Scart Or Hdmi

BexTech

If it's a HDTV then you aren't going to get great pictures from non-HD source.

The Virgin V+ box does a good job of upscaling SD, but you really need HD channels outputted to the HDTV for it to offer a good picture. Virgin only have 1 HD channel and a handful of HD VOD, satellite has 17 HD channels.

If you are mainly going to watch SD channels, then a good old CRT TV is still the better choice for picture quality, just compared to LCD are bulky.

totalsolutions

GOLD will not improve the picture. There is no GOLD wiring in the SKY + and DVD players to the connectors.

BexTech

totalsolutions wrote: »

GOLD will not improve the picture. There is no GOLD wiring in the SKY + and DVD players to the connectors.

Yeah, like Oxygen Free Copper, it's snake oil.

superscaper

Although gold is a preferable connector to use. It reduces signal loss by being a better conductor. To what extent depends on the particular setup.

BexTech

superscaper wrote: »

Although gold is a preferable connector to use. It reduces signal loss by being a better conductor. To what extent depends on the particular setup.

Yeah, if the TV and the device has gold plated sockets then you should go for gold plated leads.

Marty999

I posted a similar thread after buying a 32" Sony Bravia, the SD picture quality was not as good as I expected. I have a basic Sky box, not Sky+ or HD. I tried gold plates SCART leads but they made no discernible difference. Then I noticed that the picture quality varies enormously from programme to programme, and I believe that the larger screens simply magnify the imperfections that are already present so they look worse to the human eye.

I don't have an HDMI device so I can't vouch for that idea. I understand from various sources such as Wikipedia that modern TVs do their own upscaling automatically so an upscaling DVD player will not improve the picture quality anyway.

The best answer really is to invest in an HD source and then you will see a big difference. But that costs money...

superscaper

BexTech wrote: »

Yeah, if the TV and the device has gold plated sockets then you should go for gold plated leads.

Not necessarily, there is a different work function depending on the different metals in contact with the gold but the benefit of conductivity still usually outweighs any detriment in the work function compared to a connector of the same metal as the socket. I've seen it first hand in my own experiments in using different conductors, contacts and metallic probes. You get a better signal with gold at least somewhere in the connection than without no matter what metals you use elsewhere.

GunJack

I've also got a hannspree 37" LCD tv. Tell you what, plug in a playstation 3 into it with an hdmi lead, and yes you can really see the difference - playing Clive Barker's Jericho on it was amazing !! I really must get round to hiring a film on bluray disc to try that too......

The truth is if you don't have a hi-def input (e.g. skyHD, ps3, xbox360? - haven't tried that one yet) into a HD LCD tv, then the picture will never be quite as good as a CRT tv

oh, and I'm not a square eyed child glued to my XYZ whatever boxes and their games, I'm (oh god) 40, only a semi-keen gamer, part-time techie and a dad!! If you're going to spend £350 on a huge telly, I think the hannspree is a cracking buy.