The WOWVision! HDTV Picture Quality Help Guide

 If Your HDTV doesn't make you say "WOW"!!!

The WOWVision! HDTV Picture Quality Help Guide is unlike the cut-and-paste HDTV websites that populate the internet. WOWVision! is the the result of observations obtained from thousands of DTV and HDTV service calls. This is the one place that you will find the answers to poor picture quality and poor performance of HDTV and DTV systems.

What is most apparent in the field is that there is a great lack of knowledge and a large amount of confusion. regarding high definition sources,connections, picture quality, digital systems, the Digital Transition, and the digital conversion box.

The WOWVision! site addresses each factor of poor picture quality from viewing distance, cables, connections, settings, and calibration, to signal quality, antenna and dish alignment. The WOWVision! website contains information and tutorials on picture quality, aspect ratio, calibration,satellite dish alignment, signal meters, digital signal processing, and terrestrial or OTA HDTV  antenna alignment.

From the basics of the HDTV Do's & Don'ts to the details of signal science, including signal quality, signal-to-noise ratio, BER (Bit error rate),pixelation, mosquito noise, artifacts, grounding, and ground loops.

Resources including local HD digital broadcasts and broadcasters, technical and non-technical information regarding digital systems and their operation, and installation tips and tricks. The FAQ contains answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

The WOWVision! Interactive High Definition Glossary is the most complete glossary of DTV and HDTV definitions available on the internet. It contains hundreds of definitions and links regarding all aspects of HDTV. Links are included on the pages where they are contextually related. 

Everything contained within this site has been obtained and verified by research and proven repeatable RESULTS. This knowledge was acquired from correcting Dish Network and DirecTV satellite systems, and from installations of Off-air antennas, digital conversion boxes, and HDTVcalibrations.

  

I'm Jeffrey Johnston and this is my blog. Many people already know me as “Highdef Jeff”, a troubleshooter, a problem solver, and the author of:

The WOWVision! HDTV Picture Quality Help Guide

“If Your HDTV doesn't make you say WOW!!!"

Over ¼ of a million times in the past, the WOWVision website was referenced in hopes of improving the quality of HDTV picture. Many people and installers have benefited from the information contained on the WOWVision website. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the WOWVision website disappeared from the web.

Thankfully, I have recovered most of the information contained in the website and will begin to reprint the information here on this blog. BECAUSE digital just isn't “all-or-nothing” and if your HDTV doesn't make you say “WOW!”, then something is wrong. If you are still wondering why your HDTV doesn't look as good as some you've seen, then you've come to the right place!!! Stick around for awhile and revisit often as I reprint the WOWVision! Website.

Here's a tip: Get a Vizio and save your money. Vizio has been my top choice for quality and savings. 

How to color calibrate a television

After having calibrated many TVs of many types (tubes and flat screens), I have come to an amazing conclusion. The manufacturing process is so similar that ALL televisions that I have calibrated have very nearly the SAME settings when finished. What this means is that you will NOT have to spend even more money for a great picture.

If you're not seeing the "WOW" that you have witnessed in other TVs then read on.

First mak sure your signal is STRONG. After making sure your signal is strong (the number one reason for poor quality) you should then calibrate for the final increase in detail.

I started calibrating using the Spyder Pro Colorimeter.  I read many reviews and they all said it was a really good machine, except for one ISF calibrationist who said it left too much red. As I started calibrating with the Spyder Pro, I noticed that the picture was dramatically improved. As my eyes got trained in what to look for, I began to get frustrated that it was so close but not quite right. As the calibrationist said, there WAS too much red.  I could still see the last bit of red in the ears and lips of people that wasn't correct.  After using the Spyder Pro, I would then go back and began tweeking the picture until it was correct. The problem with Spyder Pro is that it has been programmed to use "Warm" temperature setting. Now, everything I had read up to this point was to use the "Warm" temperature setting. This is NOT correct.You CAN NOT properly calibrate any television using the "Warm" setting. It is impossible to have the entire color spectrum available when using the "Warm" or redder hued colors.

So here is a good starting place for calibration. With this formula (and a little help from your own eyes to "tweek") you will be able to see the amazing detail that HD is all about.

1. Temperature Setting
First, you must use the "Cool" or 6500K setting if you are to obtain perfect color and clarity.

2. Contrast and Brightness
These two go hand in hand because when you adjust contrast you will also adjust brightness. Contrast will "wash out" the details when too high and lose them when too low. The proper setting is near the center of the scale. (If the adjustment bar went from 0 to 100, you want to be between 50 - 60) This will make the picture not as bright, but will increase detail. To compensate for the darker picture, increase brightness some. Not too much or you will again "wash out" the details.

3. Color and Tint
These two also go hand in hand to obtain the perfect skin tones. The color in all TVs is way too "hot" or way to red. This is the largest adjustment. On a 0 to 100 scale, move color down to "around" 33. Use your eyes...just a few clicks to far and you will lose all of your color. This brings the color much closer to realistic but leaves a pinkish hue in flesh tones. The remedy for this is Tint. With Tint it only takes 2 or 3 clicks toward GREEN to finish color adjustment. Be carefull to move toward GREEN just 2 or 3 clicks. Which way green is will be determined by your TV. Try both directions if unsure. One way gives the tans and flesh tones, the other way goes toward purples.

4.Sharpness
Take sharpness down to between 10 and 30. Too high of sharpness adds artificial edges and ruins detail. Off completly is fine, but I seem to like most TVs, overall, in the 10 to 30 range.

5. Noise reduction and Skin tone adjustment
Turn these off.

These adjustments are close enough that anyone who knows what they are looking for will be able to obtain the proper color calibration.

Enjoy the "WOW" that IS HDTV!
God bless,
Highdefjeff


   

Why did Dish Network change the signal meter? Part 2

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?

Why Does My SDTV Look So bad?

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. 

 

 God bless you, and thank you for reading!

Highdef Jeff