noob question

[crazycat]

I'm new to this forum and HDTV. Recently burchased a 47 in Toshiba rptv to get into HD. Got a Dish 120 with Hd package. For my location they installed 2 dishes. So far I'm very disapointed with picture quality. The sd picture is variable but usually sucks...bad. It is so pixilated that I sometimes see blobs. Off the air with "snow" and static is easier to watch. ( I live on fringe of B-recption area).
HD is little better, but still far short of the images I saw on display at BB.
OK, Finally the Question . Where do I do to improve image ? Is it the installation, the TV, the connections (using both Rat Shack component and S-video) or Dish ?
btw I don't think ota hdtv is an option this far out
thanks
Robert

 

[ajohnson]

Your HD pictures should all look good, although they may not match what you see at bestbuy. Which receiver do you have? Did you set it for 1080i? For SD content some people have resorted to turning down the sharpness, among other things.

You said you didn't think OTA HD was an option. Did you check http://antennaweb.org? You're probably right, but it can't hurt to look.

 

[crazycat]

ajohnson,
Thanks for the reply, sorry it took so long to reply, crazy work schedule. Yes, I did set my TV to 1080i and I have played with sharpness/contrast/color etc... Still no real improvement. Any time I look at a solid color on SD I see a "blobs" of pixels. HD still not clear.
I finally got a chance to call customer support. They were very helpful and tried several things while on phone. Nothing worked. They are sending technician out Friday.

 

[kevlarian]

Better HD quality made easy!

Hey Guys...

I have a Samsung 56" DLP HDTV (1280x720 - fixed pixel display). AWESOME PICTURE!

Here is something that I have found out that might amaze you. Although my 911 has a setting to define the resolution of your TV (in my case 720p), I have found that the scaler (the system that up/down converts images to your tv's native resolution) is MUCH better on my TV. Setting the 911 to 1080i improved the picture 1000%.

The scaler in my TV is AWESOME and does a superior job over the scaler in the 911. So make sure your HDTV settings are tweaked to display best on your hardware!!!!

 

[Bobby]

So, are we talking a 811 or 921, 911 doesn't exist. Maybe I'm in the Twilight Zone......

 

[Harry]

If your pixelation is that bad, I would suspect the dishes are not aimed as they should be. Check your signal strength and make adjustments if needed. If the strength is good, call E*, you may have a defective receiver.

 

[mathius8]

hope this helps

i know this might sound crazy to a lot of you, but to get the best looking picture on sd television use rca, yes rca connections. for hd use component or dvi, you can hook them both up to your tv from the 811. i've had the same problem talked about here, and to me there's a great improvement in sd using the rca's. just try it, it dosent take much time to do.

 

[chevyN8]

By 'rca' do you mean the composite outputs on the 811? If so, I agree the composite output looks better than the 480i SD upconverted by the 811 to HD and displayed on an HD TV. Nothing crazy about that. The reason is the upconversion on the TV from SD 480i to HDTV(whatever quality your TV does) is much better than the upconversion from SD 480i the 811 does. Remember that compressed SD 480i is never going to look great. However, HDNET and OTA should look really good. Make sure the convergence is adjusted 1080i/720p on your TV.

 

[shaneotool]

I'm sorry to tell you that the SD channels are always going to look blocky and patchy with Dish Network. I have a 65" HD tv and the sd picture reminds me of watching a quicktime movie clip on the computer - except watching it full screen instead of in that little window. Macroblocking like crazy.

 

[DVHost]

I agree with the SD patchy, blocky images. It reminds me of a low quality DVD, but even still, compared to cable tv which I just left it is much, much better.

 

[Turboff]

It must be something on your side, crazycat, because my HD picture is superior to what I've seen at retailers. My SD also looks better than it did on cable.

 

[crazycat]

A service tech from E* came out to look at my picture. He was very professional and cleaned up a few installation problems, but concluded problem was my TV. There is some grainyness in both DVD and HD pictures. I've called BB and they are sending someone out to replace conversion boards. I hope they don't conclude the problem lies in the signal.
Will post update when available.