HELP: HDTV reception (1 Viewer)

[andy_ng]

hi all
i have a few question about getting hdtv reception. What equipment do i need to get HI DEF? I have a Samsung 55' widescreen with the digital decoder builtin and would like to tune in some HD programs provided by directTV (i'm subscribing to DirectTV soon).My tv doesnt have the VGA input but has component inputs. I know that i need to get the elliptical satellite dish and a receiver(AC3 capable). Do i need to get the for example the RCA DCT-100 decoder?
The people who i was ordering my DSS system told me that i need one. I thought that since my tv has the decoder in it that i dont need it. Correct me if im wrong.
Second, i dont know what kind of cable they use when they built my house but can i run DirectTv reception over regular cable line if in fact it is a regular cable line?
Please say yes because i dont want to rewire my whole house.
Thanks in advance for helping me out people
andy

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Welcome to the forum, Andy!
Can you tell us the model number of your television? That would answer the question definitively if it is only "HD-ready" or a true HDTV (with the HDTV tuner built-in). If it has a tuner, you won't need one as a part of your set-top-box.
How old is your house? If it is fairly recent, odds are your cable is RG6, which is what you should use for satellite and/or satellite diplexed with an off-the-air antenna (which you will need for broadcast HDTV).
I don't do DirecTV, but I'm sure one of our other members here will be able to help you with those questions.
Regards,
Steve

 

[andy_ng]

thanks steve for the reply. im actually posting for a friend who has the Samsung TV. It is HDTV with the decoder built inside. Im not sure what the model # is. Anyway he has a brand new house so i guess we're in good shape.
So let assume it is a HD TV ( if not i'll him a better HD receiver/decoder than the RCA), what about the connection from the DirectTV receiver to the TV. Via ?? S-video? composite?
I have directTV and the receiver only has S-video and composite. I read somewhere here that HD signal doesnt get pass through S-video or composite.
Thanks again
andy

 

[George Fogel]

Help!!!!
I'm very confused about the relative quality of different connections, in particular VGA vs Component.
A friend has the Pioneer (non-Elite) 53" HDTV-ready set and the RCA DTC-100. He has a VGA line connecting the converter to the TV and the HDTV picture is breathtaking.
Would an adapter-to-Component connection result in a still better picture?
I'm also confused by part of Andy's post:

Since your friends TV does have a VGA input and the RCA does you are going to need to buy a VGA to Component Video Converter.

If the RCA and the TV both have VGA connectors why would an adaptor be needed (or is there a missing 'not' as in "since your friends TV does NOT have a VGA input..."?)
Thanks for any clarification.
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[George Fogel]

No problem, Andy, I kind of suspected that.
My question remains, though: which connection should provide a better HDTV picture: VGA or component? Or, is the difference not that great?
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[teague]

George,
If you are using the Pioneer SD5x2-HD5 and the RCA DT100, both have VGA connections, so you would want to use that. Converting the RCA VGA (RGB) out to component and then using the component in on the pioneer will not improve the picture quality. If the converter is not of high quality, it will actually degrade the quality. It is always better to stay with the native format on both devices if you can.
Chris Teague

 

[George Fogel]

Chris,
Thanks for your explanation. A friend has the Pioneer SD-532HD5 and the RCA DTC-100 and I'm planning to get the same soon. The HDTV off the air reception is wonderful, but I guess I'm always looking for an improvement...
George
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