HEEEELP! NTL Picture Quality with new LCD TV

22gbloodangel · 09-01-2006, 17:47

Hi,
Sorry for posting this question, but I tried to go through the forums and search/look for something similar but I couldn't find anything. If there's another thread that handles this stuff please point it out and I'll stop harassing you all!

I bought a 32" LCD HD Ready TV for my new 360, and it's great, I really love it. A Hyundai 3210, it's awesome with DVDs and the 360, but when I connect the NTL Digibox the picture quality drops tremendously. I appreciate it's because it doesn't have a HD Tuner built in, but is there any way that I can restore the quality of the 32" LCD TV to anything similar to my old Daewoo 28" CRT TV?

I'm finding that certain programs (Such as Countdown of all things?) are looking perfect, as are the DVDs which leads me to believe that the TV can present them in great conditon such as the usual Sky One modern/primetime shows which look great, but then it'll resort to bad picture quality for another show, and it'll look blocky and pixelated. I'm not too annoyed by it but the missus isn't half going on and on about it, and even if it's a few hundred quid for a HD tuner, as long as I know it's something i can do later on in the year it'd get the missus off my back!!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated, it's the Hyundai 3210 32" LCD HD Ready TV, thanks in advance for anyone who posts a pointer!!!!

Hom3r · 09-01-2006, 17:55

Welcome to the forum

NTL won't be going HD till late 06.

How are you connecting the STB to the TV.

Ideally it should be via Scart. try and play around with the STBs visual settings

SLM · 09-01-2006, 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by david.ewles

Welcome to the forum

NTL won't be going HD till late 06.

How are you connecting the STB to the TV.

Ideally it should be via Scart. try and play around with the STBs visual settings

Welcome to the site.

With the visual settings try both types RGB and Composite, see which one is best. If you are getting some programs good and some not it may be down to the broadcast signal (eg from bravo or discovery ch) not ntl.

I am sure some one will post soon that knows LCD inside and out though.

22gbloodangel · 09-01-2006, 18:34

Hi Guys,

Thaks for the replies, they're very much appreciated!!!!

Yup, I've been connecting through the SCART so far, I've tried both of the SCART inputs and I've tried to switch between RGB and Composite in the Visual Settings but with little or no success, in fact I've tried pretty much every combination of setting I can with my current setup!

And yeah, I have to admit I've noticed that some channels are regularly better than others, Sky One and Channel 4 for example are quite clear (Why oh why is Countdown the clearest show I can see!??!! LOL) so I'm assuming that it's definitely a factor, but i was hoping to change it so that it was never a worry again!!!

Thanks again for your replies lads, and thanks again in advance from my Missus in particular to anyone who can be bothered to help me out..!

Gabriel

absthechatter · 10-01-2006, 10:00

I use a video scaler which turns my NTL picture in to an excellent one. The scaler is attached to my 50" plasma. Without the scaler the picture is quite blocky as you describe yours. The electronics within the plasma (and LCD) do scale and process the picture for you. Unfortunately not usually as well as a dedicated scaler does.

The down side is they are not cheap. I personally have an Iscan HD+ but there are other good makes such as Lumagen and Cristalio. If you are lucky you can find one going at a knock down price on some AV sites in the classified sections when people upgrade their equipment.

Abs

Neil · 10-01-2006, 10:20

You need to make sure that you are:

A) connected by Scart.

B) using RGB.

C) Ensure that the Scart lead you are using is a fully wired 21 pin one.

[Edit]-Looks like you only have one Scart socket on the TV anyway: http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/1751...fichetechnique

TheBlueRaja · 10-01-2006, 10:24

Some channels are also compressed more than others, SCI-Fi is a good example of this, and on a bigger screen the difference in quality will show up more.

andygrif · 10-01-2006, 10:52

I don't really have much knowledge in LCDs, mostly becuase I won't buy one becuase the regular TV picture looks fairly ropey to my eyes.

However a pal has just bought the monster 40 inch Sony LCD (which looks ropey on standard broadcasts, but superb on DVDs using HDMI output) and he agrees that he notices far more artifacts from his Sky box...as Theblueraja says these screens do show the inadequacies of digital compression much more.

The only thing to do is sit and wait I'm afraid. I'm not buying a new telly until HD is firmly established, as I can't cope with the lousy picture from day to day!

floppus · 10-01-2006, 11:44

Hi.....

You gets what you pay for.... The Hyundai panel although by no means the worst performer in the LCD tv choice range is still by no means the best and will be found lacking somewhat when the incoming signal or the original program quality is not at its best.

Countdown, of course is absolutely up to date in its production and if this looks AOK you can look forward to even more improvement when HDTV comes available in whatever format appears first. If you have an Astra 1A capable dish, a french broadcaster is transmitting HDTV but you need a receiver with a HDMI output.

The ropier programs look moderately acceptable if you pay top bucks for a panel.

Valerie · 10-01-2006, 13:08

We got an LCD recently and also noticed the sharp divide between dvd quality (superb) and some programmes, though most pretty good. I assume part of it is how the programme is recorded, and then delivered, and unfortunately the lcd shows up problems more than the old crt did.
On the other hand the lcd shows good things even better, and hopefully more and more tv programmes will be made to a higher quality. Worth having for the dvd view alone anyway.

22gbloodangel · 10-01-2006, 13:15

Wow, big thanks to all of you for your help! That's given me some great ideas to go away and test things and at least make a decision on how to go about it!

Neil : Hmmm, that's the same model number as my TV, but mine has definitely got 2 SCART connectors!!! I just took a closer look at the model, and it seems to look different as well, mine has the speakers running down the sides as well... (The sound is really good on it btw, I was very pleasantly surprised) Maybe an older model? It does have 2 SCARTs, but I've been sticking to the RGB connector just in case it made a difference (been told it does... any advice on what/how would be good for general info, only if you can be bothered!)... And oh yeah, it's a 21 pin SCART connector, I tried some different ones in case of a dodgy cable, but no joy....

Floppus and andygrif : Yup, I kind of knew it wasn't the best for TV at the time, but the Xbox looks so good it's still a great bargain tbh. I'd have liked to have spent more, but I just don't have the cash, and liable not to have any for a long time! The picture quality's not too bad, it could definitely be better on the badly filmed shows, but I could happily live with it considering there's nothing ever on anyway!!!!
Thanks in particular floppus, I was taking the line that if Countdown looked great then the remainder of shows would improve as time goes on, and if that's the case I'll definitely stick with this TV, because when the signal's good, it really is amazing, and imo (considering the purchase was 360 orientated), better than any of the other TVs I could've bought in store for less than Ã‚Â£1000. I went around a number of stores and no other set was available that had the connectivity points and aesthetics I was after...

absthechatter : Thanks dude, I'd been wondering if there was a piece of kit I could buy that would do something like that. I'll be googling and ebaying Lumagen and Cristalio for the rest of the day and trying to figure out of I can either afford it or can go without it for any preiod of time!

Thanks to all of you guys, it has really made my life easier... I can at least figure out the options now anyway!

Cheers again!

andygrif · 10-01-2006, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by 22gbloodangel

Floppus and andygrif : Yup, I kind of knew it wasn't the best for TV at the time, but the Xbox looks so good it's still a great bargain tbh. I'd have liked to have spent more, but I just don't have the cash, and liable not to have any for a long time! The picture quality's not too bad, it could definitely be better on the badly filmed shows, but I could happily live with it considering there's nothing ever on anyway!!!!

I wouldn't beat yourself up about the cost vs quality - I doubt it would be that much better if you did spend the extra. I mentioned my pal who bought his Sony 40-incher. That cost him over Ã‚Â£2,000 and I think it looks rubbish on regular TV!! As long as you're happy with it (reasonably) you're fine - and of course when HD becomes a reality (next month for Sky by all accounts) you'll be amazed at how much better the picture quality on your flat panel is than my CRT tellybox!

22gbloodangel · 10-01-2006, 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by andygrif

I wouldn't beat yourself up about the cost vs quality - I doubt it would be that much better if you did spend the extra. I mentioned my pal who bought his Sony 40-incher. That cost him over £2,000 and I think it looks rubbish on regular TV!! As long as you're happy with it (reasonably) you're fine....

Duuuuuude, that's the way I'm looking at it! I've got tbh, I've yet to see a TV that has everything I'd want including HD Readiness, looks that are as aesthetically pleasing as this one, had all the connectors I needed, at the right size and almost as importantly (especially when it comes to forking the notes over!) was at a price I can afford.

I can't quite stress how happy I am with it! The picture clarity, the Xbox's resolutions and playability, the refresh time (Not a single iota of the ball blurring during Luton Town's brave effort against Liverpool! What a game of football to test my TV with eh!???!!!), the spakers pumping out perfectly crisp and well defined sounds without the aid of my uber-huge stereo and the fact that it just looks damned sexy in my living room are all reasons I'm jubilant with it to date!

Like you said, there's more expensive and arguably better TVs out there, but I'm sure I could put that £1000 or so to a better use (Holiday? Pay off a bit of my mortgage? Part payment for a new car?) and at the end of the day, it's kind of like my missus. Other people might think there's better out there for them, but I reckon the one I've got is just class-tastic for me cheers...

(EDIT: Then again, that's a crap comparison on the grounds that last time I checked, I didn't get better reception from NTL by twiddling her nobbly bits....*chortle*)