Maximizing PQ?

[JStanton]

I was hoping this would be in a FAQ somewhere but I couldn't find it.

PQ is what it is. Dish/DirecTV go back and forth on who has the better PQ (D* has an edge right now as I understand it), and we can complain and debate and hope for newer compression technologies/modulation schemes, but SD picture quality doesn't seem to be going significantly up/down for a while.

So, what can we do to maximize this PQ? I'd like to get a tips/tricks thread going.

So, I'll start. I have an Samsung 3097 16:9 HD set and a Dish 6000.

- I've found that viewing the SD channels though S-Video results in better PQ than through the component cables.

- The 'Sharpness' was way too high out of the box and was really highlighting the compression artifacts. Turning it down made for a much more watchable picture.

OK, now it's your turn!

- Jim

[cnsf]

Avia Home Theater DVD. The only thing to do is optimize your TV and hope the Sat cos improve things on their end.

[mjz]

I find that the 'Digital NR' feature on new tvs seems to work great on reducing digital artifacts, it also decreases the detail of the picture somewhat though

[Jack White]

Originally posted by JStanton
I was hoping this would be in a FAQ somewhere but I couldn't find it.

PQ is what it is. Dish/DirecTV go back and forth on who has the better PQ (D* has an edge right now as I understand it), and we can complain and debate and hope for newer compression technologies/modulation schemes, but SD picture quality doesn't seem to be going significantly up/down for a while.

So, what can we do to maximize this PQ? I'd like to get a tips/tricks thread going.

So, I'll start. I have an Samsung 3097 16:9 HD set and a Dish 6000.

- I've found that viewing the SD channels though S-Video results in better PQ than through the component cables.

- The 'Sharpness' was way too high out of the box and was really highlighting the compression artifacts. Turning it down made for a much more watchable picture.

OK, now it's your turn!

- Jim

There are several things you can do to improve picture quality(you might have already done some or several of these things).
You can calibrate your television using a dvd such as Avia Guide To Home Theater, Video Essentials, or Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up.
If you want to take another step beyond that, you can have your television profesionally calibrated by an ISF certified professional which will produce noticably better than a calibration with just a calibration disc.
You should also make sure that your room is perfectly dark and has no ambient light and the only major lightsource besides your television should be a 6500k backlight behind your television.
Usually using the best type of video input available also makes difference, but there are exceptions as you noted, S-video is actually better than component for standard def programming on most if not all High Def dbs recievers.
Another exception can be that composite can actually be better than S-video for laserdisc if your tv has a better comb filter than your laserdisc player.
Other things that can improve the viewing experience are sitting at the proper distance and having your display be at proper height compared to your eye level.
The picture quality on many classic videogame systems can be also improved greatly by using an Analog RGB monitor instead of a television.
RGB is the best, better than component, S-video, composite, and lightyears beyond RF.
Ofcourse, the biggest single improvemen in picture quality can be gotten by switching to Analog C-band/4DTV.

[MarkA]

Turn image "enhancement" off (turn sharpness setting all the way down and turn off any other image "enhancement" options your TV has). Pop in any THX certified movie (or a calibration disc if you're feeling really expensive). Run the test patterns. Enjoy your movie how it now is or get Gregg Lowen out!

[Dmitriy]

If you have some extra cash and you are looking for the best pq, then you need to buy two things:
#1 - A good HDTV television set.
#2 - Silicon Image DVDO iScan Pro Line Doubler http://www.siimage.com/dvdo/iscanpro.asp (or something similar).

This will improve the pq significantly almost from any source! Trust me on this ;).

Good luck! Enjoy your TV!