HELP, bought a new t.v

[whufc]

Just a question as i know nothing about the techanical side of full hd, standard hd and soforth. We bought a t.v which while watching in-store looked absolutley magnificent, since we bought it and got it home we aren't seeming to get the same picture quality we saw.

The t.v we bought is a 54 inch Panasonic plasma model number being TH-P54S10A. It say it has
-full HD 1920 x 1080p
-HDMI
-DVB
-AVCHD
-Viera Link
-HDTV
-viera image viewer

All this means nothing to me so my question is

1/ Have we bought a decent t.v?
2/ what will be the best set-up settings considering we have to plug in Foxtel and DVD player eg, should we put foxtel through AV or HDMI and soforth?

Like i said i know nothing about t.v so any advice in as simple terms as possible would be hugely appreciated including beers owed to you at the SANFL this season.

Will add i have read the instructions but they don't offer alot of assistance that i can understand.

[Psyber]

http://panasonic.com.au/products/detail ... ectID=5306
It should be a good set - mine is a 50" version of the same type/make and is working great, and I think Wedgie's is too.
If your picture quality is down you may need to get your antenna checked.
I have no experience with Foxtel, but the general idea is to use HDMI for everything that will connect with it.
[Beware of rip off prices on "Big Name" HDMI cables in some places.]

[whufc]

thanks im looking into the HDMI cables now that maybe the case for us i don't remember spending much on the cables.

[Psyber]

You need cables to the full 1080i or 1080p standard, but beyond that there is a lot of hype about brands going on.
You might talk to your local computer dealer about the checking his price on 5-packs of 1.8 metre cables from the wholesaler "Anyware".
[Reference code RC-HDMI-2OEM.]
They claim they are up to scratch and pricing is a fraction of what the big stores charge..

[JAS]

http://panasonic.com.au/products/details.cfm?objectID=5306
It should be a good set - mine is a 50" version of the same type/make and is working great, and I think Wedgie's is too.
If your picture quality is down you may need to get your antenna checked.
I have no experience with Foxtel, but the general idea is to use HDMI for everything that will connect with it.
[Beware of rip off prices on "Big Name" HDMI cables in some places.]

Something to bear in mind is that unless you know 100% that what's on screen in store is live tv then there's a good chance what you're seeing is a dvd (even if it appears to be a normal tv show) which is almost always going to look perfect.

Regards
JAS

[whufc]

http://panasonic.com.au/products/details.cfm?objectID=5306
It should be a good set - mine is a 50" version of the same type/make and is working great, and I think Wedgie's is too.
If your picture quality is down you may need to get your antenna checked.
I have no experience with Foxtel, but the general idea is to use HDMI for everything that will connect with it.
[Beware of rip off prices on "Big Name" HDMI cables in some places.]

Something to bear in mind is that unless you know 100% that what's on screen in store is live tv then there's a good chance what you're seeing is a dvd (even if it appears to be a normal tv show) which is almost always going to look perfect.

Regards
JAS

That may have been the only thing i did do right, they had the cricket on the t.v and it matched up as the Aussies took and wicket and my mate rang straight away to tell me because it was a failry decent catch and he was a tad to excited.

[JAS]

fair enough then.

Regards
JAS

[dedja]

A few points that may help.

1. picture quality for the inbuilt digital tuner.

As you are obviously using a digital tuner (if you are inadvertantly using the analogue tuner there's your problem ), the quality of the display is dictated by the quality of the broadcast ... ie. crap in, crap out. So a poorly recorded program will look shite no matter what TV you have. On the other hand, a program recorded in full HD will look stunning. In terms of the antenna, digital tuners either give you a good picture or nothing, so if you are getting a picture that is not pixelating, that's the best picture you're going to get. Changing or adjusting the antenna will do SFA. In the old analogue days, the picture quality would depend on the quaility of the antenna and signal. Digital TV is much more forgiving but when you do get a poor signal, it pixelates so much it's unwatchable. If you are getting pixelation, then it could be orientation of the antenna, quality of the coax cabling from the antenna, the fly lead to the TV, the antenna itself, or the stations you have tuned (there are 2 transmitters in Adelaide, so if you get double channels, select the one with the strongest and most stable signal). Removing pixelation is a black art and can be very frustrating.

2. quality of cables for connecting Foxtel, DVD recorders, etc.

Very simple rule here ... a cable is simple a length of insulated copper, nothing else. If you require small length cables (less than 2 metres, say), buy the cheapest cable you can find. Do not, under any circumstance, buy a Monster cable costing $200. The ACCC should do something about these cable manufacturers and resellers, they are an absolute fraud. Consult Ohm's law if in any doubt. The only time a 'better' quality cable will make any difference is in a very long cable.

3. type of cables

Highest quality: HDMI (includes audio)
Very Good quality: Component (Y Pb Pr - RGB)
Good Quality: S-Video (4-pin YC Ground)
Average quality: composite (yellow)

So depending on the connections out from your Foxtel, DVD, etc and the connections in available to you on the TV, select the highest quality available to you to connect A to B. ie. HDMI to HDMI, component to component, etc.



To specifically address the poorer than expected quality you are experiencing from the TV, make sure you are watching a HD program on a HD channel ... eg. 9HD on Ch 90. If you compare that to the same program broadcast on Ch9 (SD) you will notice signifcant difference. So make sure you are comparing apples with apples.

[Psyber]

I ran into a problem when I was using a cheap DG-TEC digital HD set top box with my old CRT TV.
At one end of the house I got pixellation and stuttering in the picture and at the other I didn't.
It turned out the cable between the antenna and the problem wall socket was corroded at a junction where it was split to go in two directions.
The technician told me some older antennae that were not meant for digital reception don't pick up the signal very well, but mine was fine and the cable junction in the roof was the only issue.

[dedja]

The most appropriate coax cable is quad shielded RG6.

Digital signals can suffer from impulse interference and the extra shielding in this cable helps mitigate the issue.

[Dog_ger]

ha....

bought a new tv.

Dog_gers knees will not allow him to get into the ceiling space to connect up to the existing aireal.....

One day....

[The Sleeping Giant]

When viewing HD tvs in the shop, the settings used are extremely high in contrast, brightness and colour. It is a trick to make the display look more appealing.

[Wedgie]

When viewing HD tvs in the shop, the settings used are extremely high in contrast, brightness and colour. It is a trick to make the display look more appealing.

And they adjust the settings so that the TVs they want to sell look more appealing.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Good point. Makes buying a new display very difficult. I always go by the policy, "You get what you pay for".

I will say that Panasonic do make very good HD displays.