sneskid
join:2008-01-10
Arlington, VA
edit:
May 7th, @10:10PM
| Finally upgraded to HD, but the SD channels look like crap!
So I finally upgraded to HD, with a "new" Sony 32" CRT HD-ready set with HDMI input (since I still prefer CRT to LCD or even Plasma, this of course meant I had to go used, which is fine) and then on Monday, made the call to Verizon and got them to send me the QIP6200-2, to replace my SD only QIP2500-3 set top box. I just got the new STB today, and I must say the HD channels indeed look very nice! They'll look even better once I take the time to go into the TV's service menu and do some tweaking, but anyway...
As mentioned in the other posts, I definitely notice that the SD channels are indeed very blurry with the QIP6200-2, regardless of what output is used. Just for kicks, I did an A/B comparison between the two boxes on the same TV, and the SD channels look MUCH better on the QIP2500-3! Simply pathetic that Verizon wouldn't check these things before updating the firmware on their STBs (and then still charging more $$$ for their HD boxes)!
So I called FSC about this, and the CSR said that the next software update is indeed supposed to address this problem and that we should get it by the end of this month here in Northern VA. Has anyone else heard the same thing? |
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keyboards
join:2001-02-14
Doylestown, PA
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Comcast
| said by sneskid  :So I called FSC about this, and the CSR said that the next software update is indeed supposed to address this problem and that we should get it by the end of this month here in Northern VA. Has anyone else heard the same thing? The last information I had on this issue was that it would be mid-July before an update to correct the SD issue as well as the HDMI green line issue.
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REMEMBER: Stupidity should be painful !! |
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VirtualSlew
join:2008-01-18
Ambler, PA
edit:
May 7th, @10:55PM
| reply to sneskid
This is why I will be one of the last people in the USA to go HD. I'm not going to go out and buy a new TV when the technology is still immature. Nearly 1/2 the posts in this forum are from people with complaints about HD. I'm happy to enjoy SD and wait until they get the HD right. |
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darcilicious
Cyber Librarian
Premium
join:2001-01-02
Forest Grove, OR
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| said by VirtualSlew :This is why I will be one of the last people in the USA to go HD. I'm not going to go out and buy a new TV when the technology is still immature. Nearly 1/2 the posts in this forum are from people with complaints about HD. I'm happy to enjoy SD and wait until they get the HD right. I think you misunderstood what the OP was posting about. The issue is how SD channels look via the HD STBs, not how HD looks.
HD via the QIP6200 is incredible -- sometimes I tune in HDnet just to watch the pretty picture  |
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hofs1
join:2007-10-12
Little Falls, NJ | reply to sneskid
U might want to try component cables with the crt. since the crt is analog and going from hdmi to hdmi then the tv converts it to analog rgb you "may" get a better all around picture.
at worst u see no improvement but it cant hurt |
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proletarian
join:2007-01-08
00000
| reply to keyboards
said by keyboards :said by sneskid :So I called FSC about this, and the CSR said that the next software update is indeed supposed to address this problem and that we should get it by the end of this month here in Northern VA. Has anyone else heard the same thing? The last information I had on this issue was that it would be mid-July before an update to correct the SD issue as well as the HDMI green line issue. by going into the box menu and changing the hdmi setting from ycc to rgb, the green line will go away. |
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keyboards
join:2001-02-14
Doylestown, PA
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| said by proletarian : by going into the box menu and changing the hdmi setting from ycc to rgb, the green line will go away. Been there, done that. So with the different color space I get the "beveled" or shifted image on the left side of the display. For now I am using component cables, but it doesn't make sense to go from digital (source material) to analog (component) then back to digital (1080P TV). These are work arounds, not fixes - the problem didn't exist before the IMG update back in January (for my VHO)
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REMEMBER: Stupidity should be painful !! |
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aaronwt
Premium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
 ·Verizon Online DSL
edit:
May 8th, @08:29AM
| reply to VirtualSlew
said by VirtualSlew :This is why I will be one of the last people in the USA to go HD. I'm not going to go out and buy a new TV when the technology is still immature. Nearly 1/2 the posts in this forum are from people with complaints about HD. I'm happy to enjoy SD and wait until they get the HD right. I've been watching and recording HD since 2001. It's an extremely rare occasion that I watch SD programming. Besides I can't stand watching SD. Even the best SD looks like crap when compared with HD. I certainly wouldn't call the technology immature. It's been around for 10 years. |
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lets456
join:2008-01-21
Hainesport, NJ
| Correct....if anything, Digital SD is the immature and "outdated" source.
My dad has a 34" Sony CRT HDTV and to be honest his PQ looks grainy and very bad....even when I hooked up an antenna via OTA. I tried to calibrate it, but it looked horrible...HD was fair, but SD was atrocious....no matter what I did, it looked bad.
I have a Hitachi RP CRT HDTV, 51" and the PQ via SD in very nice...not as good as it was before the IMG upgrade, but very nice. I live in the same area as he does and he also has FIOS.
My TV is larger and therefore would show more flaws, but it looks better.
I don't know what to tell you. But for the most part FIOS' PQ is about the best I have seen. |
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hofs1
join:2007-10-12
Little Falls, NJ
| reply to keyboards
said by keyboards : For now I am using component cables, but it doesn't make sense to go from digital (source material) to analog (component) then back to digital (1080P TV). : You are going from digital to analog as it is anyways.
when your CRT tv gets the signal from its digital inputs (hdmi)it has to convert it to analog which is what a CRT tv uses anyway. when u use component cables from the box to the tv the tv does not need to convert it to analog but passes it without more conversion.
I could be wrong here but i think thats how it goes in the crt hdtv world. |
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keyboards
join:2001-02-14
Doylestown, PA
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
| said by hofs1 :You are going from digital to analog as it is anyways. when your CRT tv gets the signal from its digital inputs (hdmi)it has to convert it to analog which is what a CRT tv uses anyway. when u use component cables from the box to the tv the tv does not need to convert it to analog but passes it without more conversion. I could be wrong here but i think thats how it goes in the crt hdtv world. Comment addressed to the wrong poster. My TV is a 1080P LCD (Sharp) not CRT - therefor digital
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REMEMBER: Stupidity should be painful !! |
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sneskid
join:2008-01-10
Arlington, VA
| reply to hofs1
said by hofs1 :U might want to try component cables with the crt. since the crt is analog and going from hdmi to hdmi then the tv converts it to analog rgb you "may" get a better all around picture. at worst u see no improvement but it cant hurt Thanks, but unfortunately this has nothing to do with the connection to the TV or the TV itself. This particular issue is about how the HD box passes SD channels.
This even happens with the SD only Y/C (S-Video) output from the STB as well, so it's obviously not an upconversion/downconversion issue, nor is it a D-A issue.
I even did a test with this. Connected my old SD STB to the TV via S-Video (which is how I used to have it before I upgraded to HD), and the SD channels look just fine. I then connected this same TV to the S-Video output on the HD set top box, using the same cable, and now any text on the SD channels looks just like I'm watching a movie in a theater, and the "popcorn monkey" didn't bother to focus the projector. |
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rocky01
Premium
join:2002-04-24
NE
edit:
May 8th, @12:01PM
| reply to sneskid
Jeez, some folks don't quite realize how good they have it. VZ HD *and* SD are head and shoulders above the others. No contest. I watch SD without complaint with FIOS and I did not feel that way with satellite. As for cable, get serious.  I would use HDMI if possible and make sure both the STB's and the TV's video scaler are tried to see which one does best job. 1080p TV is brutal test of PQ especially with large screen sizes. Of course it's HD or bust; I can now see how much money the young local gal newscasters are $pending on their wardrobe. But again me going back and forth from HD to SD broadcasts is easier with VZ PQ.
For me it's just exasperating waiting for the new HD channels. |
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sneskid
join:2008-01-10
Arlington, VA
| said by rocky01 :Jeez, some folks have no clue how good they have it. VZ HD *and* SD are head and shoulder above the others. No contest. I watch SD without complaint with FIOS and I did not feel that way with satellite. As for cable, get serious. I would use HDMI if possible and make sure both the STB's and the TV's video scaler are tried to see which one does best job. Of course it's HD or bust; I can now see how much money the young local gal newscasters are $pending on their wardrobe. For me it's just exasperating waiting for the new HD channels. VZ is above others, but not when they keep changing the software on everyones STBs without checking things first.
As others have posted, this was never a problem until Verizon downgraded the STBs a while back with their new crappy firmware. |
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sneskid
join:2008-01-10
Arlington, VA
| reply to lets456
said by lets456 :Correct....if anything, Digital SD is the immature and "outdated" source. My dad has a 34" Sony CRT HDTV and to be honest his PQ looks grainy and very bad....even when I hooked up an antenna via OTA. I tried to calibrate it, but it looked horrible...HD was fair, but SD was atrocious....no matter what I did, it looked bad. I have a Hitachi RP CRT HDTV, 51" and the PQ via SD in very nice...not as good as it was before the IMG upgrade, but very nice. I live in the same area as he does and he also has FIOS. My TV is larger and therefore would show more flaws, but it looks better. I don't know what to tell you. But for the most part FIOS' PQ is about the best I have seen. What did you try to calibrate your Dad's CRT with? Mine does excellent HD, and that's even before I took the time to do a full service menu calibration. |
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lets456
join:2008-01-21
Hainesport, NJ
| Avia DVE video essentials.
Don't get me wrong, it's a nice TV, but introduced quite a bit of noise....maybe there is a filter or setting that has to be turned off that I missed? For a 34" set, the "noise" was very prominent....at first I thought the TV was defective. |
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harley3k
join:2007-04-10
Flower Mound, TX
| reply to VirtualSlew
said by VirtualSlew :This is why I will be one of the last people in the USA to go HD. I'm not going to go out and buy a new TV when the technology is still immature. Nearly 1/2 the posts in this forum are from people with complaints about HD. I'm happy to enjoy SD and wait until they get the HD right. Dude, you should skip HD altogether. In another 20+ years, we'll have UltraHD which will be 4X the resolution of today's crappy 1080p.
Get your coupon for that digital converter, some rabbit ears and wait it out man... It'll be worth it. |
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hofs1
join:2007-10-12
Little Falls, NJ
| reply to keyboards
Oops i thought i was replying to orig poster. Must of been dreaming of new hd channels coming soon.  |
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sneskid
join:2008-01-10
Arlington, VA
| reply to harley3k
said by harley3k :said by VirtualSlew :This is why I will be one of the last people in the USA to go HD. I'm not going to go out and buy a new TV when the technology is still immature. Nearly 1/2 the posts in this forum are from people with complaints about HD. I'm happy to enjoy SD and wait until they get the HD right. Dude, you should skip HD altogether. In another 20+ years, we'll have UltraHD which will be 4X the resolution of today's crappy 1080p. Get your coupon for that digital converter, some rabbit ears and wait it out man... It'll be worth it. hehe
And sad thing is that it will still not even begin to approach a different technology that is now over 100 years old :-P |
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lets456
join:2008-01-21
Hainesport, NJ
| reply to VirtualSlew
said by VirtualSlew :This is why I will be one of the last people in the USA to go HD. I'm not going to go out and buy a new TV when the technology is still immature. Nearly 1/2 the posts in this forum are from people with complaints about HD. I'm happy to enjoy SD and wait until they get the HD right. The complaints are about SD or overcompressed HD....go see an HD DVD or Blu set up on a Samsung A650 or Kuro Plasma or watch a VCR on a 36" crt and tell me your not "blown away" by the HD experience. No comparison. A yugo compared to a Bentley for a few bucks more.
May as well not buy a car, couch, house, hot water heater, air conditioner, etc until there are no problems and they are perfected.....Be for real!!! |
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