Help with Samsung HDTV
Nov 29, 2008 at 9:19 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 33
Clincher09

Clincher09

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I just bought this today and hooked my xbox up to it and it looks amaznig, but then when I put in on tv it looks terrible. I have satellite and my directv box is hooked up through the coaxial cable jack in the back, should I buy a component cable and use that instead? Or is there just some settings I can change?
 
Nov 29, 2008 at 10:22 PM Post #2 of 33
Any type of cable, digital box, satellite, etc. won't look good on an HDTV. The only thing that will look good is shows in HD on specific HD channels. I forget which, but 90% of the channels you probably have are using 480i or 480p resolution, and your tv is at least 720p, maybe more. So what your tv is doing is stretching that small picture to fit your screen, and it looks pretty bad.

So I say get the HD package if you have directv I guess. A component cable might help a bit, but it's the source signal that's most important.

Also, another thing you could do if you don't want to spend the money buying an HD package with your cable, is you can buy a cheap antenna and some local channels, and major networks, nbc, cbs, etc. broadcast digital tv over the air, and an antenna can pick it up and you can watch HD that way too. But barely any channels do that.
 
Nov 29, 2008 at 10:29 PM Post #3 of 33
The coax composite is the worst hookup you could choose. I'm going to assume that you have a high def DirecTV box and dish and that you can use either component or HDMI. The latter is a better choice and it carries sound as well as video. Go to HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more! for a good 1.3 compliant HDMI cable for around $5.00.

If your box and dish are only SD, then an S-video cable is better than coax and component, if available, is better than S-video.

As to settings, I suggest you go to AVS Forum, look in the display devices section, and find the settings others are using for your particular set. It won't be perfect, but it'll be a good starting place. The same site will have answers to most of your upcoming questions.

Mooch
 
Nov 29, 2008 at 10:48 PM Post #4 of 33
If not of that works or is not an option, I may briefly add you may wish to look at a video processor.
 
Nov 30, 2008 at 5:26 AM Post #6 of 33
Well my parents have a 50" HDTV, and they use the same service as me and get the same channels, and it looks great on theirs, they aren't using an HDMI cable either.
 
Nov 30, 2008 at 5:33 AM Post #7 of 33
Coax is the worst connection there is picture wise. Even composite looks better (the yellow rca video connection). Go with component if it's a hd box or HDMI, if not go with s-video, or composite.
 
Nov 30, 2008 at 6:10 AM Post #9 of 33
Quote:

Originally Posted by Clincher09 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What do I need to buy for an s-video connection?


If your set top box has an S-video out, just buy an S-video cable. You still need an RCA cable for audio. The S-video cable only supports video. If your set top box has a component video out, its preferable, IMO, since the cable is sturdier than the flimsy S-video cable.
 
Dec 1, 2008 at 4:15 AM Post #14 of 33
If your set top box has component out, it's most likely HD capable. Short of using HDMI, Component is best.

Just to be clear, by component I mean the separate Red/Blue/Green video connections, in addition to some kind of audio (digital coax/optical or Red/White analog).

If it doesn't have component or HDMI, it's SD. Go with S-Video if you can.

How is the Xbox hooked up?
 
Dec 1, 2008 at 4:57 AM Post #15 of 33
Quote:

Originally Posted by 3DCadman /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If your set top box has component out, it's most likely HD capable. Short of using HDMI, Component is best.

Just to be clear, by component I mean the separate Red/Blue/Green video connections, in addition to some kind of audio (digital coax/optical or Red/White analog).

If it doesn't have component or HDMI, it's SD. Go with S-Video if you can.

How is the Xbox hooked up?


A component out from a set top box does not necessarily mean it is HD capable. The only way to tell is if it has an HDMI output. I have a set top box that has an S-video out and a component out but it is only SD capable.
 
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