DM500C PICTURE QUALITY

[deanofire]

Hi there
i have a dm500c running with the new fantastic DK image all working fine.
the only trouble is the pictureuality on my 1080i hi def 32" lcd tv is really crap.
i have tried tha scart and the yellow composite out and they are both really crap quality pictures.
its like you was watching an old vhs tape, no definition.
i have 2 dm's an older one and a brand new one and the quality is the same on both yet on my normal 28" non hi def sony tv the picture is much better.
i know its not my lcd as the picture quality from my hdpc and my ps3 and xbox 360 are all supurb.
any ideas please ?
thanks

[kagon]

The PC, PS3 and XBOX 360 are all hi-definition sources, the Dreambox is not. What kind of picture quality are you expecting?

[deanofire]

i am expecting a good quality picture the same as i get on the old non lcd tv ? not hi def.
if you read my post properly instead of just jumping in with the sarcasam you would know that !

[thommo]

have you been in the 500 options, from what ive seen some imgs are set at cvbs (that right ?) and if you go to the settings you can change it to rgb ect... this improves the pic ten fold,

mines on rgb with a good qual scart. pic is spot on, but as said first boot its not set at rgb and does look awful to me.


try changing the settings on the 500.

[kagon]

i am expecting a good quality picture the same as i get on the old non lcd tv ? not hi def.
if you read my post properly instead of just jumping in with the sarcasam you would know that !

Calm down, seriously. Picture quality really is subjective that's all I'm trying to get at. Saying that it's "crap" is not very useful for trying to help you; "crap" how?

The source coming from the Dreambox will be being upscaled by your new TV are you trying to force the signal into 1080i? Have you tried 720p?

As thommo has already outlined you can also fiddle with the aspect ratios, color model, etc.

[deanofire]

thanks for both the above comments
i have changed to rgb now and picture is much better.
i wasnt expecting HD output but like i said the picture quality was very grainey and had little definition.
is there any way to get the svh output from it as i noticed a setting for that (even though it showed black and white)
if i used one of them scart outputs with the svhs on it ?

[kagon]

A lot (probably all these days) of SCART TVs do not support S-Video, this results in the lovely monochrome picture you're getting. RGB and S-Video are mutually exclusive with a SCART interface due to the pin make-up of the connector.

[deanofire]

so does that mean that the dream box does have svhs out put thru the scart ?
and if so is that the best out put from the box ?

[kagon]

As a total aside, it is generally accepted that an RGB signal is superior to an S-Video signal. So I don't think you're going to get a better picture by going from RGB to S-Video.

<--kagon added 2 Minutes and 32 Seconds later...-->

so does that mean that the dream box does have svhs out put thru the scart ?
and if so is that the best out put from the box ?

It does have the output, yes. The problem is that you're forcing a color signal down a connector whose standard doesn't take an S-Video signal into account. Anyway, as above I don't think you're going to get a better picture trying to use S-Video.

[thommo]

id also try your tv settings, most lcd's and plasmas have pre set settings for tv.

what i mean is it will have a button so you can set the picture @ cool, warm or vibrant, it may be different on different tv's but all 3 of my lcd and plasma have the function at the press of a button.

[deanofire]

ok
so i have just noticed my lcd tv has these connections
so what would be my best form from the dreamy to my tv please ?
thanks

scarts
hdmi 9use this for pc)
svhs
rgb via scart
component (i use this for xbox 360)
standard yellow phono video input
thanks again


<--deanofire added 61 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...-->

have just plugged my wii into the scart and av phono inputs and the picture is the same grainey ouput i get from my dreambox
so god knows wht that is ?
its obviously something to do with the tv ?????

[Mubz]

you could also try converting scart to component and set your DM to YPbPr
then, if you can set your LCD to 720/750 you'll find you'll should improve your picture quality considerably

running a box that only outputs 576 on a 1080 will always be a bit grainy
you'll find that most CRT will have a better picture than modern LCD/Plasma as there outputs are better matched...

hope this helps

[kagon]

ok
so i have just noticed my lcd tv has these connections
so what would be my best form from the dreamy to my tv please ?
thanks

scarts
hdmi 9use this for pc)
svhs
rgb via scart
component (i use this for xbox 360)
standard yellow phono video input
thanks again


<--deanofire added 61 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...-->

have just plugged my wii into the scart and av phono inputs and the picture is the same grainey ouput i get from my dreambox
so god knows wht that is ?
its obviously something to do with the tv ?????

Hrm, what TV specifically? As mubz has alluded to, it is also very unlikely you're going to get comparable analog, standard definition signal to display equal to your old TV so don't expect too much.

[deanofire]

seems strange doesnt it that as we move on in technology the quality gets worse ????
and more agrovation.

is this really progression ?

[Mubz]

Well, to be honest it is moving on, we now have the DM800 which is HD ready box...
it's just that the DM500 is no longer getting made (officially) so there's no need for it to be at the fore front of new technology, it did it's job in its day...
But if you're looking for an ass kicking picture get prepared to pay ass kicking prices...