HD Picture Quality

[ract]

Is there any difference in the quality of the HD picture from the set top box RF output to the TV and the set to box HDMI output to the TV?

[PJL · Accepted solution]

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@ract wrote:

Is there any difference in the quality of the HD picture from the set top box RF output to the TV and the set to box HDMI output to the TV?

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The RF output does NOT provide an HD picture; the composite video output is only SD as well.  Only the HDMI and component outputs are HD. 

[lasagna]

You betcha...  the RF output is 480i only (the STB downscales the HD signal).    Same with composite (yellow jack single cable) video.  HDMI will push 720p or 1080i if the signal provided by the channel upstream is broadcasting at that resolution.    You can also get an HD signal via component (red/green/blue video cable) video although it's sent analog from the STB to the TV instead of digital (HDMI) and thus more susceptible to degradation.

[PJL]

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@lasagna wrote:

...  HDMI will push 720p or 1080i if the signal provided by the channel upstream is broadcasting at that resolution.   ...

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Unless you have native pass through enabled, the STB output for HDMI or component is based on what the STB is set to do for all channels, either 1080i or 720p.  Only if you have enabled native passthrough will the native resolution of the programming source (480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i) be supplied via HDMI and component outputs.

[ract]

Thanks for the help.  Find it strange that FIOS would down grade the signal rather than do a simple split.  Seems to me it that would increase the cost of the box.

I now split the RF cable and run one line to the TV (has a cable card) and one to the set top box; I view the box output via one of the HDMI TV inputs.  I thought maybe I could free up one of the HDMI inputs and save the cable card cost.  Don't use the set top box for much; got it for VOD.  In years gone by when I was a Comcast customer, didn't care for VOD because I saw most movies in the theater (still preferred method).  In recent years, I have taken to VOD mainly due to hearing loss and availability of CC.  However, the FIOS VOD menu is much more difficult to navigate than Comcast and gets worse with each update.  FIOS seems to think if it looks attractive, it will work well.

The other TV HDMI input is used for DVD player and the component inputs are used for the TiVo boxes.

[PJL]

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@ract wrote:

Thanks for the help.  Find it strange that FIOS would down grade the signal rather than do a simple split.  Seems to me it that would increase the cost of the box.

...

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The RF output of the STB is not the same as what comes into the box.  In other words, it is not a full pass through of the input signal on the coax input but is the video of the selected STB channel modulated on either RF analog channel 3 or 4.