FTA satellite to HDTV
#1
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FTA satellite to HDTV
Hello,
I have a FTA reciever but is it HD? As I understand it Sky is HD but I only have FTA, so my questions are;
Is FTA broadcast in HD?
If so, will I need a HD sat box?
Is it poss to make standard definition (SD) signals look better on HDTV?
I wondered why everyone looked short and dumpy on the new TV.
Well apparently I'm not alone in my ignorance, they say that 25% of HDTV owners are only getting SD signals.
I have a FTA reciever but is it HD? As I understand it Sky is HD but I only have FTA, so my questions are;
Is FTA broadcast in HD?
If so, will I need a HD sat box?
Is it poss to make standard definition (SD) signals look better on HDTV?
I wondered why everyone looked short and dumpy on the new TV.
Well apparently I'm not alone in my ignorance, they say that 25% of HDTV owners are only getting SD signals.
#2
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
Hello,
I have a FTA reciever but is it HD? As I understand it Sky is HD but I only have FTA, so my questions are;
Is FTA broadcast in HD?
If so, will I need a HD sat box?
Is it poss to make standard definition (SD) signals look better on HDTV?
I wondered why everyone looked short and dumpy on the new TV.
Well apparently I'm not alone in my ignorance, they say that 25% of HDTV owners are only getting SD signals.
I have a FTA reciever but is it HD? As I understand it Sky is HD but I only have FTA, so my questions are;
Is FTA broadcast in HD?
If so, will I need a HD sat box?
Is it poss to make standard definition (SD) signals look better on HDTV?
I wondered why everyone looked short and dumpy on the new TV.
Well apparently I'm not alone in my ignorance, they say that 25% of HDTV owners are only getting SD signals.
Sky boxes are either SD or HD depending on which box you buy. If you pay a subscription there are many HD channels available.
When you receive a SD signal, unless the box is connected via an HDMI connection, it is the TV that "upscales" the picture to fit the HD screen - it doesn't make it an HD picture. If it didn't upscale it, you would have a small picture in the middle of the screen!
Some TV's are better at upscaling than others. Also if you have an HD Freesat or Sky HD box the upscaling will be done by that box but there is no guarantee that it will do it any better than the TV.
A lot of DVD players are sold with the claim that they upscale to HD giving the impression that they will play ordinary DVS in HD - not true! As with the Sat box situation, the TV does it automatically anyway but neither will create a HD picture from an SD source..
If the picture you are getting is "short and dumpy" then it sounds like you haven't got the aspect ratio settings right on either the box or the TV. Most programs are in wide screen format and the box/TV shout automatically sort it out. Have a look in the manuals.
#3
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
Just to add the FJs reply:
Bit difficult to tell you if you have a HD receiver or not given you do not tell us any make or model number of the receiver you have.
There are 37 HD channels available on the UK TV / Sky TV satellites.
Of those 37 only BBC HD, ITV HD and Luxe HD are FTA.
C4 HD is FTV - requires a sky card - freesatfromsky or subscription.
All the others require a Sky subscription to view.
BBC HD, ITV HD and Luxe HD are the only UK TV FTA HD channels at the moment.
The other 200 plus FTA channels are SD...
If you want to watch HD channels then you will need a HD receiver.
If you want to watch these HD channels in HD then you will also need a HD TV - conencted to your HDTV via a HDMI cable.
(you can watch HD channels on a normal TV - connnected to your HD receiver via Scart, but they will not be in HD quality!)
As Fred has said, this is down to the widescreen settings of your receiver and / or TV. And not all channels or programmes are not transmitted in widescreen.
Bit difficult to tell you if you have a HD receiver or not given you do not tell us any make or model number of the receiver you have.
There are 37 HD channels available on the UK TV / Sky TV satellites.
Of those 37 only BBC HD, ITV HD and Luxe HD are FTA.
C4 HD is FTV - requires a sky card - freesatfromsky or subscription.
All the others require a Sky subscription to view.
BBC HD, ITV HD and Luxe HD are the only UK TV FTA HD channels at the moment.
The other 200 plus FTA channels are SD...
If you want to watch HD channels then you will need a HD receiver.
If you want to watch these HD channels in HD then you will also need a HD TV - conencted to your HDTV via a HDMI cable.
(you can watch HD channels on a normal TV - connnected to your HD receiver via Scart, but they will not be in HD quality!)
As Fred has said, this is down to the widescreen settings of your receiver and / or TV. And not all channels or programmes are not transmitted in widescreen.
#4
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Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
I couldn't have wished for a better, informative and concise reply.
I will certainly be twiddling my aspect ratio, I thought aspect was something you got when you bend over in a chicken house
Many thanks to you both, much appreciated.
I will certainly be twiddling my aspect ratio, I thought aspect was something you got when you bend over in a chicken house
Many thanks to you both, much appreciated.
#5
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 882
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
You know when you wish you'd never asked
It appears to me that this thread should be a warning NOT to spend trillions on a wide screen HDTV.
From what I read they are, for most, a complete waste of time and money.
Apart from the odd one or two progs that are broadcast in HD using 16.9 format the rest are still in 4.3 standard definition.
This means you have 2 choices,
1. Watch TV with black bars on the screen.
2. Watch TV with sides of picture missing and everyone looking like wombles.
Great choice. From what I read there is no plan to standardise formats so your TV will always look like this.
Advice, by a normal size TV
It appears to me that this thread should be a warning NOT to spend trillions on a wide screen HDTV.
From what I read they are, for most, a complete waste of time and money.
Apart from the odd one or two progs that are broadcast in HD using 16.9 format the rest are still in 4.3 standard definition.
This means you have 2 choices,
1. Watch TV with black bars on the screen.
2. Watch TV with sides of picture missing and everyone looking like wombles.
Great choice. From what I read there is no plan to standardise formats so your TV will always look like this.
Advice, by a normal size TV
#6
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
Most programmes made these days are made in widescreen, so as long as you have your reciver set to 16:9 and your tv on 16:9 ou will be ok.
its just when channels show older programmes that were made in 4:3 they get squashed around. you therefore have to make sure your TV and receivers are set up correctly to get the correct picture format.
If you ghave a sky pay tv subscription, and have sports and movies, then you Do notice the difference between SD and HD - and is worth the extra £10 per month.
If you just have Freesat, then on your new super dooper HD TV you can only get BBC HD ITV HD and Luxe HD. BBC HD and ITV HD are not full channels.
BBC HD is a best of BBC output, and not a full simulcast of BBC1 or BB2..
ITVHD is about 1 programme in HD a week...usually football or The Bill!
(Although on freeview only in the UK) they have a full time upscaled ITVHD channel.)
its just when channels show older programmes that were made in 4:3 they get squashed around. you therefore have to make sure your TV and receivers are set up correctly to get the correct picture format.
If you ghave a sky pay tv subscription, and have sports and movies, then you Do notice the difference between SD and HD - and is worth the extra £10 per month.
If you just have Freesat, then on your new super dooper HD TV you can only get BBC HD ITV HD and Luxe HD. BBC HD and ITV HD are not full channels.
BBC HD is a best of BBC output, and not a full simulcast of BBC1 or BB2..
ITVHD is about 1 programme in HD a week...usually football or The Bill!
(Although on freeview only in the UK) they have a full time upscaled ITVHD channel.)
#7
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 614
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
But be aware you have to sit close enough to the screen to be able to perceive the higher quality from the smaller "dots" (that's presuming in the future the HD channels won't have their data compressed so much as to make them the same quality as normal channels.
Anyhow this chart tells you what distance to sit at and how big a screen you'll need if you want to sit further away.
Anyhow this chart tells you what distance to sit at and how big a screen you'll need if you want to sit further away.
#8
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
I noticed a HUGE difference in a HD LCD and a HD LED TV
the difference between the two technologies was very noticable, even from say 2 meters.
this was on two TVs by the same manufacturer, buth showing the same output via HDMI.
The LG LED was 100 euros cheaper than the LCD.
The LED has a contract ratio of 1m:1, where are the LCD has 30K:1.
(contract ratio is the number of shades of grey a tv displays between white and black!)
although this looks nice...
"The 152in 3D TV has a screen equivalent to nine 50in panels. For optimum viewing you would need to be seated between 25ft and 38ft away, according to industry experts."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...it-lounge.html
something tells me you may need to reinforce the walls to mount it...>!
the difference between the two technologies was very noticable, even from say 2 meters.
this was on two TVs by the same manufacturer, buth showing the same output via HDMI.
The LG LED was 100 euros cheaper than the LCD.
The LED has a contract ratio of 1m:1, where are the LCD has 30K:1.
(contract ratio is the number of shades of grey a tv displays between white and black!)
although this looks nice...
"The 152in 3D TV has a screen equivalent to nine 50in panels. For optimum viewing you would need to be seated between 25ft and 38ft away, according to industry experts."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...it-lounge.html
something tells me you may need to reinforce the walls to mount it...>!
#9
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
We can notice a vast difference in sound and vision with BBC and ITV HD on a 42in LG plasma and a Bush Freesat HD.
#10
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 483
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
I noticed a HUGE difference in a HD LCD and a HD LED TV
the difference between the two technologies was very noticable, even from say 2 meters.
this was on two TVs by the same manufacturer, buth showing the same output via HDMI.
The LG LED was 100 euros cheaper than the LCD.
The LED has a contract ratio of 1m:1, where are the LCD has 30K:1.
(contract ratio is the number of shades of grey a tv displays between white and black!)
although this looks nice...
"The 152in 3D TV has a screen equivalent to nine 50in panels. For optimum viewing you would need to be seated between 25ft and 38ft away, according to industry experts."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...it-lounge.html
something tells me you may need to reinforce the walls to mount it...>!
the difference between the two technologies was very noticable, even from say 2 meters.
this was on two TVs by the same manufacturer, buth showing the same output via HDMI.
The LG LED was 100 euros cheaper than the LCD.
The LED has a contract ratio of 1m:1, where are the LCD has 30K:1.
(contract ratio is the number of shades of grey a tv displays between white and black!)
although this looks nice...
"The 152in 3D TV has a screen equivalent to nine 50in panels. For optimum viewing you would need to be seated between 25ft and 38ft away, according to industry experts."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...it-lounge.html
something tells me you may need to reinforce the walls to mount it...>!
#11
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
the 2 LGs TV that i saw, one was LED and one was LCD, the two were side by side, with the same film and both with HDMI, good for comparison. As i said, the LED had a vastly superior contrast ratio tot he LCD, and so it shows much more colour range. And, surprisingly, cost less - even though has all the same features as the LCD counterpart...
(wish i noted down the model numbers!)
Rumour is that they use less energy than plasmas and LCD.s
People bought plasmas as they were the thing to have, then they got cheaper as LCDs came in, now LCDs are getting cheaper as LEDs are coming in, and I am sure they will be cheaper in the next few months as 3DTVs come into the market. Then they will become cheaper as ultra HD comes into play....
(wish i noted down the model numbers!)
Rumour is that they use less energy than plasmas and LCD.s
People bought plasmas as they were the thing to have, then they got cheaper as LCDs came in, now LCDs are getting cheaper as LEDs are coming in, and I am sure they will be cheaper in the next few months as 3DTVs come into the market. Then they will become cheaper as ultra HD comes into play....
#12
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
I thought LED backlights are now being used inside LCD TVs to replace the cathode backlighting system, which is slowly being phased out, due to the LEDs being much more power efficient.
#13
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Posts: 882
Re: FTA satellite to HDTV
On my own prob, I think it's the same as many others, trying to connect older equipment to new and only having FTA. I guess Sky is looking not a bad idea.