Viewing an FX1 on a EDTV.. at DVinfo.net

Ray Saavedra · July 20th, 2005, 03:04 PM

I recently purchased an FX1 and been playing around and getting familiar with the controls. I decide to hook it up on my 42" EDTV Plasma TV, I think it's 720p, and using the interior of my living room to see if it will look like some of the HD channels I watch. Well, as I figured it didn't look like the HD channels I watch which is sharp an clear. Could this be that my TV is only a EDTV? But then why are my HD channels so sharp and clear? I have not done any recording yet on my FX1 maybe this Saturday for my cousin son Christening. Would it make a big difference if I played an HD tape I recorded through my EDTV?

HD expert please enlighten me. Inquiring minds wants to know. I'm here to learn.

Ray

Boyd Ostroff · July 20th, 2005, 03:09 PM

How did you connect it? You should use the component cables. You should also check the output settings to make sure your sending 1080i. Also make sure your TV can accept 1080i.

I also have an ED plasma screen but haven't tried yet with my Z1. It did look nice connected to a 17" widescreen LCD (1280x768). However I discovered that setting the camera to output 480p via component looked nearly as good as 1080i. That might also look best on your plasma screen since it would match the native resolution.

Kevin Wild · July 20th, 2005, 03:10 PM

Not sure of this, but I don't think EDTV's are 720p or they'd be considered HD, correct?

Kevin

Ray Saavedra · July 20th, 2005, 03:28 PM

Kevin, you might be right. Maybe I'm mistaken and remembering the menu on my Comcast DVR as 720p. Anyway, here's what I got from Zenith web site, 852 x 480p Resolution, http://zenith.com/sub_prod/product_D...cat=10&id=1019 .

Boyd, I used the RCA input on the side of the TV. I will try to use the component tonight when I get home. I don't know if my TV accept 1080i but when I was purchasing my TV and was comparing it to other that are HDTV at the showroom. I couldn't tell the difference. In fact, my EDTV looked better than some of the HDTV that was going for an extra $1,500. It was one of the reason I bought it. By the way. I have the FX1 so I think it doesn't have the 480 output.

Ray

Boyd Ostroff · July 20th, 2005, 03:31 PM

The screen resolution is not the same as the video formats which the TV can process. Almost any modern set will accept 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i. The internal scaler does the work of fitting the image to your 854x480 plasma panel.

But the FX1 and Z1 don't output 720p, so I don't think that was what you were looking at. The options (via component) are 480i, 480p and 1080i (the Z1 adds 576i and 576p to these when used in 50i mode). You will find these options in VCR mode on the IN/OUT REC menu under the COMPONENT heading.

I'll try plugging my Z1 into my 37" Panasonic ED plasma and see how it looks.

Kevin Wild · July 20th, 2005, 03:32 PM

I would guess the component connectors will make a huge difference, if you were only using composite.

Now, I wish you guys hadn't spent money on the EDTV's...

Kevin

Boyd Ostroff · July 20th, 2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Saavedra

Boyd, I used the RCA input on the side of the TV.

Unfortunately this is the lowest quality connection you can make and really should only be used for low res devices like VCR's. You certainly won't see what the FX1 is capable of that way I'm afraid.

I agree with you about ED screens however, which is why I got one myself.

Boyd Ostroff · July 20th, 2005, 03:46 PM

OK, just tried the Z1 connected to the EDTV via component video. Wow. It looked great at 1080i. I tried A/B'ing between DV and HDV mode and the difference was like night and day - much more detail was visible at 1080i than 480i. Now setting the camera for 1080i HDV and setting component to downconvert to 480p certainly gave a nicer picture than regular DV mode at 480i. However it still didn't look as sharp or show the fine details I could see in 1080i.

Hook your camera up with the component cables and be sure it's set for HDV and 1080i component. I think you'll be happy with both your FX1 and your plasma screen :-)

Ray Saavedra · July 20th, 2005, 06:28 PM

Boyd, I just hooked my FX1 via component and let me say that the pictures are awesome in true widescreen. Thanks for you guys help. I had a feeling that it has something to do with my connections. The components connections are all in the back of my TV and didn't have any way of getting back there unless I pull the whole TV and furniture forward. I'm going to have to get me a longer cable or an adaptor cause the one that came with it is only probably 3ft long.

Ray

Bill Pryor · July 20th, 2005, 09:01 PM

Most everything you see on the HD channels is shot with either 35mm film or with high end HD cameras. No 1/3" chip HDV camera or even 1/3" chip HD camera is going to look as sharp as the 2/3" chip ones.

Douglas Spotted Eagle · July 20th, 2005, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Most everything you see on the HD channels is shot with either 35mm film or with high end HD cameras. No 1/3" chip HDV camera or even 1/3" chip HD camera is going to look as sharp as the 2/3" chip ones.

*most* is of course, accurate. That said, a LOT of HDV is making it's way to HD television already. I've just spent 2 weeks in Asia training broadcasters on this very subject....some shooting, but mostly editing HDV for HD broadcast.
MTV, ABC, CBS...Discovery, National Geo, and more are all using HDV at various levels right now. I suspect that we'll see more of the low-cost HD options making its way to the small screen as the months roll by.

Tommy James · July 21st, 2005, 02:07 AM

First of all when you buy an HDTV never judge the picture quality by what you see in the showroom because for all you know it could be fed with a crummy analog signal that looks terrible. A lot of times this is done on purpose to sabatoge the picture of the affordable high definition televisions to make you think that you have to spend 3000 dollars to get a good picture. Every HDTV that I have ever bought looked horrible in the showroom and it was only when I took it home and hooked it up to an HDTV reciever that I got a good picture.

The biggest ripoff in television history was the selling of these so called HD ready televisions. The consumer because he spent thousands of dollars on these televisions refused to purchase an HDTV receiver and ended up using the television to watch crummy analog programming. Thanks to these unscrupolous tv manufacturers only 3 percent of households in the US can receive an HDTV signal although 10 percent of households own an HD ready television. HD built in is the only way to go and by 2007 all televisions will have built in digital tuners.

Kevin Wild · July 21st, 2005, 08:44 AM

Tommy, I think you're overlooking the fact that most people use cable or satellite to receive their HD signal. I could care less if I have a built in tuner. I don't want to defend those companies too much, but I wouldn't call that "unscrupolous" (unscrupulous), but rather them trying to keep the price down as much as possible and not putting in unnecessary items.

I have a tuner in mine...haven't used it yet.

Kevin

Boyd Ostroff · July 24th, 2005, 07:13 AM

Guys: I edited a couple posts out of this thread because they had nothing to do with the topic or this forum. Discussing the merits of HD cable service is fine, but please start a new thread in the TOTEM pole forum for that.

Patrick Swinnea · July 30th, 2005, 07:48 AM

"Well, as I figured it didn't look like the HD channels I watch which is sharp an clear. Could this be that my TV is only a EDTV? But then why are my HD channels so sharp and clear?"

"Most everything you see on the HD channels is shot with either 35mm film or with high end HD cameras. No 1/3" chip HDV camera or even 1/3" chip HD camera is going to look as sharp as the 2/3" chip ones."

But there's also the issue of broadcast compression, which could make the FX1/Z1 look better than an HD broadcast (a shorter signal between the source and destination). I don't know this for sure, just an idea.

I work in a store that sells HDTVs. Our main focus is on the audio systems, but we do stock several HD plasmas and LCDs as well. I'll be getting the FX1 very soon and the first thing I want to do is shoot outdoor stuff and A/B between the FX1 and Discovery HD on a 50" plasma.

Until then I'm just making things up :)

July 20th, 2005, 03:04 PM	#1
Ray Saavedra Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 127	Viewing an FX1 on a EDTV.. I recently purchased an FX1 and been playing around and getting familiar with the controls. I decide to hook it up on my 42" EDTV Plasma TV, I think it's 720p, and using the interior of my living room to see if it will look like some of the HD channels I watch. Well, as I figured it didn't look like the HD channels I watch which is sharp an clear. Could this be that my TV is only a EDTV? But then why are my HD channels so sharp and clear? I have not done any recording yet on my FX1 maybe this Saturday for my cousin son Christening. Would it make a big difference if I played an HD tape I recorded through my EDTV? HD expert please enlighten me. Inquiring minds wants to know. I'm here to learn. Ray __________________ junray@yahoo.com Last edited by Ray Saavedra; July 20th, 2005 at 04:31 PM.

July 20th, 2005, 03:28 PM	#4
Ray Saavedra Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 127	Kevin, you might be right. Maybe I'm mistaken and remembering the menu on my Comcast DVR as 720p. Anyway, here's what I got from Zenith web site, 852 x 480p Resolution, http://zenith.com/sub_prod/product_D...cat=10&id=1019 . Boyd, I used the RCA input on the side of the TV. I will try to use the component tonight when I get home. I don't know if my TV accept 1080i but when I was purchasing my TV and was comparing it to other that are HDTV at the showroom. I couldn't tell the difference. In fact, my EDTV looked better than some of the HDTV that was going for an extra $1,500. It was one of the reason I bought it. By the way. I have the FX1 so I think it doesn't have the 480 output. Ray __________________ junray@yahoo.com

July 20th, 2005, 06:28 PM	#9
Ray Saavedra Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco Posts: 127	Boyd, I just hooked my FX1 via component and let me say that the pictures are awesome in true widescreen. Thanks for you guys help. I had a feeling that it has something to do with my connections. The components connections are all in the back of my TV and didn't have any way of getting back there unless I pull the whole TV and furniture forward. I'm going to have to get me a longer cable or an adaptor cause the one that came with it is only probably 3ft long. Ray __________________ junray@yahoo.com

July 20th, 2005, 03:09 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	How did you connect it? You should use the component cables. You should also check the output settings to make sure your sending 1080i. Also make sure your TV can accept 1080i. I also have an ED plasma screen but haven't tried yet with my Z1. It did look nice connected to a 17" widescreen LCD (1280x768). However I discovered that setting the camera to output 480p via component looked nearly as good as 1080i. That might also look best on your plasma screen since it would match the native resolution.

July 20th, 2005, 03:10 PM	#3
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	Not sure of this, but I don't think EDTV's are 720p or they'd be considered HD, correct? Kevin

July 20th, 2005, 03:31 PM	#5
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	The screen resolution is not the same as the video formats which the TV can process. Almost any modern set will accept 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i. The internal scaler does the work of fitting the image to your 854x480 plasma panel. But the FX1 and Z1 don't output 720p, so I don't think that was what you were looking at. The options (via component) are 480i, 480p and 1080i (the Z1 adds 576i and 576p to these when used in 50i mode). You will find these options in VCR mode on the IN/OUT REC menu under the COMPONENT heading. I'll try plugging my Z1 into my 37" Panasonic ED plasma and see how it looks.

July 20th, 2005, 03:32 PM	#6
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	I would guess the component connectors will make a huge difference, if you were only using composite. Now, I wish you guys hadn't spent money on the EDTV's... Kevin

July 20th, 2005, 03:46 PM	#8
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	OK, just tried the Z1 connected to the EDTV via component video. Wow. It looked great at 1080i. I tried A/B'ing between DV and HDV mode and the difference was like night and day - much more detail was visible at 1080i than 480i. Now setting the camera for 1080i HDV and setting component to downconvert to 480p certainly gave a nicer picture than regular DV mode at 480i. However it still didn't look as sharp or show the fine details I could see in 1080i. Hook your camera up with the component cables and be sure it's set for HDV and 1080i component. I think you'll be happy with both your FX1 and your plasma screen :-)

July 20th, 2005, 09:01 PM	#10
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Most everything you see on the HD channels is shot with either 35mm film or with high end HD cameras. No 1/3" chip HDV camera or even 1/3" chip HD camera is going to look as sharp as the 2/3" chip ones.

July 21st, 2005, 02:07 AM	#12
Tommy James suspended -- contact admin Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 214	First of all when you buy an HDTV never judge the picture quality by what you see in the showroom because for all you know it could be fed with a crummy analog signal that looks terrible. A lot of times this is done on purpose to sabatoge the picture of the affordable high definition televisions to make you think that you have to spend 3000 dollars to get a good picture. Every HDTV that I have ever bought looked horrible in the showroom and it was only when I took it home and hooked it up to an HDTV reciever that I got a good picture. The biggest ripoff in television history was the selling of these so called HD ready televisions. The consumer because he spent thousands of dollars on these televisions refused to purchase an HDTV receiver and ended up using the television to watch crummy analog programming. Thanks to these unscrupolous tv manufacturers only 3 percent of households in the US can receive an HDTV signal although 10 percent of households own an HD ready television. HD built in is the only way to go and by 2007 all televisions will have built in digital tuners.

July 21st, 2005, 08:44 AM	#13
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	Tommy, I think you're overlooking the fact that most people use cable or satellite to receive their HD signal. I could care less if I have a built in tuner. I don't want to defend those companies too much, but I wouldn't call that "unscrupolous" (unscrupulous), but rather them trying to keep the price down as much as possible and not putting in unnecessary items. I have a tuner in mine...haven't used it yet. Kevin

July 24th, 2005, 07:13 AM	#14
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Guys: I edited a couple posts out of this thread because they had nothing to do with the topic or this forum. Discussing the merits of HD cable service is fine, but please start a new thread in the TOTEM pole forum for that.

July 30th, 2005, 07:48 AM	#15
Patrick Swinnea Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Denver, CO, USA Posts: 93	"Well, as I figured it didn't look like the HD channels I watch which is sharp an clear. Could this be that my TV is only a EDTV? But then why are my HD channels so sharp and clear?" "Most everything you see on the HD channels is shot with either 35mm film or with high end HD cameras. No 1/3" chip HDV camera or even 1/3" chip HD camera is going to look as sharp as the 2/3" chip ones." But there's also the issue of broadcast compression, which could make the FX1/Z1 look better than an HD broadcast (a shorter signal between the source and destination). I don't know this for sure, just an idea. I work in a store that sells HDTVs. Our main focus is on the audio systems, but we do stock several HD plasmas and LCDs as well. I'll be getting the FX1 very soon and the first thing I want to do is shoot outdoor stuff and A/B between the FX1 and Discovery HD on a 50" plasma. Until then I'm just making things up :)