How can I tell if pixelation is because of my HDTV or because of the source device?

Question

I just got a new LCD HDTV, and I am concerned that the processing capabilities of the TV set are crummy. There is frequently pixelation in areas of high contrast (i.e. around captions or credits where there are white letters on a darker moving background). But when I pause it, the pixelation is still there, leading me to believe that it's the source (my DVR). I'm going to try HDMI cables, but was curious if someone could provide links or suggestions regarding good ways to determine if my TV is a POS or not.

Answer 1

hook up a dvd or better yet a blu-ray disc player (playstation3) and see if it goes away. most pixelation problems are the signal itself even on a very high quality set. Better Tv's will have better processesors and filters but a Samsung is one of the top tv's. If it is cable you may need to have the cable company boost your signal or replace the box.

Answer 2

What you see is called mosquito noise and it is an artifact of digital compression - used in digital TV - .

Normally you should not see that much and perhaps on a Plasma the noise would not be as apparent.