I'm new to the HD scene ... I got a Sony 55" LCD recently that I've been pretty happy with. I'm on Time Warner cable, using HDMI cable. The Rose Bowl last night was unbelievable picture quality. But I have noticed a not-near-as-sharp picture from TNT-HD... and the basketball games are TERRIBLE. I noticed it for the first time last Thursday when I think the Pistons were playing. The picture will look OK when it's a close up or relatively little movement, but anytime there is movement you see a lot of gridding -- like someone is consistently stretching the picture. I know about screen-door-effect on LCD TVs, but this is far beyond that and no other HD channel I see has anything near this bad. Time Warner came out yesterday and said my signal is fine, so it has to be the TV ... which doesn't make sense to me. I didn't have the Pistons game recorded to show him, but now the Rockets game tonight is the same way. I've tried googling and found some people complaining here and there about TNT, but they are old complaints. I can't seem to find the definitive answer as to why TNT-HD sucks: Is it Time Warner, my TV or TNT?
Is it like big pixilation when players are moving? If it is, its the compression that Time Warner and TNT use. On a lot of things with really fast motion, it happens from time to time. I get that problem quite a bit as well. If its not happening on INHD or INHD2 and just one station it probably isn't a TV problem. TNT-HD is kinda trash, the games on INHD are much better. if you want some more info try www.avsforum.com or www.highdefforum.com
a lot has to do with how the games are being broadcasted. I am almost positive abc does all their games in 720p if not 1080p at the very least. TNT-HD maybe something like 480p instead or god forbid (at least for sports) 720i which makes a difference in quality of course.
Exactly... not your TV Clutch... HD <> HD. I've had it for about 5 years now, and some telecasts/channels are awesome and some suck. I though ESPN HD has some of the weakest telecasts.
I don't think any broadcasts are in 1080p yet. I'm not sure, but after a quick search, I think TNT HD is 1080i. Not sure if that is the problem, but 720p would probably be better for something like a basketball game instead of 1080i due to the speed of the game.
its shouldnt be 480, it should be 720, I saw a display over at Fry's a few weeks back when the Rockets played the Kings in the beginning of Dec and it was a BEAUTIFUL picture. I was hyped up cause my parents bought a HDTV TV but we still havent got digital cable yet
Thanks guys for the responses... TNT-HD is in 1080i here ... I've watched sports in 1080i on other channels and it looks terrific. I saw briefly part of a Knicks game on INHD a couple of weeks ago and it was fan-freakin-tastic. To answer your question wesnesked, I think it's big pixellation ... definitely. I can see it from 10 feet away for sure... it's like the screen is refocusing when there is movement -- which is to say, a lot of the time in a basketball game. I wish I could explain this better.... it's like the video card in a computer is weak and you don't have millions of colors to work with. If you had a smooth gradient from light red to dark red, it would be noticeable block lines from light to dark in red. TNT is what is having the problem for me. The compression answer is what I'm hoping it is .... something specific with this channel or specific with this channel with Time Warner. But if others on TW aren't having this problem, I have to think it's my TV with the way it handles this broadcast. If everyone was having it, there would be heavy complaints I would think. Don't know .... still confused about it. Thanks again for the help.
Thanks for letting me know raw10628 ... I appreciate that. Makes me feel somewhat better that it's not an issue with our TVs ... but you would think Time Warner would be getting a ton of complaints about it.
i agree. on cbs and fox, when they show football games in 1080i, it usually looks worse than those games they show in 720p.
I only have problems with Fox HD, which advertises that its brought to me by Direct TV and looks like a typical satellite TV in a storm picture.
ironically, in austin it's abchd that looks "pixelated" during movement. i've heard that it's the local abc affiliate's "compression" or "conversion" of the signal that makes it look that way. i have no problem with that on tnthd. inhd/hdnet/cbshd are the best signals on timewarner in austin, in my opinion. good luck.
Thanks the futants ... that still makes me feel better I'm gathering from people posting here that this is a Time Warner-TNT issue ... otherwise, TNT-HD is a joke from what I'm seeing.
Since I was considering cable with the HD receiver upgrade, I asked the question about comparing regular antenna to cable HD and no one answered. [/whining] I still want to know if anyone has noticed the difference I have. anyone.... anyone... Bueller?
Out of curiousity Clutch, did Time Warner provide an HDMI cable for you? I just got a 32-inch Sharp Aquos and it has an HDMI input. I know that only the SA 8300 HD DVR boxes have the HDMI input, but I thought I read somewhere (Sound and Vision, maybe?) that it came deactivated for some reason. Just curious...would love to use one cable instead of 5 if possible.
I think I know what you're talking about...do you, by any chance, get NBATV, and if so, does it sometimes do the same thing?
This thread at AVSforum is probably your best bet in the future if you have other problems with TWC HD. The people over there are very knowledgeable and helpful. There are several forums there that can answer pretty much any question you may have about your actual TV set, your cable box, your cable provider and over-the-air channels as well.
my SA 8300 HD DVR came with an HDMI output and i just hooked it up with that when i got home and it worked perfectly (better than the component cables.) a few weeks later, a TW serviceman was at my house (for an unrelated issue) and noticed the HDTV (plasma) and asked how i liked it. he checked my box and was showing me some "tricks" when he realized i was using the HDMI output. he said that he was told they were not activated. he was surpirsed it worked.
I'm just pissed that almost all the Texans game I watched this season on HD stations, were not broadcast in HD. I mean, Dallas and all other games are broadcast in HD, why couldn't KHOU CH. 11 broadcast Texan games in HD. I freakin' love my HD and have also noticed the pixellation on TNT.
