HDTV Picture Quality - Tweaks, Peaks, and Digital Deceptions

How do I repair a broken HDMI cable end?

2010-02-14T14:22:00.004-06:00

Many people have found that their pre-wired house contained no redundancy in wiring-especially in HD cables.

The problem comes when the HDMI end breaks on an in-wall cable run. It isn't as simple as tying a new cable to one end and pulling it through. Most of the time replacing such a cable isn't a real possibility, and routing a new cable (hidden from sight) through the home is a major challenge at best.

A reader emailed me and asked about this very problem concerning his 35 foot HDMI cable whose end had broken off. I researched the net and found that there are replacement ends available. These require soldering on a very small scale. To do this you better have "mad" soldering skills to begin with because there are 15 or more cables in an HDMI cable.

After I had sent my response with the link to cable ends, I began to think more about this digital dilemma. Even if you had the soldering skills for this intricate work, you would do it on a table with clamps and magnification, etc. Trying to perform this maneuver while kneeling at the wall seemed all but impossible. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had not given this man an answer that he could use.

So, after some thought and investigation, I have successfully replaced an HDMI cable end in a manner that is simple enough for the average individual to accomplish.

First I took an HDMI cable and cut it open to see what was really inside this cable. The construction of the HDMI cable is much like coaxial cable in that there is a rubber outer sheath followed by steel braided shielding and then foil wrap. Here, the two differ. Coaxial cable then has a layer of white dielectric that surrounds the center conductor. HDMI has a bundle of small gauge wires.

These wires come in "sets". There are five twisted pairs and five single lines (grounds) associated with them. The five twisted pairs are specifically arranged in the bundle. The center twisted pair is not wrapped in foil, while the surrounding four pair are wrapped in foil.

To replace an HDMI cable end, first purchase another HDMI cable from the same manufacturer if possible. (You will find it easiest if you get the same manufacturer because their color coding will make for easy re-attachment.) Test this line first to make sure it works. You will also need 15 UR splice connectors, the type used for telephone line splicing.

Next, cut the cable about 18 inches from the end.
Strip off approximately 10 inches of outside rubber sheath.
Next, slide back the braided shielding revealing the foil covering.
Carefully open the foil covering and lay it back out of the way.
At this point you should see an uncovered twisted pair (center) and the four other twisted pairs.
Next, cut off four inches of the center wires. (This leaves excess foil and braid that you will use to finish the repair.)

Next, get as much slack as you have to work with from your broken cable.
Cut the broken end off and strip at least two inches of the outer sheath (more is easier if you have it to work with). Ideally, strip 8 inches of the outer sheath.
Slide back the braided shielding and carefully peel back the foil.
IF you have the 8 inches to work with, cut 4 inches off the end of the wires. This will again leave excess foil and shielding that you will need to finish the repair. (If you don't have but a little to work with, expose the wires to have at least two inches to work with.)

Once exposed, start with the center twisted pair and using the UR connector telephone splice to connect one of these wires to the corresponding mate. Only untwist the wire enough to be able to use the connector (about 1/2 inch beyond your fingers). Then connect the mate of this pair, likewise.

Next, grasp one of the wrapped, twisted pairs and twist it counterclockwise about five turns. The lines begin to separate and the foil begins to come loose. Gently peel back the foil to expose the wires. Re-twist the wires until you have just enough left to add the splice (1/2 inch).

Find the corresponding twisted pair and repeat the above procedure. Connect both wires of the pair using two UR splices and then wrap the foil back around the twisted pair up to the connector.

Follow this procedure for all of the twisted pairs.

Next, use splicers to connect each of the single lines to their corresponding mate.

After all lines have been spliced, using the foil covering that you peeled back, re-wrap the foil around the cables up to the splice.

After the foil is in place, slide the braided shielding back over the wires until it reaches the splice.

Finally, I wrapped this splice with some tin foil.

Plug it in and test.

I hope this helps solve one of the "unsolvable" digital issues.

God bless,
Highdefjeff

Sashi-eda Bonsai

2010-01-28T16:22:00.001-06:00

Here is a great site for Bonsai enthusiasts.

Sashi-eda Bonsai

Why did Dish Network change the signal meter? Part 2

2009-06-09T14:23:00.004-05:00

This that a forum poster wrote recently fit right in to the second part of Why the signal meter changed so here it is.

[QUOTE=DefDude;1847431]I get a local channel 55 out of mobile/pensacola. last night I noticed that the size of the pic has shrunk down and will no longer fill the screen on any tv, HD or SD.... with any of my receivers 722,522,322. Even when I stretch or any of the zoom's, It looks like a box in a box in any format. this is one the channels I don't get OTA so my question is, does this have to do with the switch to digital, or Dish. the pic quality does look somewhat darker and clearer but I'm sure if it is because of the smaller pic or because it is now a digital signal.[/QUOTE]

It has to do with low signal strength or poor signal quality.

The shrunken picture is a type of scalability that is built into the MPEG forward error correction. Your television receivers AND your Dish receivers (Directv, digital cable) everything using MPEG has scalability, built right in.

When you have less than the minimum of 70 on a standard digital signal quality meter (everyone's meter except the new improved dish signal meter), there is built-in or rather "written" in, coding that allows for the decoding of a weaker, or compromised signal. It is called Scalable Video Coding extension, and has been a part of HDTV since at least 2005.

One of the types of scalability that is available to use, is spatial scalability. This scalability says, "Since the signal is poor and there is not enough data to produce the full size picture at the proper resolution, then I'll display the proper quality, or resolution, at a reduced size."

These are three types of scalability. They are temporal, spatial, and fidelity scaling options. Broadcasters and TV manufacturers use all three of these handy, low-signal digital tricks.

Spatial scalability is what you are witnessing on your TV. Here the quality remains but the size of the picture decreases. Dish does NOT use this type of scaling because it too easily leads to the truth of the picture/signal relationship.

Fidelity scalability is scaling that reduces the quality of the picture (grainy, blurry) but maintains size. Since most people don't see this difference, and the perpetuation of the "all-or-nothing LIE" says that signal is NEVER the problem, this type of scaling is acceptable to Dish.

Temporal scalability refers to time scalability and accounts for a good portion of the audio sync problems that are being reported. Since these also have a reputation of being blamed on software issues and such, this scaling is also acceptable.

Dish receivers use the fidelity scalability and temporal scalability, but they ditched the spatial scalability as rapidly as they could, after the release of the 811's. When the 811's came into widespread distribution, Dish decided quickly to develop the new receivers that would NOT use spatial scalability. And, they haven't used spatial scalability since.

Did you ever wonder why the 811's were so rapidly converted to 381's? With spacial scaling it is far too obvious that digital picture isn't all-or-nothing. All receivers after the 811's use coding that takes advantage of the quality (fidelity) scalability, and temporal scaling, but NOT to use the spatial scalability. Since compression and bandwidth have been getting the heat from all the "experts" concerning picture quality, Dish thought it good that people continue to blame the "technology" instead of the provider.

If this news got out, they would have to spend more money on training to increase the dish alignment skills of their technicians. Dish would also incur a greater amount of responsibility for the quality of their product because - as I've said over and over the last three years - only a dish that is at absolute peak provides acceptable quality HDTV. It appears that over many years Dish (Directv and Cable) have all been charging for avoidable service calls generated at install by their technicians.

Desiring to avoid a fire-storm of public outrage at Dish (because the picture CAN get better if only their techs were trained properly to maximize signal) they killed spacial scaling and dismantled the 811's. And that brings us back to the burning question, "Why did Dish Network change the signal meter?"

Did I answer that one yet?

Color Calibration Confusion - Temperature Rising

2009-05-30T17:33:00.003-05:00

Some of the readers from Highdefjunkies Forum had questions about my recommendation for temperature settings for calibration.

I state in the WOWVision! text:

"Temperature - Use the "Low" or "Cool" or 6500K setting - or whichever setting is opposite of warm." Yes, opposite.

I will attempt to explain the relationship between 65K/6500 Kelvin and the "Cool" temperature setting on the television. Perhaps I could bring some "light" to the subject in what I will call:

Why is the temperature of a WARM white light 2000 degrees COOLER than a COOL white light?

I am attaching a couple of light temperature charts that should shed some lig...that should be very helpful in this exploration.

Here is a part of the problem. We have two conflicting arenas for description, and even two seemingly "contradictory" sets of terms to describe light. We describe light by its color, by it's temperature, and by its "feel".

To illustrate this, let's consider fluorescent light bulbs. We have fluorescents that are termed "Warm White" and "Cool white" and also, "Daylight".

"Warm white" fluorescents are found in rooms and places where you desire a "warm emotional atmosphere". They are generally dimmer than the others and they emit a more red spectrum of light. This light is considered to "feel" warm. Red as a color is described intuitively, as warm. The red coals of your fire are around 2100K. They glow with a red light, and the coals are cozy and warm. We attribute the "feeling" of warmth, to the color red. When the quality of this light is quantified on the Kelvin scale, it has a Kelvin temperature of around 2100k. (Kelvin temperature scale refers to the light emission of a black body heated to a specific degree, like a charcoal briquette that glows red.)

The cool white lamps are what is most commonly found in fluorescent fixtures today. Without a trained eye or a side-by-side comparison, these lamps are perceived as white, thus the white of "Cool white". Cool white's color emissions, however, are in the yellow visible spectrum and the lights are indeed yellow. COOL white registers on the Kelvin scale around 4100k; that's 2000 degrees HOTTER, than WARM white. Cool white emotionally "feels" cooler than the red light. Want a hot room? Paint it red. Cool room? Paint it blue.

In the last few years it has come to lig...it has been found that the yellow "Cool white" fluorescents cause eyestrain, computer screen glare, and mood swings, ushering in the days of the Daylight fluorescents.

What is so special about the Daylight bulbs? "Special" is called "Full Spectrum" in lighting or light. These lights emit THE spectrum where WHITE light resides. These lamps give you vibrant colors in a store, and make everything look cleaner. They are also good for your health (complete like sunlight), used to treat bilirubin deficiencies and depression. These are one type of lamp used in color matching and they are also great for use as grow lamps! (Settle down out there!) And guess what? They come in at 6500 on the Kelvin scale. These are truly the white lights because for something to emit the "color" white in light, all of the colors of the spectrum have to be there, because white light is comprised of all of the colors. (Don't confuse this color mixing in light with painting or pigment! In pigments, the opposite is true. Gee that helps, too.)

The reason why Daylight bulbs produce the most vivid color, is that all of the colors of the palette are available in white light. The reason why 6500k is desirable in a television is exactly the same.

Now reference the color charts and take a look at how the mix of terms and temperatures clash.

Now add the television manufacturer's who can't or won't standardize a remote control, user menu, or even the same term for the

"aspect ratio/format/ZOOM/Picture" button. Did I miss any?

Anyway, some manufacturers use LOW/MEDIUM/WARM, some use COOL/NORMAL/WARM, and there are still others. (We'll find out soon enough.)

To refer once again to the lighting situation, why does the warm white fluorescent lamp produce a redder room, and why does a cool white lamp produce a yellower room? Because they lack the parts of the spectrum to produce white, in other words, they don't have all of the colors available to produce white.

What if you use the "warm" temperature setting like everyone else recommends?

I believe that within the calibration world there is a bit of unintentional confusion on this one. That would explain why EVERY television is "hot" on the red.

One thing I am certain of is this: It doesn't take a week to see a great picture, or WOWVision! would have been named, "Call-you-in-a-week-Vision!"

http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting...mperature.html
http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/CTGY/ColorTemp

__________________

Why did Dish Network change their signal meter?

2009-05-23T18:47:00.001-05:00

Why Did Dish Network Change Their Signal Meter?

Recently, Dish Network sent out an announcement that there has been improvements made to their signal meter. The "improvement" did several things - none of which are an improvement from a troubleshooting or an installation standpoint. Let us examine these changes.

One change was to even all the signals across all receivers.

Prior to the signal meter "improvement", each of the receivers (by model number) had different readings. Receivers with the same model number all showed similar signal. The signal meter showed the highest signal readings on the simplest receivers like the 301. Each successive receiver showed a lower reading with the HD/Dual/DVR receivers showing the lowest of all.

The signal meter readings were different for good reason. Two good reasons, actually. The readings reflected the added intrinsic noise of the receivers and they showed the greater signal demands of HDTV.

Dish meters measure signal quality/fidelity/integrity, not signal strength. The meter reflected the difference in the signal integrity between the receivers.

Given: The same signal STRENGTH produces less signal integrity as you add noise.

Each of the higher numbered receivers showed this decrease in integrity as additional components added noise and reduced the integrity of the signal (dual receiver-added tuner etc, DVR capability).

And,

Given: The same signal STRENGTH produces less signal integrity for an HD signal than it does for SD.

The astounding jump to the lowest signals ever, those of the HD models, reflect the need for additional signal. (Warning: Cliff!)

The effects of the leveling signals across models:

Removes the ability to compare other readings in the home.

Removes the ability to switch places with an existing receiver to check the signal integrity of the line.

Removes the question of “Why there is plenty of signal on my SD receivers but not for my HD?”

A second change was to change (reduce) the scale of the signal meter.

Reduction in the scale of a measurement device causes a reduction in precision. (Sad.)

Changing the scale also did away with the one benchmark that there was in digital scale meters. That benchmark is/was 70. Here again, while few remember that there WAS a standard, those who would apply it to the average HD signal readings found across the country would see that HD signal is pretty much ready to fall off the digital cliff!

Effects of reduction of scale:

Reduces the precision of measurement.

Negatively impacts troubleshooting and installation.

Confuses installers and customers.

Effects of changing the scale:

Lost benchmark

Confuses installers and customers.

Now, of course, there is much guesswork about what is good signal strength. (And the benchmark of 70 that is still used in digital technology, is just not used by Dish.)

Lastly, in the signal meter "improvement", Dish also saw fit to increase the latency time for channel changes.

At present, all receivers read the same meter readings (HD’s lower readings) and all of them change channels far slower than ever. (They increased buffer size to try to accommodate their cliff-dwelling signal, but I’ll address that later.)

Why would changing the amount of time it takes to change channels matter?

As a troubleshooter, the first evidence of low signal readings was slow channel changes. Now they all change at the same slow rate.

Effects of latency time:

There goes another troubleshooting method.

So why did Dish Network change the signal meter?

If you are still wondering why, perhaps you should tune in for part 2.

Something smells fishy, very fishy.

Why Does My SDTV Look So bad?

2009-05-18T14:55:00.003-05:00

Why Does My SDTV look so bad?

Guess what? It isn’t “compression” or “dilution” as nearly everyone will tell you!

One thing that needs to be understood is that color calibration is the “missing-link” for those who wonder why "Joe's" TV looks so much better than theirs, and/or why their SDTV (standard definition viewing) looks so poor on their new flat panel.

Spyder Pro Calibrations - Caution

First, do not spend even $99.00 using Geek Squad or any others who use the Spyder Pro Colorimeter. The Spyder Pro always leaves the picture too hot (red) which is the initial condition of the TV's anyway. Worse than that, you aren't at a place where you can just drop the color by a couple more clicks to get it right. The picture quality IS better but close doesn’t count in calibration. Invariably, I had to re-calibrate by eye, anyway. Using the Spyder Pro was a great learning experience, though. After awhile I found that a “standard formula” for a starting point, and then calibrating by eye, is far better than using Spyder Pro.

ISF Certified Calibrationist - Caution

I suggest avoiding the professionals unless you have a projector or an actual problem with your TV. If you do use an ISF certified calibrator, get references and check his work FIRST. Then you will know if what he does is what you want.

See The Colors as the Director Intended

Adjustment of the colors to "see what the director intended" just isn't a reason to drop a chunk of change. What do I care if the actors tie is fire engine red or carnation red? It isn’t nearly as much about “true color” as it is about details. What the calibrationist don’t seem to know is that proper color calibration greatly affects the amount of detail that can be rendered.

HDTV is all about details.

When your colors are correctly set, they produce life-like renditions of skin tone, nature, and life. That's pretty cool, but for the condition of "WOW" to exist - for HDTV to exist at all - we need details.

Many of you can look at your TVs right now and scroll through the channels, and as you do, many of you will find that:

skin tones look unnatural,

everyone looks sunburn,

men's lips appear to have lipstick, and

the scrolling news headline tickers are not very crisp.

And, many of you think your HD is good, but your SD is unwatchable.

So, try it for yourself. Scroll through your channels. If you see the things listed above, you need a calibration. (If you didn’t see those before, I’m sorry…) If you don’t see those things, don’t waste your time finishing this blog – you don’t need calibration.

Color

So the skin color is off. That doesn't sound like much of a problem, does it? But when the color is incorrect, you don’t just have some slightly annoying skin color, you have a TV that can’t reproduce the subtle shades and nuances that add reality and texture.

Color Vs. Texture

Colors create an objects color, but shades and tints produce it’s TEXTURE. Texture changes your viewing from a flat, pretty picture, into realistic, WOW! HIGH DEFINITION. It is one thing to see the putting green and a whole other thing to see the blades of grass of which it is made.

How Color Calibration Will Affect SDTV Quality

After a proper color calibration, your SDTV viewing will look very good with some channels coming deceptively close to HDTV quality. The amazing technology in your new TV is so good at presenting the information contained in the signal that it will also reveal how far from “WOW!” your HDTV actually is. The good news is that you can expect great SDTV on a properly installed and calibrated system with good signal strength.

Color Calibration Reduces Motion Blur and Sharpens Tickers

Yep, it does.

How important is Color Calibration?

Color calibration is paramount and integral to the amount of detail that your set can provide. Important? YES. Costly? I hope not. Hard? Takes practice. Fast? With time.

So here is some help if you are a DIY'er:

http://www.wowvision.tv/main.htm

God bless you, and thank you for reading!

Highdef Jeff

Sickened by digital deceptions!

2009-04-21T16:58:00.005-05:00

I wrote the following commentary a couple of years ago out of my frustration with the satellite industry. It was called "State of the Industry". It is some years later and it is time to pull it back out. The "digital dilemma" that I refer to is more accurately described as "digital deception". I have uncovered many such digital deceptions in subsequent years. They make me sick to my stomach, angry, and they make these observations seem minor. I'll begin this blog with the commentary "State of the Industry"

State of the Industry

I am saddened at the current state of the industry! Industry analysts have found "it". TV manufacturers are concerned about "it". You get stuck with "it". We've witnessed "it". "It" birthed WOWVision!™. We provide solutions for "it". This IS what we do; we combat "it"! The "it" is a problem that we call the "Digital Dilemma". The Digital Dilemma manifests itself in a variety of ways and affects manufacturers, retailers, and service technicians. It is you, the consumer, who is ultimately hurt the most!

This excerpt is from The Wall Street Journal:

Manufacturers Face Consumer Confusion Over TV Technology By Peter Grant Anyone who thinks consumers understand high-definition television should consider a survey by Leichtman Research Group. It concluded that close to one-half of the 24 million households with HDTV's don't actually watch high-definition programs because they haven't obtained the necessary hardware from their cable, phone or satellite operators. And about one half of those viewers -- about six million -- don't even realize they're not watching HDTV. Bruce Leichtman, the market research firm's president, figures the confusion is partly because the consumers spend so much money on the set they can't believe they're not getting what they paid for.

Confusion is rampant! Why?

Industry "experts" speak on things that they don't know. (NOTE: If you watched the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, March 1, PBS: You witnessed firsthand the proliferation of MISINFORMATION!) Many are "shooting from the hip". This "expert" predicted "for those who can't afford a new TV, that the resulting picture from a digital conversion box would be poor." The first conversions are here. He hasn't seen it! No predictions are necessary here, folks! I am not an expert, but I know what I see! I have added this digital conversion box for some who were watching antenna on their older, Standard Definition TVs. You know the kind; fuzzy picture, ghost images, picture comes and goes, just some of the available channels...regular old antenna TV! And the result? The best picture on TV, short of HDTV! Better than satellite, better than cable! More channels, electronic program guide and more.

Clear, concise, understandable information is difficult to find, yet you can easily find conflicting information and stuff that is just plain wrong, proliferating on the internet. Thus, this website. (Editor's note: This was written for the WOW!Vision website.)

Adding to the misinformation by the media, retailers purposely play on the "fear factor" and the lack of good information available. They haven't trained their sales people about the DTV transition. They will let you, even encourage you, to by an HDTV, even if it's not the right choice for you. This is how they "train" their people. "Analog signal ends in two years. Everyone needs a new TV! Sell 'em an HD." How many of you have heard this salesperson shamming routine, "you just spent $3000 on HDTV don't you want to get the "BEST" cables? You won't get the full picture quality if you don't buy the Mon$tor cables" This can make you feel like you're a "BAD" person if you don't get them! This is an inexcusable path to take!

While there have been major changes in the High Definition arena in 2006, the bottom line of the Digital Transition hasn't changed: You don't have to buy anything! Not an HDTV! Not expensive, problematic cables!

Now let's compound the problem for you, the consumer!

Those major changes in 2006 that I referred to, come from the satellite industry. In 2006, BOTH Dish Network AND DirecTV rolled out their "HD for the masses". What I mean is, the HD "test" run ended and both satellite companies decided on which dish types to use, compression technology, and which satellites would bring HD to us. They essentially re-wrote nearly the entire book! Dish Network also debuted several new receivers and switches.

How does this affect you?

There are many changes for the technician to know about, but little and/or ineffective training is being provided to them! The result is most of the reported problems with the satellite systems are caused by installers.

Finally, add some relatively minor changes regarding connections (HDMI instead of DVI), and additional hardware that is now available, and we've got a mess - in "High Definition"!

From May through December, 2006 (The Year of HD), I completed approximately 800 service calls as a subcontractor for Dish Network. Here's some of what I saw.

Less than 10% were receiver failures. Receivers are generally very sound. (Unfortunately, there was a rash of DPPlus LNB failures.)

Over 90% of service calls where generated at installation by poor workmanship and poor skills. Meaning, that the majority of service calls were avoidable.

Of the 90% avoidable service calls:

The majority of systems were installed poorly; without grounding, low signal, using inferior materials. (And many were not aesthetically pleasing.)

Over half of all service calls were due to poor satellite dish alignment and line of sight issues. (Spring is a lot of dish relocation because of trees.)

Many were incomplete installations, and the rest of the service calls were from poor connections or bad cables.

Over 95% of customers I visited with Dish Network HDTV systems in place, were still watching enhanced definition TV, not HDTV. Only two (2) had optimized HD systems, and only four (4) were actually watching HDTV!!! And, more shocking is this: None of those service calls were because of picture quality concerns! These people were pleased with their new TVs and system, even though they were watching 480p.

Over 95% of customers were unfamiliar with operation and abilities of their systems.

How does this happen?

There is a far greater emphasis on installation "quotas" than installation "qualities". You can have high quality, fast, and low cost - just not at the same time! Quality is neither fast, nor cheap. Emphasis on speed while offering "Free Installations" result in lower quality. It is a basic business principle. Cost, speed, and quality are interconnected. When quality is primary, cost goes up and speed goes down. The satellite business needs a little re-think in compensation and better, more effective training, focused on efficiency and results."

There's my starting point. Hang on!

In Christ,

Highdefjeff