svadas

I've still got a conventional 4x3 crt based tv and am thinking about going up to one of those 16x9 rear projection widescreens. I'm sure these larger units (say around 50 inch models) look great with DVD, but how to they look with everyday cable or dish TV? I watch a lot of TV so I'm worried.

Brian Shannon

You will likely be disappointed.

svadas

What about LCD or DLP, I know they are much more expensive, but are they any better with my tv/tivo?

Brian Shannon

Not likely.

The better quality the set the more the problems with the signal are magnified. HDTV programming looks awesome and good channels will look good. Anything marginal will look awful.

Not the answer you are looking for but an unfortunate reality with the current state of technology.

X

Different models of RPTVs handle regular TV differently. Some are fairly acceptable, some stink.

Of course, considering the resolution of what they're given, they won't look as good as a DVD. The large screen just magnifies the imperfections of the original signal.

I find mine perfectly acceptable, but it doesn't look as good as on a smaller tube TV.

svadas

Which models/brands are noted to handle regular TV better?

taa455

Maybe not. Depends on his expectations. I read a bunch of complaints on forums before purchasing my RPTV so I was expecting poor quality on regular cable. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it wasn't nearly as bad as people say. The answer to your question, svadas, is entirely subjective. We cannot tell whether or not you will be satisfied with the picture quality. The best thing for you to do is check out some for yourself, either in a store or in a friend's home. I can assure you of this, you will be blown away by HDTV and most DVDs. Regular cable is not nearly as good, but it is very watchable, IMO.

tonyc3742

Are you speaking of analog or digital cable?
I have digital cable and a 6o" 16x9 HDTV. The picture quality varies from 'Wow that looks good' [not even considering actual HD broadcasts] to 'That is fuzzy as all hell.'
It really depends on a lot of things:

* Source material: on Showtime, the very bad movie Psycho Beach Party looked a lot better than the old movie Pandemonium.
* Screen format: I watch a lot of 4x3 content in the 'Panorama' mode, where it stretches the image to fill the whole screen. It doesn't just stretch it, it fudges it somehow so it doesn't look very stretched. But sometimes you can tell on edges and certain patterns that it's not the way it should be. You can still watch 4x3 stuff in 4x3, so this might not be an issue; but you do want to vary it so you don't get burn in.
* Channel--I watch VH1 Classic a lot, and either because the source material is old, or because it's not a 'high priority' signal and doesn't get a lot of bandwidth, it is generally quite fuzzy.
* Bandwidth--how many channels are the cable or dish company cramming through their pipe?
Unfortunately, I don't know if you're going to get a solid answer on this--a lot of it is YMMV, based on your viewing prefernces, your local provider, your channel/tv selection, etc.

On my TV, probably 10% of my regular TV viewing is 'That doesnt look so great'; 40% is good; 40% is really good, and 10% is wow that looks great! [again not counting HD broadcasts, which look incredible.]

Also you have to be aware of where you're sitting--if you have a 60" tv, and you sit 5 feet away, that is too close for 'regular' broadcasts--you will easily notice the graininess. I think the generally accepted seats are 1.5x the screen width away for HD and progressive DVD; and 2-2.5x away for 'regular' tv.

X

I've always read that the Pioneers were about the best for regular TV. That's what I have and I find it fine although I don't watch much of it.

The stretch modes are an important factor and Pioneer probably has the best ones. I've heard that Toshiba was the next best but Mitsubishi improved theirs this year and could be up there too.

You really have to go look at them.

Brian Shannon

Agreed. I did not mean to inply that you should not purchase a larger set. The DVD experience alone would be worth the purchase.

As for which sets will do better you will need to decide that for yourself somewhat. Remember stores will do everything they can to mask the flaws in sets. Contrast set too high, canned demo presentations, only showing HDTV and nothing else. Shop around and find some stores that have some sets in your price range on display and see what they are being fed with.

drmoze

It's well worth it for HD signals too. TW has several channels in NYC (digital cable): SHO, HBO, plus the local network channels and Discovery. Same price as regular cable, just a different box. And the pq (on my 65" Mitsu) is *phenomenal*!

Which, of course, means that I volunteer to host football games these days. $^) Go Pats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FantasticVSDoom

I have to say I was pleasently surprised on the quality of cable TV on my RPTV (panasonic 47wx53), which isnt even a top of the line model. I do have to admit I set my expectations really low, and I do have digital cable but for the most part its bearable to actually pretty good.