Why do i get a better picture on my digital cable when i use coax versus hdmi.?

Question

i have a 50 inch plazma tv full 1080 when i hook up the hd cable box via coax cable the picture looks good on the 480 channels but horrable on the 1080 channels but on the hdmi cable the 1080 channels look great but the 480 channels look horrable you can't even watch tv it is bad. it is not only on the analog channels but the standard def digital cables.

need help starting to get frustrated even tried a different brand of hdmi and the same thing

Answer 1

i wonder if it is the TV settings.

as in i have a 1080p TV, and i hook it up to 1080 outputs (directv, PS3), it looks unreal

but when i hook up a xbox 360, which is a 720 output, it look TERRIBLE

i wonder if you where to put your TV to a 720, i dont know if it is possible, but there is something about this.

sorry i dont have the right answer :/

Answer 2

its simple actually, its not all related to the signals the TV companies throws out.

Your Plasma/TV set plays a huge roll. A plasma TV Set's full HD (assuming its 1080p not 1080i) up converts picture quality from its original form. example (NON HD channels) are 480 lines non progressive or lower. If you look at your TV booklet it says lets say 1920x1080p (1080p TV sets) meaning max resolution are wide screen.

When you add a signal that are not 1080p, 1080i, 780p, 720i, 480p or 480i or lower the TV will up-convert the image to its resolution by adding lines that don't exist to the picture (which) starts showing errors because digital is a clean picture with more information and adding 1080 lines to an original signal that is 480 or less is brutal on the original source and vice a versa.

because the TV is a (DIGITAL HDTV SET) its designed to up convert already existing signals that are low in resolution from a digital source not analog. While an Analog source cant mimic Digital due to its low information and 99.99% of sets can not display a picture in HD using Analog (but) your TV was trying to make the Analog picture Digital thats why you were able to see it. old sets that did not upconvert would not have shown you that image just show a blank screen (scrambled).

Feb 2009 all Analog signals will be in HD heres a link. they were planning on 2008 but had set back but now its offical and posted EVERYWHERE. soon all your 480 and lower cheap signals will be in HD 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Even cheap QVC and shopping channle's. Ive been into Video and Audio since i was 13 im 23 and have worked in many Theather stores that deals with installations and Video/Audio products.

Answer 3

You gotta understand what is actually happening here....

Your RF coax on channel 3 has a lot more ANALOG 480i processing circuits to SMOOTH out the 480i Signal.....that's why it looks better coming in to the TV set on the RF antenna connection.....

And your HI DEF 1080i signal looks GREAT on the HDMI Hi Def input on your TV set !!

Both inputs are specifically DESIGNED for the type of signal normally connected to that input.

Hi Def signals don't come in on the RF jacks....only Low Def signals.

Now 480i signals are going to be a RARE occurance on HDMI once they dump the Analog TV signals and switch to Digital signals FEB 2009....

Oh they will still be 480....but they will be DIGITAL 480 !

And that is going to make a real BIG Difference in your signal !

It's going to be clean....NOISELESS...

And THEN you will be more impressed with it on HDMI.....

So have patience....and wait until your cable company stops sending it's channels on ANALOG 480 channels and converts over to Digital 480 channels.....

I hear the "wheels of progress" Sloooooowly creaking at your cable company.....

Heck Verizon Fios is already 100% digital as we speak.....

Sloooooooowly creaking.....

Oops, need some oil.....

Get that wrench out of those gears.....

Crrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaak !