"JimH" wrote in message
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"Sam" wrote in message
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"JimH" wrote in message
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"HK" wrote in message
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JimH wrote:
"Sam" wrote in message
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"JimH" wrote in message
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"Jim" wrote in message
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I don't believe you can pass HD over S-video cables. You need
composite video or HDMI cables. And even if the program you are
watching Says it's broadcast in HD, Time Warner might not be
sending you HD. To be sure you are getting "all HDTV can be" watch
the OTA broadcast for free.
Someone else said the same thing but I can see a difference between
nonHD and HD channels.
If you're watching over S-Video you can not be watching in HD.


I understand that but the picture is still damn good and better than
with the composite cables. I will keep playing around to see if I
can get the HDMI to work.


No expert on this here, but my memory of hooking up an HD TV was that
there were five cables going from the cable box to the TV, and the HDMI
cable went from the DVD player to the TV.

Those are component cables. 3 for video and 2 for audio. I tried that
setup but the picture quality was not the best.


If you're getting a better picture from S-Video than from component
something is seriously wrong. Component is usually indistinguishable from
HDMI, sometimes it's even better, while S-Video can only pass a 480i
signal.

Make sure you're actually using component cables, and not standard
"composite" or audio type RCA cables. All component cables will have red,
green, and blue colored connectors.


You are right on all counts. Turns out the darn HDMI cable was defective
and the new picture is very impressive.

Having not viewed HDTV in the house prior to purchasing this new set what
I thought was HD while connected to the S-Video was obviously
not...........even though the picture was a big improvement from what we
had been getting.

This has been a learning process for me.........a process which will
continue as my next step is to calibrate the set using the Digital Video
Essentials program.

Again, thanks to all for helping me out. I guess the process would not
have been as painful as it was if the darn HDMI cable I initially
purchased was not defective. ;-)

No problem, we're all learning all the time....

Also, when you are ready to calibrate with DVE, make sure you watch the
whole DVD prior to making any adjustments (you can skip the audio sections
if you are not setting up a home theater/surround sound system). You will
also most likely be unimpressed with the calibration once you are complete
but resist the temptation to revert back to any of the standard settings.
Many people get used to the much brighter (and bluer) picture of the "out of
the box" settings and think the calibrated settings are too dark. Give it a
week of viewing before you compare the calibrated vs standard settings then
you will see just how bad the standard settings really are.