Hi all, I just bought a Sony 32" flat screen HDTV monitor (SON KV32HS510). I run my Direct TV signal to it via S-video monster cables. The Direct TV receiver is the basic RCA model (the freebie that they throw in with promotions...)

Anyway, when watching Direct TV, I get what I like to call a pixilated haze around the outside of objects on the screen. It is more noticable the closer you get to the TV. I have played around with the settings and have definately been able to reduce it from what it first was, but I still can see it, and it's bugging the hell out of me

I'm thinking that it's the receiver, because when I play DVDs (run through my xbox) I get none of it at all.

Is there any hope here? Do you think I need to get a better DTV receiver?

Thanks in advance!

What you're seeing is probably the MPEG compression that D* uses to compress the signal. They tend to use way too much so they can send more channels in thier limited bandwidth.

i just got a Sony 34" Widescreen HDTV (SON KV34HS510) and i also just had my directv with TiVo set up. i see the same thing. i figure that it is just the quality of the signal, because when i run my DVDs, no problems.

I thought Direct TV was supposed to have such a great picture

Anyway, if it is indeed the signal will any of the following help correct the problem?

- Upgrade the receiver (since I have the basic, cheapie version)


- Or getting one of the signal amplifiers that I have seen online.

I don't have D* but I am planning to move to it soon if my cable provider doesn't get going with HD. Anyway what you're seeing might be improved with a better box but not by much. This is the way SD is from what I hear but HD signals are much better. They simply don't have the bandwidth to provide all of those channels without compressing the hell out of them which kills PQ. So the damage is done before it even gets to your STB but some boxes are better than others from what I hear. Many people mask the issue by using standard coax output rather than Svideo, turn the sharpness down and turn off SVM if you can. This will result in a softer picture but it will hide these artifacts.