Progressive scan display on Toshiba RPTV (1 Viewer)

[DinoS]

Hi folks,

I'm still trying to get the hang of all this high-def and progressive scan stuff and had a question as to the integrity of my display.

A couple weeks ago I bought a Toshiba 50H12 RPTV from Costco (which, from what I understand, is the same as the 50H82 model sold in other stores). I also now have a Sony 5-disc progressive scan DVD player, plugged into the component input of the TV.

I have put the display through the standard AVIA setup and when playing the Star Wars Episode II DVD, the screen looks pretty crisp (which it should, as the movie was shot entirely in digital). The progressive output is definitely working (the "Progressive" light is on when the DVD plays).

However, last night I was watching my Jurassic Park DVD, and really felt like the image on the TV was not up to snuff. There was routine minor pixellation in spots, including two constant vertical bands down either side of the middle of the set that were slightly blurry, and it was decidedly NOT a signal anywhere close to "hi-def", which is what I've heard that progressive scan DVDs can _somewhat_ approximate.

My question is: am I missing something in the chain here? I've setup the DVD player so that it's definitely sending a progressive signal, and it's plugged into one of the two TV inputs that definitely accept progressive signals. I *am* using fairly cheap cables -- could that make a big difference? Or are there other possible reasons that my image quality was less than spectacular for that movie?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Dino

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Jurassic Park is not one of the best looking DVD's out there.

Problem is with the disc and not the TV.

Regards

 

[DinoS]

Thanks for the reply. Any chance a component cable upgrade will help significantly? The ones I have now are probably at the far low end of cheap.

Dino

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Better component cables just can't do as much as you might think. Any improvement would be subtle at best and will not make a mediocre transfer anything more than it is. A mediocre transfer.

For myself, I've never been a big believer in hyper expensive cables for video.

Regards

 

[Shana]

Michael,

Which company's cables would you recommend?

Thanks,
Shana

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

You could try better cables, but I suspect Michael is right. Afterall, you already saw what 480p DVD can look like on your setup w/ the AotC DVD. I don't own AotC, but it's definitely proclaimed as a top reference DVD, so don't expect to come close w/ Jurassic Park, which is generally regarded as an ok quality DVD--I haven't watched my copy on my recently bought Panny 53" yet.

If there's anything to be gained, I suspect you're more likely to get better results w/ a different player than the Sony. I'd certainly try that before spending substantial $$$ on cables unless you're just using "lamp cords". Before doing either, try some more good quality DVDs for comparison so you have a better idea what you should expect.

NOT a signal anywhere close to "hi-def", which is what I've heard that progressive scan DVDs can _somewhat_ approximate.

As far as this comment goes, people often write such comments loosely w/ plenty of hyperboles. You can't be sure how accurate they are, if at all. Yeah, for the best DVDs, they can come fairly close to looking like what I see on HBO HD although HBO HD is not exactly reference quality HD. Still, Jurassic Park is definitely not one of them.

_Man_