Apr 28th, 2009
DTV Update
When I wrote about the Digital TV converters I bought, I figured I was buying them as a backup if we chose to abandoned cable. After proving that the converter worked with our spare TV, I was ready to mothball it. But before doing so, I was curious to see how the picture looked in simple A/B test with the cable TV running into our house. I hooked one of the converters up to our main TV, got a makeshift antenna to pick up most of the local channels, and then switched back and forth between the over-the-air broadcast and the cable TV versions of the channel.
Result: the DTV converter offers some real benefits. Most importantly, the picture quality of the DTV signal is much better than the cable version, at least on our old Phillips TV. The colors are better and the subtle snow/interference in the CATV signal is all but gone in DTV. The other advantage is the variable picture sizing, which includes letter box as an option. Many programs now assume a 16:9 format and are quite annoying to watch at 4:3 with the sides lopped off. The DTV converter I have offers about 5 different views and works really well. One important note is the the CM7000 is one of the few converters that offers SVHS out, which is a superior connection compared to composite.
End Result: my experiment led to the purchase of a cheap ($20) video switcher, and I now have the DTV box as part of the entertainment center. Cable is the default connection, but when we’re watching shows on broadcast channels, we can easily switch over to DTV and get much better viewing experience.
2 Responses to “DTV Update”
G’day Angela and Jim
Keep coming back occasionally just to have a catch up/ You must go to my webpage/blog and have a look at the wonderful garden I had this summer – have devoted many many hours to it, and now have frozen tomatoes and green peppers, homemade tomato sauce, frozen tomato soup and garden fresh potatoes and silverbeet. It has been so much fun. Plus David and Judy keep passing fresh apples from their trees over in exchange for lemons, so the hpusehold food bill has been cut dramatically.
Jodie is engaged to be married in November, to a Fijian who is an Air Traffic Controller. She is very happy, understandably! John and Fiona have moved into a brand new home that they built in Prebbleton…shall try and get her to put photos up on her website poppiesanddaisies.blogspot.com
Keep in touch in between all your gardening, and keep the photos coming
N
Hi Ngaira,
We’re just now coming into a proper spring and the garden is looking good, save for the roses. We were just given some raspberry plants by my aunt so we’ll try growing those this year.
What’s your blog address? I know it’s Canterbury Tales something but that’s got a million hits on Google.
Jim