LCD Digital Tuners

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I have a question about the quality of freeview pictures on LCD TVs. I know what I want from a TV but have been left uncertain whether they are up to the job. Its not DVD or gaming that worries me but the quality of standard TV. Ive been to the usual highstreet shops to check out the models Im interested in but every single one has a very bad picture when switched from HD source to freeview. The guys at the shop seemed quick to tell me that the quality was due to the fact that all the TVs on show were sharing a single aerial and that once I got it home the picture would be much better.

I need to know to what extent this is true, was he just after a sale? Ive read alot about the quality of digital TV on LCDs. When a review says that the picture through freeview is of high standard are they talking relative to other LCDs or does it genuinely produce a good sharp picture. What truly defines a good freeview picture?

If anyone could post some pictures to give me some Idea I would be truly grateful. Moving into the LCD market is a big step for me.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Well, this is my recent experience for what it's worth. I have just bought a 32LXD700 for a medium sized lounge.

My experience from sitting 8 feet away is that for most of the Freeview SD stuff the picture is slightly (only slightly) worse than it was on my old 24" tube. It's probably not actually worse; it's just "magnified" so I notice it more.

HOWEVER, this is what I expected and I have to say that for the rest of the Freeview SD stuff (the important stuff like BBC's Cranford, Heroes, Earth: Power of the Planet and movies) the picture is actually BETTER than it was on the old tube. So the bigger screen definitely provides more detail if it's there in the signal but if the detail is not there then, obviously, a poor picture will just look worse the bigger it is. The broadcast quality is definitely different across the channels. It's also worth mentioning that I have an Inverto PVR connected via scart and that gives a slightly better picture than the TV's internal tuner. The other thing is that the DVD player is now connected via component leads and the picture quality for DVDs is superb. So I'm happy to take the rough with the smooth. Hopefully, over the life of the telly the quality of the signals it has to cope with will only improve as more of the spectrum is freed up for Freeview and I can also start filling those 3 (now empty) HDMI sockets!

 

[Andy Clough]

There are a number of issues here. Most TVs are usually appallingly set up in the shops (assuming they've been calibrated at all), and yes, they do often share a single aerial feed, which means the signal they're receiving is pretty rubbish. It's the old maxim: rubbish in, rubbish out.

However, once properly set up and installed at home, and with a good-quality rooftop aerial, the best LCD TVs can deliver a great picture on Freeview (the latest range of Panasonic models are particularly strong in this regard).

But there's another caveat: the bit-rate (and hence quality) at which each broadcaster transmits its programmes can vary enormously. Yes, much of the BBC's costume drama looks great, but some of the stuff on ITV and the more obscure channels on cable/satellite can look shocking - but that's not the fault of the TV.

And if you want to know what makes a truly great TV picture, there's a great article about this on page 6/7 of the TV supplement sold with the latest (December) issue of What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision.