HDMI cord?

[luvmyfam444]

As you know I know NOTHING about electonic things - we just bought a new tv - do we need an HRMI cord to make it have the best pic when using DirecTV?

Yes, I have a post further down - but I'm trying to figure this out right NOW! LOL

 

[ICF]

yes to actually watch HD programming via Direct TV you would need an HDMI cable running from your box to the TV.

You probably want to order on line as they are 90% cheaper in price than what you would find at a place like Best Buy.

edit to add---if you recently purchased an HD receiver from Direct, I think they would have given you the HDMI cable in the box. At least they did when we got our HD receivers last spring.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Ahh - THANKS! You'd think the tvs would come with them if it was needed to keep the tv from looking like CRAP!

 

[Golf4food]

Only order them from www.monoprice.com

The most expensive ones they carry are less than $7 (for gold plated connectors). Best Buy will try to sell you on a $100 Monster HDMI cable.


HOWEVER - if you have DirecTV and do not already have an HD receiver it will come with an HDMI cable in the box. If you do not have an HD receiver and are not getting an HD signal the HDMI cable won't really do you any good.

 

[luvmyfam444]

ok - here I go showing my dumbness again....

We arent paying for HD - so we just have the regular Directv box.

All I want it is for all my channels to look as good or nearly as good as each other.

 

[FireDancer]

ok - here I go showing my dumbness again....

We arent paying for HD - so we just have the regular Directv box.

All I want it is for all my channels to look as good or nearly as good as each other.

Not only do you need an HD box to get HD but you need a new dish aimed at completely different satellites. DirecTv uses a 3 satellite cluster for HD instead of a single satellite. Unfortunately it is also lower to the horizon so just because you have a clear line of site for SD DirecTv doesn't mean you will for HD. I am in this boat as I clear the trees and homes in my neighborhood for SD but don't for HD.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Ok I've confused myself!

Actually I think I get it - but I'm thinking there's not an answer for my problem - that we're out of luck.

The tv has Regis & Kelly on now (an NBC station) & it is SHOTTY! Nothing but little squares making up everything - just pathetic.
Watched an old Alfred Hitchock movie on BBC last night & it was amazing in black & white....

I can't figure out why its so inconsitent

of course in the store everything we watched on it was AMAZING!

 

[ICF]

ok - here I go showing my dumbness again....

We arent paying for HD - so we just have the regular Directv box.

All I want it is for all my channels to look as good or nearly as good as each other.

If you aren't paying Direct TV for HD, then you can't watch HD shows on your TV unless you are watching OTA (over the air broadcasts) via a antenna (i.e. rabbit ears or the like).

I would guess your non-HD box probably has a Component output (red/blue/green)...if so, that is what you will probably use to get the best picture.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Not only do you need an HD box to get HD but you need a new dish aimed at completely different satellites. DirecTv uses a 3 satellite cluster for HD instead of a single satellite. Unfortunately it is also lower to the horizon so just because you have a clear line of site for SD DirecTv doesn't mean you will for HD. I am in this boat as I clear the trees and homes in my neighborhood for SD but don't for HD.

SOOO there was no reason to get a new tv? Cause we certainly aren't gonna fork out the money for HD programming - don't watch tv THAT much - not really into sports or any of that

My other one looks better than this one....we bought it just so we could hang it - not for anything else. But I wanna be able to see what I'm watching!

 

[ICF]

of course in the store everything we watched on it was AMAZING!

thats because you were watching an HD signal on an HD tv and now you aren't.

It would be like eating a nicely prepared meal at a restaurant made by a world class chef and then expecting the same quality of a meal to come from a box stuck in a microwave.

While the food is still the same, the quality of the food is going to a lot different.

 

[Golf4food]

SOOO there was no reason to get a new tv? Cause we certainly aren't gonna fork out the money for HD programming - don't watch tv THAT much - not really into sports or any of that

My other one looks better than this one....we bought it just so we could hang it - not for anything else. But I wanna be able to see what I'm watching!

HD signal is only $10 per month and worth every penny, IMHO.

(IF you have an HD capable receiver. Call DirecTV and ask what you have and how much it would be to get what you need if you do not have what you need already. If they don't want to work with you try cable or Dish Network - someone is always giving away deals for free HD upgrades, etc.

 

[luvmyfam444]

If you aren't paying Direct TV for HD, then you can't watch HD shows on your TV unless you are watching OTA (over the air broadcasts) via a antenna (i.e. rabbit ears or the like).

I would guess your non-HD box probably has a Component output (red/blue/green)...if so, that is what you will probably use to get the best picture.

we have red white yellow - & coax & svideo

 

[Feralpeg]

I recently bought an HDTV for my study. That cable box in that room is not HD. Some day, I'll get around to switching it out. In the meantime, I plugged in my tv to the box using the regular cable cord and it worked just fine. If the picture is less than perfect, you couldn't tell it by me. I have an HDTV in my great room with the HD box. I can't see a difference in the quality of the picture from that room to the one in my study.

 

[luvmyfam444]

HD signal is only $10 per month and worth every penny, IMHO.

(IF you have an HD capable receiver. Call DirecTV and ask what you have and how much it would be to get what you need if you do not have what you need already. If they don't want to work with you try cable or Dish Network - someone is always giving away deals for free HD upgrades, etc.

SOOO we DID waste our money! WE actually are planning on dropping DirecTV when our contract is up in a couple of months. We primarily watch shows on the regular networks - so we find it wasteful to be paying for DirecTV

So that means our tv will always be crappy 'cause we won't be getting HD - right?

 

[Disney Daniel]

Indeed, if you can get high definition I would recommend it. I recently purchased a new TV and phoned my digital cable provider to see how much high definition would cost and they offered me six months of HD for free (no contract), so you never know what a quick call to check on prices may give you.

 

[ICF]

So that means our tv will always be crappy 'cause we won't be getting HD - right?

Depending on where you live and the like....

You may be able to go Target/Walmart and get a $15 pair of "rabbit ears" and hook them to the antenna input on the back of your tv.

That may allow you to get HD signals from the local broadcast networks (Abc, nbc, cbs, fox, wb) and some other local channels. Your ability to pick those up will likely depend on how far you are from the towers as well as phycial things like mountains and the like. There is a website that you can put in a zip code and will it will tell you what you should be able to pick up. I don't know the address off hand, but you can probably google your zip code and HD signals and something will come up.

You wont be able to use that method though to pick up national signals like espn, tnt and the like.

 

[luvmyfam444]

k- Thanks - we have rabbit ears - on the tv in the bedroom & that tv picks up hardly anything - once the tv changeover in June? it picked upa couple of new PBS stations (that we didn't even know existed) but wouldn't pick up ABC anymore - think it gets CBS & maybe NBC, but not Fox - can't remember - we never turn it on except for PBS.

 

[bicker]

do we need an HRMI cord to make it have the best pic when using DirecTV?

I don't know about your specific DirecTV receiver. (What is the model number of your DirecTV receiver?) However, for HD you don't necessarily have to use an HDMI cable. You could get HD via component video cables (three RCA plugs, red, green and blue), assuming your receiver and display both support component video. (What is the model number of your HDTV?) The visual difference is practically negligible.

 

[bicker]

we have red white yellow - & coax & svideo

The red and white cables you refer to are stereo audio cables. You won't get digital audio using those audio cables -- for that you'll need digital audio cables, assuming both your receiver and sound system (if any) support digital audio.

Turning to the video connections: The yellow cable is composite (not to be confused with component) video, and does not support HD video. The S-video cable is a little better the composite video, but still does not support HD video.

Video connections are in the following order, from the standpoint of how high quality the video connection is. Use the highest on the list that is supported by both your receiver/player and display:

BEST: HDMI or Component (red/green/blue)
S-Video
Composite (yellow)
WORST: Analog RF (coax)

 

[luvmy3]

OP, thanks for the reminder. We just got a new HDTV and currently do not have an HD reciever for it and I have been meaning to call Verizon to see what the price difference is. Turns out for $4 more a month I can get a whole house DVR (to replace the reg. one) and an additional HD reciever. If I was just going to replace my standard box with the HD one, it would be the same price. You might want to call Direct TV, the cost may not be as much as you think.
Oh, an right now we are using an S-video cable instead of the standard one. I have no idea what that does differently, if anything