So, I got a new Wide Screen...

[zehd]

I won a LG 42" LCD Wide Screen in an internal company contest. Yahoo...

(Although I now know I wish it was a plasma!!!! But beggars can't be choosers )

Anyway, I am still only using Analog capture cards (PVR150) to record TV, and I also watch the occasional Torrent. The New TV displays so much more detail, I had no idea that my video signal sucked royally...

I'll be playing with Digital and HD whenever I get around to updating my recording server (gonna use for playback too) but for now I wanted to give some hope to any of you still using Analog and not really happy with the picture...

GET A VIDEO AMP !!! OMG it's night and day !!! Sure the Picture isn't HD, but the picture is so much clearer. The colour richer. And one thing I love, is watching a show broadcast in SD but with letterbox, and then using the 'Remove Letterbox' F7 Aspect Ratio choice, to fill my screen... It really looks not too bad. It will almost let me wait even longer before I go to HD...

I install HD for the local company daily, and I'm disgusted with the amount of compression that both the local land based providers use on their HD signals. (I also have to bite my tongue daily). Yes it's better than my SD, but not by much... It looks like an over-compressed HD ripped Torrent. So I will probably go Satellite when I'm ready.

One other thing I'm so bloody impressed with is: ZProcess works really, really well !!! (Sorry for tooting my own horn - but I've only really tested wide screen aspect ratios on a 9" Portable DVD screen :p )

It's really not that bad with the MVP. Coupled with the Video Amp, and better recorded programs, the MVP works well for me. I'll probably only go Popcorn Hour when the guys get comskip going, and I have HD sources...

And that's my water cooler talk...

[pcostanza]

What video amp did you get?
While I can't compete with your new toy, I recently upgraded my monitor to the 24" Samsung and was very impressed with both analog and HD. In fact, for now, my home doesn't have HD except for my home office which is using both ATSC and the ATI OCUR tuners. I'm finding myself in my office more watching tv and the wife wondering what she did to me so that I don't watch much tv in the den. I just tell her the dog smells.

[zehd]

What video amp did you get?
While I can't compete with your new toy, I recently upgraded my monitor to the 24" Samsung and was very impressed with both analog and HD. In fact, for now, my home doesn't have HD except for my home office which is using both ATSC and the ATI OCUR tuners. I'm finding myself in my office more watching tv and the wife wondering what she did to me so that I don't watch much tv in the den. I just tell her the dog smells.

I bought the nexxtech TV/VCR/FM Signal amp (I believe will only help Analog as there are others that are more expensive that say they will assist with digital signals too) from "The Source by Circuit City" for about 35 CAD (which is about par to US)...

The ex, knowing that I had won a TV but hadn't received it yet, went out and bought a 46" plasma, knowing that I would help her if she had troubles, because I would have first hand knowledge with wide screens (I'm getting paid for it)

She is also only using analog, and a few days ago she was watching Canadian Idol finale, and the picture looked like it was in a snow storm. I know that a video amp will help the ex-waf considerably...

For you Amercian Southerners, snow is that white stuff that they sing about at Christmas, and most of you wish you'd see at least once a year. :p

[pcostanza]

Thanks for the amp info.
I have actually seen snow and in fact, in New Orleans, it snows about every 10 years.....just like I like it.
The only other snow they have down here is the stuff the criminals kill each other for.

[zehd]

Thanks for the amp info.
I have actually seen snow and in fact, in New Orleans, it snows about every 10 years.....just like I like it.
The only other snow they have down here is the stuff the criminals kill each other for.

Congrats on your 1000th post

[drlava]

Congrats, you deserve it from the work you have put into improving others TV experiences
Yes cable HD is compressed a lot. If the broadcast HD situation in Canada is good, take advantage of it, it is decent here in Cleveland OH.

[zehd]

Congrats, you deserve it from the work you have put into improving others TV experiences
Yes cable HD is compressed a lot. If the broadcast HD situation in Canada is good, take advantage of it, it is decent here in Cleveland OH.

Yeah, and we have till 2011 till Analog is shut down. That might be a double edged sword though, as we will be behind in HD tech...

[mvallevand]

Here in Ottawa our third OTA HD station started this week. Because of the rules that allow the cable co's to override US HD broadcasts with Canadian equivalents I think we will get reasonable choice before broadcasters are forced to do it. Too bad I wanted to see the American Super Bowl commercials that I haven't seen since I had a B.U.D.

This new channel (SunTV) is interesting because it was never analog and they are broadcasting HD and SD over one ATSC channel. It cuts into the HD bandwidth but it will be great for recording the majority SD content.

As for comskip on the Popcorn Hour don't count on it.

Martin

[mikeh49]

Zehd, since you have good picture quality on a large LCD TV, what are your settings:

Video Card/Driver/Settings
Renderer
Picture resolution (1366X768?)
Connection to TV (VGA, DVI, HDMI)
Any PVR settings tweaked, driver version

I also record and view analog SD on a 40" sony LCD TV, and, while the picture is OK, I wouldn't consider it great. I also added an amp because of all the splitters.

I'd be happy to share my settings if anyone is interested.

Thanks.

[pcostanza]

Congrats on your 1000th post

Thanks but most of my posts have been questions for help so I'm doubtful I've helped anyone. I hadn't even looked at the counts. I'm in another forum and have been for 4 years or so (somewhat mini moderator and guru) and I hated the post count so much I asked for it to be set to a minus number and they did. I was demoted to -1144 or something. You know how many private messages you get when you have high post counts? Some people actually think I know something just due to my post counts.
Anyway, thanks for the congrats but I'm still learning much more from the rest of the gang here than I'm able to pay back (pay if forward).