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In Reply to: Is Analog TV better on Analog set? posted by F Robert Simms on November 21, 2002 at 14:33:27:
...that most SD (standard definition, analog signals) look bad on new HD sets. GIGA is the rule: garbage in, garbage out. The HDTVs look gorgeous with hi def and very good with DVD...but cable is another story, for various reasons.Not all line doublers are created equal. Some sets, like the Pioneer Elites and the Philips direct views do an excellent job with SD. Alas, they seem to be the exception. Most HD capable sets are optimized for higher quality signals so they simply show up the flaws of SD more dramatically, especially on larger screens. The older sets were designed to look good with analog. Some people, who have HD set top boxes, get around the SD problem by having their set top boxes upconvert everything to 1080i. Some people use external scalers. The rest of us punt.
Also be aware that there is wide (and I mean WIDE) variation between cable/satellite channels. My Time-Warner "digital" cable ranges from very good (HBO, Encore) to incredibly crappy (Bravo, an analog signal just patched in thus double converted). Sat feeds are highly compressed and prone to digital artifacts on some channels. This is just TV life in the 21st century.
HD feeds look pretty wonderful on almost every HD TV, good, bad or indifferent. But trying to determine how a set loks with SD at the local elcectronics emporium is an exercise in frustration. Generally, ALL TVs look worse in the showroom than they'll look in your house. (Although, as you noted, the SD looks particularly bad.)
There are no perfect TVs. I bought a Philips 34" direct view because it looked better with SD and had more options for analog (PixelPlus) than the Sonys. I'm sorely tempted to keep a 28" or 32" analog direct view around just for some precious VHS tapes that haven't made it to DVD yet and the current cable programming.
No doubt about it, however - DVD looks WAY superior on the new Philips than my old set, and HD is awesome.
You can find vast amounts of lamentations and advice at avsforum.com and hometheaterforum.com. Good luck, don't get discouraged.
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Follow Ups
- Not confused. Now you know HD's dirty little secret... - Harmonia 10:46:13 11/22/02 (0)
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