No difference between Standard and HD picture

[Crusader52]

I have a Toshiba TX-P46S20B, full HD ready with Freeview HD. There appears to be no difference between the picture quality of the standard channels and their HD equivalent (eg BBC1 and BBC1 HD). Picture quality of both are good, but I had expected the HD channels to be special!

Should I have bought a new aerial to be able to benefit from the HD channels?

 

[Sureitsoff?]

You might find that the programme you are watching was recorded in SD in the first place.

 

[ericmark]

We have a Blu-ray player same idea better quality and quite clearly if the normal DVD player and Blu-ray are compared the Blu-ray is better. But take a DVD and a Blu-ray disk and with early recordings we can't see any difference.

We consider there are two reasons.
1) The master recording was not HD in first place.
2) The software in the Blu-ray player enhances to old recording.

Even where we can on our 32 inch TV see better picture quality this can only be seen if one is seated with ones eye within 6 foot of the TV. I would say we are normally seated with around 12 foot or more so to start seeing benefit from HD the TV would need to be at least 64 inch. So unless we were to get a projector the idea of HD TV is really just not worth it. Except in that the HD is often broadcast at different times to standard.

The only time when we use the full resolution is when using the TV as a computer monitor. i.e. we are very close to the set.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Should I have bought a new aerial to be able to benefit from the HD channels?

Well if some of the cowboys are to be believed then yes, a special "digital" aerial to catch all the noughts and ones floating around in the sky. They also claim gold plating helps.

If you can receive the Freeview HD channels and they don't break up then your old aerial works just fine. No need to change.

Part of the problem with telling SD and HD apart is the TV settings. So many TVs do their best to make all the pictures look equally hideous. Too much sharpness, contrast, colour and "image enhancement" which makes everything look awful.

On a half-properly sorted TV the difference between SD and HD is noticeable, though you might need to move closer to appreciate the difference fully.

 

[75pete]

This may sound silly but are you looking at the correct channel? ie channels 50' 51 etc as there are only 4 HD freesat that would work.
Pete

 

[Crusader52]

The HD channels I am most interested in are 50 (BBC1), 51 (BBC2), 52 (ITV1) and 54 (BBC HD). I haven't seen a Channel 4 or 5 HD on the guide yet.

I understand the programmes I am comparing are in HD because they have the HD symbol on the guide, and you can select to watch in standard def or HD. But they always look the same to me, so I just watch in SD.

Thanks for the info about the aerial, though. The pictures are fine, no pixalation etc.

 

[dogfonos]

A friend recently purchased a well-reviewed 32" Samsung full HD LCD TV. Yes, I can see the difference between an HD broadcast and it's SD equivalent but this difference is really minimal. And, no matter how the set is adjusted, it can't display a 'natural' picture, to my eyes (and don't get me started on motion blur...).

It shouldn't surprise us that product marketing departments have over-egged the benefits of HD TV particularly for smaller screens or for folks who sit far back from bigger screens.

 

[briancbb]

Isn't the TX-P46S20B, Panasonic not Toshiba.

Many programs at the moment are derived from SD material, as already stated so little difference will be seen. If you have a BR player, can you see a difference between BR and standard DVD.

If you have a sound system that will recognise Dolby Digital, programs transmitted with this are derived from HD material.

 

[Crusader52]

Yes sorry, Panasonic. Getting 2 TVs mixed up.

 

[Grizzly]

The HD channels I am most interested in are 50 (BBC1), 51 (BBC2), 52 (ITV1) and 54 (BBC HD). I haven't seen a Channel 4 or 5 HD on the guide yet.

The Freeview HD Channels are

50: BBC ONE HD
51: ITV 1 HD
52: 4 HD
53: Clirlun (Wales only)
54: BBC HD

You may need to retune your receiver to get the all the above. BBC TWO is not available on HD.

Details here: http://www.freeview.co.uk/HD

 

[ChrisFrost]

The HD channels I am most interested in are 50 (BBC1), 51 (BBC2), 52 (ITV1) and 54 (BBC HD). I haven't seen a Channel 4 or 5 HD on the guide yet.

I understand the programmes I am comparing are in HD because they have the HD symbol on the guide, and you can select to watch in standard def or HD. But they always look the same to me, so I just watch in SD.

Thanks for the info about the aerial, though. The pictures are fine, no pixalation etc.

Depending on which bit of Cheshire you are in I might be able to swing by and give your system the once over.