set-up help (1 Viewer)

[JoelV]

Kind of new to all this and was hoping for a little help...

I will be getting my new Hit 57swx20b today and was a bit confused as to how I can best set it up with Tivo. I have a DVD, VCR, Direct Tv, and a separate Tivo (series 1). I was planning on hooking the vcr and the dvd directly to the tv (no receiver yet). If I run the Sat. feed to the tivo and the tivo to the tv, will it degrade the audio or video quality? I like the timeshifting and pause features of the Tivo, but I don't want a crappy picture as a result of it. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

If I run the Sat. feed to the tivo and the tivo to the tv, will it degrade the audio or video quality? I like the timeshifting and pause features of the Tivo, but I don't want a crappy picture as a result of it.

I assume you’re talking about a coaxial feed from the Tivo to the TV, using Ch. 3 or 4 to watch the Tivo? If that’s the only option you have because you don’t have enough inputs on the TV, isn’t question is kind of moot?

It’s generally accepted that you get a better picture using line-level (composite, S-video or component video) connections.

As far as audio goes, since we’re talking about TV speakers, it’s not really an issue, except that going through the antenna input you may be getting only mono, not stereo.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[JoelV]

The TV has tons of inputs. I actually am running S-video and composite audio cables from the satellite receiver to the tivo and the same from the tivo to the tv. I was just wondering if tivo further compresses the signal, and if it does, whether it will result in a noticeably worse quality on a large projection tv.

 

[Greg*go]

Hook it up both ways and see if you can tell the difference. My guess would be that it's negligible. It would be similar to hooking it up through a receiver. Sure the extra wires might cause some degradation, but I doubt you'll be able to notice it.

And I suspect the features the Tivo has to offer make it worth setting up. But doing it both ways yourself is the only sure way of determining wether or not you see the difference.

 

[Robert_J]

I was just wondering if tivo further compresses the signal, and if it does, whether it will result in a noticeably worse quality on a large projection tv.

Yes, a stand alone Tivo will further compress the DirecTV signal. If you get your locals over DirecTV, your best bet is the DirecTivo. It records the digital signal directly from the satellite dish without changing it so playback is identical to live DirecTV. There are many other advantages, just search for DirecTivo.

-Robert