Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV
Jeff-
Since you said your cable goes into a modulator for a DVD player, then out of that into a VCR, then out of THAT to the TV, the first thing is to turn off the power to the modulator, DVD player, and VCR, to make sure you are not getting anything from them. I do not otherwise know why the HD channels do not appear better than their SD equivalents. (All of those are among the "clear QAM" digital cable ones, right?)
|
Chris -
I neglected to note in my last post that I
do in fact notice a difference, albeit slight, between HD and SD television programming on my cable, although one must look very carefully to spot the differences. One I notice for certain is that the network logos on all three commercial networks (and PBS) are slightly smaller in HD than they are in standard definition, but other than that I haven't noticed much else between HD and SD. However, when I called Time-Warner Cable and asked about this issue, I was told that the kind of cable connection I have (cable directly connected to the TV) cannot and will not provide high-definition reception, even with an HDTV. The only way I can possibly get HD is to upgrade to the next higher level of service, for which I would need a cable box. Time Warner offers this level of service (and, I assume, the next level above that) in high definition; they do not charge extra for HD service, but the cable box rental is $8.50 per month. However, I will not upgrade to that level of service for one and only one reason: because I do not care to have a cable box on my HDTV, which is already supposed to be set up to receive most cable and broadcast channels with its 4-mode tuner (NTSC, ATSC, 8VSB, clear QAM).
I don't know why I would still need a cable box for HD, if my TV already has a built-in tuner that can receive just about any kind of TV signal on cable today. Is there some kind of signal processing required for HD television signals that only an external cable box can perform? For that matter, will there ever be an HDTV that will process literally any signal format on any cable system in the US, without the need for a cable box? With HDTV technology changing as fast as it is these days, it wouldn't surprise me if such an HDTV is under development even as I write this, and such a set could be available in perhaps five years or even less.