MySky with new plasma TV

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BiggusDoggus

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#70741 29-Oct-2010 20:35

Hey all

Just got a brand spanking new plasma TV - Freeview looks great, but Sky (through MySky) looks - underwhelming. A little fuzzy when compared with same channels on FreeView, and even worse for Sports.

Question (and my deepest apologies if this has already been asked to death - there seems to be hundreds of topics on HDMI but I couldn't find anything specific to what I'm after) - will I get a significantly improved picture if I use a HDMI cable rather than the cables I used for my old CRT TV into the AV plugs?

BTW - I now have a LG PJ350 (for $799!!! - not the best TV on the market but still!!).

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

Niel

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#397518 29-Oct-2010 20:52

Use HDMI. Analogue inputs on digital TVs are only for legacy equipment and not for quality. It is a "tick-in-the-box" for the marketing department. Don't bother with expensive HDMI cable, it will make no difference, cheap HDMI cables are just as good (except for Blue Ray and super high definition sources).

You can never have enough Volvos!

Handle9

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#397556 29-Oct-2010 21:49

BiggusDoggus: Hey all

Just got a brand spanking new plasma TV - Freeview looks great, but Sky (through MySky) looks - underwhelming. A little fuzzy when compared with same channels on FreeView, and even worse for Sports.

Question (and my deepest apologies if this has already been asked to death - there seems to be hundreds of topics on HDMI but I couldn't find anything specific to what I'm after) - will I get a significantly improved picture if I use a HDMI cable rather than the cables I used for my old CRT TV into the AV plugs?

BTW - I now have a LG PJ350 (for $799!!! - not the best TV on the market but still!!).

Yes HDMI will give you a significant improvement in picture quality for HD sources. MySky doesn't output HD through component cables.

Regardless of the cable you won't have HD on sport or movies unless you pay for the HD ticket ($10 per month). The free to air channels will be in HD though.

BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#397567 29-Oct-2010 22:11

Handle9:
BiggusDoggus: Hey all

Just got a brand spanking new plasma TV - Freeview looks great, but Sky (through MySky) looks - underwhelming. A little fuzzy when compared with same channels on FreeView, and even worse for Sports.

Question (and my deepest apologies if this has already been asked to death - there seems to be hundreds of topics on HDMI but I couldn't find anything specific to what I'm after) - will I get a significantly improved picture if I use a HDMI cable rather than the cables I used for my old CRT TV into the AV plugs?

BTW - I now have a LG PJ350 (for $799!!! - not the best TV on the market but still!!).

Yes HDMI will give you a significant improvement in picture quality for HD sources. MySky doesn't output HD through component cables.

Regardless of the cable you won't have HD on sport or movies unless you pay for the HD ticket ($10 per month). The free to air channels will be in HD though.

But even without the HD ticket the picture quality should be better? I also need to have the sound up nearly all the way on the TV to get decent volume through Sky - I'm assuming a HDMI cable will help with that too...

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

Handle9

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#397570 29-Oct-2010 22:18

It'll be better but not dramatically on the sport or movie channels. It will be pretty close to Freeview HD quality on TV1 - 3.

Not sure about your volume issue. I don't want to seem totally patronising but have you got the volume turned right up on MySky?

Regardless it is absolutely worth doing and not expensive. If nothing else having only one cable is a lot tidier.

Something like this should do the job:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Gaming/Xbox-360/Accessories/Cables-leads/auction-326690854.htm

Also did sky not provide you with one when they installed?

BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#397579 29-Oct-2010 22:36

Handle9: It'll be better but not dramatically on the sport or movie channels. It will be pretty close to Freeview HD quality on TV1 - 3.

Not sure about your volume issue. I don't want to seem totally patronising but have you got the volume turned right up on MySky?

Regardless it is absolutely worth doing and not expensive. If nothing else having only one cable is a lot tidier.

Something like this should do the job:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Gaming/Xbox-360/Accessories/Cables-leads/auction-326690854.htm

Also did sky not provide you with one when they installed?

Yup - Sky up full, TV nearly up full. When I flick to Freeview it almost blows the speakers!!!

And no they didn't - at the time I only had the CRT so they probably just didn't bother.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

sbiddle

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#397637 30-Oct-2010 07:09

If you're just using the standard composite video inputs/outputs then you really do need to upgrade. Composite gives a very low quality image and suffers from dot crawl which is horrible.

You should get a cheap HDMI cable or ask Sky for one, they may provide one free since they didn't during the install.

I hope you've also remembered to change the decoder from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio with the change in TV's. There is nothing worse than watching things in fat-o-vision on a 16:9 TV.

BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#397653 30-Oct-2010 08:43

sbiddle: If you're just using the standard composite video inputs/outputs then you really do need to upgrade. Composite gives a very low quality image and suffers from dot crawl which is horrible.

You should get a cheap HDMI cable or ask Sky for one, they may provide one free since they didn't during the install.

I hope you've also remembered to change the decoder from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio with the change in TV's. There is nothing worse than watching things in fat-o-vision on a 16:9 TV.

Thank you one and all.

Taken your advice and bought
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/TVs/Cables-aerials/auction-321101829.htm

Hopefully will also help with the sound.

And yes, changed to 16:9. It's a beautiful thing.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries