HDTV is great... but why do the normal channels suck so bad??!?

Question

Just bought a beautiful new HDTV and totally love the high definition channels and the blu-ray discs, but why do the regular channels look so awful??!! It's worst than that cheap tube TV that I replaced. What's the deal? And does anyone have a secret or two for improving the quality at all?

Answer 1

I hear ya! I spent almost 1,000 on a new hdtv and I put the old tv in my bedroom. I think the quality of the old one is better. I'll be checking up on the answers for this question to see if anyone has a solution....

Answer 2

Regular channels look bad because they are bad. HD channels have a resolution of at least 720p but can also be 1080i. At best, SDTV ( normal channels) have a maximum resolution of 480i. This is half of what HDTV uses. HDTV's are trying to take that 480i and make it into a 720 or 1080 picture but any fuzziness or imperfections in the picture get magnified in the process. That's why it looks bad - its like blowing up any picture - the more you blow it up, the worse it looks.

Answer 3

High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). While some early analog HDTV formats were broadcast in Europe and Japan, HDTV is usually broadcast digitally, because digital television (DTV) broadcasting requires much less bandwidth. HDTV technology was first introduced in the US during the 1990s by a group of electronics companies called the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance [1] [2].

In the 2000s, a number of high-definition television standards are competing for the still-developing niche markets. Current HDTV standards are defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R BT.709) as 1080 active interlace or progressive scan lines, or 720 progressive scan lines, using a 16:9 aspect ratio. HDTV is also capable of "theater-quality" audio because it uses the Dolby Digital (AC-3) format to support "5.1" surround sound. It should be noted that while HDTV is more like a theater in quality than conventional television, 35mm and 70mm film projectors used in theaters still have the highest resolution and best viewing quality on very large screens. Many HDTV programs are produced from movies on film as well as content shot in HD video.

The term "high-definition" can refer to the resolution specifications themselves, or more loosely to media capable of similar sharpness, such as photographic film. In 2007, 24 million US households have HDTVs. However, only half are set up to actually receive HDTV programming[3] as some consumers are not aware that they must get special receivers to get HDTV from cable, or use HDTV tuners to receive over-the-air broadcasts, and some are planning to use it in the future

Answer 4

Bro, you should be able to get your locals in hd over the air, but you need to program your new rig to drag them in.

First, try reprograming the over the air channels and see if a couple new ones pop up. If not:

You may need to get a set of rabbit ears and help bring in the signal. If that doesn't work:

You may need to make sure that your TV is equipped with an over the air hd tuner. If not:

Maybe your cable/sattelite box has one built in. If not:

You may need to buy an additional over the air tuner to get hd channels.

Congrats on the new rig. I agree, I don't even want to watch sdtv anymore. Its just boring. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Check your tv settings and lower the resolution. Its like the guy above me said kinda like blowing up a picture.

Answer 6

I would add a cable amplifier, such as a Channel Vision CVT15PIA. That will greatly improve your low band channels. Good luck!