I'm in a 1950's house with 2 wire electrical outlets. Nothing is really grounded but everything is hooked up via a power strip. When I was working on the living room tv, there was slight voltage coming through the component cables (enough to make your fingers tingle). I have not been able to feel that in the bedroom (where it has the same quality issues).

The attached pictures are coming from both TV's. I'm using the Equator channel as test bed, but all HD channels look this way. I'm also only signed up for HD channels.

Please help!

 

[dache]

50 views but no replies? No one else has heard/seen this issue? Or am I just being overly picky about the HD signal?

 

[navychop]

Pics are bad. Any reason they appear to be 4x3?

I doubt the surge suppressor can do much without a ground.

 

[Poke]

Well 1st you might go into your receiver menu and got to HDTV Setup and make sure both are set to 1080. Next check your video settings on both TV's as well and you might make sure your cable is not going through a surge bar. I have seen where those caused some issues with some folks.. Make sure your TV settings are set to 16x19 as well.

 

[dache]

I've tried both 1080i on both receivers and both TVs with no luck.

I've even tried running an extension cable to my neighbor's house (for TV and Receiver) and having the HDMI run from the receiver directly to the TV. Same issue. The satellite line is not running through a power strip.

Pictures above are from my digital camera -- hence the 4x3. Oddly enough, the pictures make it look BETTER than real life.

Dish Tech support guys were complete morons. "I don't have HD at my house. This looks great" FU!

 

[Dirtydan]

Was that extension cable a 3 prong having a ground?

 

[wetz73]

You're gambling by hooking sensitive electronic equipment into a 2-wire electrical system. I'm assuming your receiver is not set to zoom mode, so most likely you are getting voltage fluctuations. I'd get a voltage regulator on those TV's yesterday!

 

[8bitbytes]

You are going to have to get at least one 20 amp breaker installed with 3 wire service and tested to be sure it is grounded and maintians proper voltage levels. I shudder to think of all the stuff you have plugged in to that 2 wire system. Voltage over the component enough to make your finger tingle????

Unplug everything quick!!!

 

[dache]

I currently have a 20 amp running those outlets (and an additional one in the bedroom).

I have grounding "grey" adapters on all of the plugs.

Will voltage regulators work on two wire systems? I have an electrician coming out tomorrow to check out everything just in case.

 

[8bitbytes]

The Grey adapters are merely allowing you to plug three prong plugs into 2 prong outlets. They are grounding nothing. Using the typical surge arrester on that kind of configuration is worse than useless because spikes are usually dumped into the ground but you don't have a ground and it is probably winding up on the neutral wire. That in turn is dumping excess voltage into all your equipment and appliances causing who knows how much damage to the power supplies in them.

Your component cable and your tv pictures are showing you the trauma your equipment is being subjected to.

You might be able to get by on a 2 wire system if it is setup correctly but if you have crosswiring and shorts in the lines, there's no telling when something will catch fire.

Let us know what the electrician says and be sure to have him look at the whole thing.

 

[dache]

ok he comes tomorrow.

In the meantime, I went ahead and purchased this;

Monster Power - Home Theater PowerCenter Surge Protector - MP HTS 100

^^^ This is linked incorrectly it's actually the HTS 1000

it didn't clear up the image at all. Additionally, when the grey adapters are properly installed (actually screwed in) and this new surge protector is installed, the ground light shows that I am ground protected.

I bought the same thing for bedroom and it's not any clearer.

I'm back to thinking this is a Dish issue...

 

[navychop]

I have an electrician coming out tomorrow to check out everything just in case.

Sounds like a Real Good Idea.

I recommend returning the Monster if you can. Generally Monster is good equipment, but way overpriced.

And regarding the grey adapter: It depends upon how the house was wired, and how the adapter is used. Many two wire systems were built with their metal boxes wired to each other and a ground. If the grey adapter has the ring tab, and you have screwed it into the center screw that holds the faceplate on, and the system did in fact have a grounding wire to the box, then you will have some sort of ground. Better than nothing.

It should not cost too much to run a couple of circuits off a branch box with proper 3 wire (OK- 2 plus ground).

 

[Van]

I bet your electrical is dirty like no ones business. Two wire homes were one of the biggest problems I ran into with pixeling and other problems, if a homes wiring isnt wired up right ( IE someone hasnt done an addition and ran a new outlette ) then you'll end up with alot of issues. If your going through alot of bulbs this is a good indicator of wiring issues, as others have said have your wiring checked out by an electrician, the nice thing about dish receivers is that they are more sensitive to electrical issues than other appliances.

 

[Van]

I'll second the comment on monster, decent product but overpriced like Jordach jeans. If your going to get a good surge then go with Panamax surge units, they come with a life coverage police as in your life time that covers $100,000 and they run less than $100 for a unit.

 

[wetz73]

Monster Power - Home Theater PowerCenter Surge Protector - MP HTS 100

^^^ This is linked incorrectly it's actually the HTS 1000

it didn't clear up the image at all. Additionally, when the grey adapters are properly installed (actually screwed in) and this new surge protector is installed, the ground light shows that I am ground protected.

I bought the same thing for bedroom and it's not any clearer.

I'm back to thinking this is a Dish issue...

More likely your TV's have sustained irreperable damage. Fluctuations in voltage throw up goofy magnetic fields and you've probably fried pixels with these fields. I don't quite know how this is a E* issue, especially with your original post stating your signal is good. Unless the wiring from your dish to your receivers are each equally bad (pretty unlikely), most likely your TVs' electronics are in bad shape.

 

[8bitbytes]

As I said earlier, you definitely have something wrong because you should not get a tingling feeling from your component cabling. This means highly damaging excess voltage is getting into your equipment. A surge protector only works correctly when properly grounded otherwise it will ENHANCE the problem if not catch fire itself. MOS based surge protectors do that regularly after they have absorbed all the excess they can handle.

This is not a E* problem.

I would not run anything of value on those lines until you have it checked out, and a properly grounded line installed.

 

[8bitbytes]

The ground light does not mean your are ground protected, it means that it is attached to something offering ground potential. It does not tell you if it is THE GROUND or if it can handle a voltage dump on that potential.

As well, your neutral wire could be compromised.

 

[nmfiredawg]

Wow don't know, but maybe it has something to do with your electrical. Maybe the LNB is getting to much power, or not enough. If both tv's and receivers have the same problem I would put it back to wiring, or dish.

 

[lakebum431]

Wow $200 for a surge protector, what a waste of money...

 

[KenSoren]

Wow $200 for a surge protector, what a waste of money...

Agreed - if you have a COSTO in your area they have a nice TripLite UPS unit for $100 and this will give you much more protection than a surge protector. But you will still need to convert at lease one of your outlets to a properly grounded outlet for the UPS. If you are handy go to the library and check out an electical repair book - I have a Time Life set of fix it books that have worked for me. Maybe even a GOOGLE query will show you how to do it.

If you are not handy phone a service man and be prepared to pay, but you do need to get this fixed ASAP.