Need help with new HD T.V.

[JC]

Ok guys, so it finally happened, we were pushed into technology whether we liked it or not...Our Flat screen TV finally went out today, so we went out and purchased our first HD TV, a Toshiba 40" HD LCD TV....

Now the cable picture is awesome, we only have component cables going to the cable box and our DVD palyer, the lady we talked to from our cable company said that there wouldn't be much difference between component and HDMI, but the picture is great with component....

Now the real issue is with our DVD picture, I mean it's a horrible picture! Now I know wer'e not using HDMI cables yet and just component, and not a Blue Ray DVD player, but I know the picture has to come out better than this for DVD's

The weird thing is that we can't change the resolutions on the TV or DVD player during playback, it just stays on 480p or 480i..We have gone thru both the TV and DVD menus and there is nothing to change the resolution for the DVD playback....So Im wondering if HDMI cables will make that much of a difference or what...

So if anyone can help us with info or any tips, please let me know...if it helps, it's a Toshiba with the model number :40RV525R...

 

[darthviper107]

It's saying 480p or 480i with your DVD's because that's what they are, it's just that your DVD player can't output anything larger.

If you want your DVD's to look better without buying a Blu-Ray player, you need an up-converting DVD player. These process the DVD image to a larger size and output at 1080p

There is a certain crisp quality with HDMI, but it should still look good with component either way.

 

[JC]

It's saying 480p or 480i with your DVD's because that's what they are, it's just that your DVD player can't output anything larger.

If you want your DVD's to look better without buying a Blu-Ray player, you need an up-converting DVD player. These process the DVD image to a larger size and output at 1080p

There is a certain crisp quality with HDMI, but it should still look good with component either way.

Well, it's a Panasonic all in one theater system DVD player and it does say 1920/1080p up conversion...So we just don't get it...

 

[EVILFACE]

How old is your current dvd player? does it have progressive scan?

I'd just go to Best Buy and grab a upconvert player for $50ish and call it a day.

 

[JustinLuck]

Hey JC, sorry I can't be much help. I've never seen DVD look good on an HDTV. But I have to say, if you have invested in an HDTV, you might as well go the extra mile and purchase a Blu-ray player. Trust me, you will NOT regret the investment. It's like going from VHS to DVD all over again.

 

[JC]

How old is your current dvd player? does it have progressive scan?

I'd just go to Best Buy and grab a upconvert player for $50ish and call it a day.

yeah but that's the thing, it does say it's a upconvert DVD player...It has the option to choose interlaced or progressive and that's all we could find...

 

[pixletwin]

Hmmm is this why my DVDs have a fuzzy line on them when I play them on my HD tv?

 

[EVILFACE]

What model is it? I have a Toshiba 40RV525U 40" 1080p 60hz for the bedroom that standard dvd's look awesome on through a cheap panasonic upconvert player. I am using hdmi on it.

 

[JC]

What model is it? I have a Toshiba 40RV525U 40" 1080p 60hz for the bedroom that standard dvd's look awesome on through a cheap panasonic upconvert player. I am using hdmi on it.

The model number is 40RV525R yeah, maybe the HDMI cable will help with this...

 

[EVILFACE]

Get them from here, they are cheap, good and ship fast. I would buy 3 cables since you have 3 hdmi imputs.

https://www.firefold.com/HDMI-to-HDMI-Cables-C83.aspx

 

[JC]

Yeah Im gonna try the HDMI's and see how those do...So do the HDMI's really make the picture that much better for TV and DVD movies, compared to component?

 

[BadMoon]

In order to properly work the upconvert feature you NEED an HDMI cable. That said I still don't think you will see a huge difference. Your best bet would be to invest in a Bluray player. I would recommend just buying a PS3 and the remote. Best Bluray player on the market and it is easy to get proper software updates for it. Good luck!

 

[Red]

Yeah Im gonna try the HDMI's and see how those do...So do the HDMI's really make the picture that much better for TV and DVD movies, compared to component?

Just dont get talked into buying a HDMI cable for an outrageous price on a brand like Monster.

A cable worth around 20-30 dollars does exactly the same thing as one worth a couple of hundred so just dont believe all the hype some shops try to convince you with.

 

[Natrix]

In order to properly work the upconvert feature you NEED an HDMI cable. That said I still don't think you will see a huge difference. Your best bet would be to invest in a Bluray player. I would recommend just buying a PS3 and the remote. Best Bluray player on the market and it is easy to get proper software updates for it. Good luck!

What he said, you will need HDMI cables to get 1080P from the DVD player.

Have you calibrated your new TV properly? You will usually need to calibrate each input separately. Most new TV's will upconvert signals internally to display 1080P. It will still show 480i/P as an input signal when you check though.

 

[Natrix]

What exactly is horrible about the picture by the way?

 

[JC]

Well the DVD picture is very grainy, pixelated and blurry...and if you can tell me, what do you mean by calabirate your TV? Any tips to help me get the best picture possible from my TV thru cable? and yeah I already have an HD cable box..

 

[Gruson]

Something is not right. DVDs can still look very good on 16:9 sets....not HD but not blurry by any means.

1. Make sure DVD player is set to progressive
2. Make sure TV type is set to 16:9 in DVD menu
3. Make sure component cables are hooked up correctly or even try another set of cables
4. Make sure to use a quality DVD (Transformers, new release, etc)
5. You may have an older DVD player, think about buying a better upconverting player (like Oppo)
6. Buy HDMI cable from www.monoprice.com and try to use it instead of component

HD will always look better than a DVD.

Go buy a PS3 for your BluRay player.

 

[Natrix]

Well the DVD picture is very grainy, pixelated and blurry...and if you can tell me, what do you mean by calabirate your TV? Any tips to help me get the best picture possible from my TV thru cable? and yeah I already have an HD cable box..

Calibrating your TV involves adjusting the brightness, contrast, sharpness and colors for each of your TV inputs through your TV's menu to get the best picture quality. If you haven't done that yet, the factory presets are usually way out of whack for a home viewing environment. Sharpness is probably set too high (causes artifacts you are describing) along with the contrast and brightness.

Search Google, lots of info out there like the following to get you started.


https://www.hometheatermag.com/advicefromtheexperts/407cali/

https://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/lcdtv/lcd-tv-calibration.html

You can also look up your TV here for some calibration settings that should get you in the ball park of what you need but all TV's and viewing environments are different.

https://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/

 

[JC]

Ok guys, we used a HDMI cable with our DVD player and it really didn't help the picture at all, it's still just as grainy, now remember we do have a upconvert player and set the DVD to HDMI and even set it to 1080p and it still didn't help..

Now my question is, is there anyway to improve the picture on our DVD's using our regular player?, and if we do get a Blue Ray, will it play our old DVD's and enhance them?...I really don't wanna have to replace all our old DVD's for Blue Ray's...

 

[BadMoon]

Ok guys, we used a HDMI cable with our DVD player and it really didn't help the picture at all, it's still just as grainy, now remember we do have a upconvert player and set the DVD to HDMI and even set it to 1080p and it still didn't help..

Now my question is, is there anyway to improve the picture on our DVD's using our regular player?, and if we do get a Blue Ray, will it play our old DVD's and enhance them?...I really don't wanna have to replace all our old DVD's for Blue Ray's...

JC do me a favor. Throw a dvd in and turn all your lights off. Then Pause it and snap a pic. I wanna see what you are looking at.