Why arent my hd channels clear on hd-ready tv?

Question

ok guys i have this samsung 23 inch lcd hd-ready tv model number LN-S2341W. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN-S2341W-23-LCD-HD-Ready/dp/B000FHFKQW/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video&qid=1213025665&sr=1-14

so we just got dish network and we got the hd box and hooked it up to the tv and the hd channels dont look much different then the regular, they might be but im not exactly sure. we used component cables so is that enough for an hd-ready tv, or would i have to buy a tuner, or does the hd box serve as the tuner. also since its hd-ready should i have gotten the hdmi cables...please help i am not sure about any of this stuff

Answer 1

You'll know when you are viewing a HD pic.  

You have to have both HD from the box and HD ready tv

If it's not the box/Dish problem.....The problem may be that you are on the DTV channel and not the HD channel.  All companies separate the broadcasts of their HD channels to second channel to ensure you order it to recieve it.  Make sure you have the list of these channels.

Answer 2

Hmmm... this may depend on your DISH TV subscriptions.  Are you sure that you purchased the HDTV service?  If you have the bottom tier of service only, you are getting SDTV, which is digital but not high-def.  Additionally, if you purchased the HDTV package and the original programming content is analog, you may only get SDTV quality out of it unless it is upconverted to 720p or 1080i.  

Regarding cables, HDMI is the best for digital programming but if everything was hooked up correctly and you were receiving the HDTV service that you paid for, the difference would not be that great.

I re-read the additional information that you provided and it looks like you have everything that you need, as long as you are connected to the HDTV output of your DISH tuner.  The difference between HDTV and SDTV is like night and day and you will notice the difference instantly, not only in terms of picture quality but also in the format since SDTV is natively widescreen and should fill up your screen nicely without the distortion of stretching non-HD 4:3 format to fit an 16:9 widescreen.  Lastly, to confirm that you are connected to the right output from your tuner, confirm that you are receiving all the HDTV channels advertised by DISH HD, and found below.

Lastly, it might be helpful to know what model of DVR that you are using.  You can find the list below.  Each one has a description that states something like "Supports (one or two) TVs – one HDTV and one SDTV".  In other words, if your HD-Read TV is connected to the SDTV output, you aren't receiving HDTV in either 1080i or 720p.  For example, if you are using DVR ViP722 DVR, the instructions on page 102 of this user guide show you how to configure for HDTV.  http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/pdf...