Upconverting Sky+ question...

[Davo2008]

Hi,

I want to run my Sky+ box through my Onkyo 876 amp, upconverting the signal on the way, to get the best out of my SD signal. Sky+ box has scart or S-video out. Can anyone recommend any video switching box to (preferably) HDMI or component that would help me do this?

And to head off the question before it starts..."Why don't you just get a Sky+ HD box", I'd rather not have the outlay at the moment and bizzarely would find it hard to justify the tenner a month subscription! Basically, I'm just looking to get the most out of my SD signal. Any help would be hugely appreciated!!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

TBH, I don't know if you would get that much better a picture - remember that your TV is upscaling anyway (otherwise you would only get a little picture in the middle of the screen), so it would probably be best just to route the optical audio through the Onkyo, and go direct to the TV using RGB scart...

Apart from that, if you really did want to upscale I think there are some DVD players that support upscaling so maybe that would be the cheapest solution. As for standalone boxes, you are talking at least the £120 that it would cost you to upgrade to SkyHD for the 1st year!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Agreed - going down to S-video and then upscaling woulkd probably give pretty nasty results, and the RGB-to-component or RGB-to-HDMI boxes I've played with have been nothing special, so the Scart-to-component/HDMI route is not really worth doing.

I'd stick with direct Scart into the TV.

 

[Davo2008]

Thanks for that. Yes £120 for the subsription, £99 for the box (if you're not a new customer) and £30 installation cost.

I have the scart going to the tv now and optical audio to amp, just like you suggested. So iff the TV is already scaling, does that mean that the picture would be improved only if the scaler in the amp is better than the scaler in the tv? I'm fairly sure that the scaler in the amp would walk all over the tv's one.

Really I was hoping there would be a 5-star product that WHF have reviewed that will convert my RGB scart signal into a digital component or HDMI out. Does that sort of thing exist?

 

[Anonymous]

The best way would be to use the s-video output from the Sky+ box directly into the 876, and allow the 876 to do the conversion and upscaling.

If you bought something to converter your RGB scart to HDMI (if they are available) you may end up a worst picture in the end, I would suggest you let the 876 do it all.

I have an 876 with Sky+ HD and the 876, does not like converting the SD signal from either the component or HDMI, it starts jumping / flickering after a while.

 

[Davo2008]

Sorry Andrew, I was typing while you wrote this. I'll stick with what I have then. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Davo2008]

Doh! All these replies while typing! Thanks markjaspi. I might get an s-video cable to test the results. A pretty cheap experiment if it all goes wrong. Thanks again!

 

[Sliced Bread]

markjaspi:The best way would be to use the s-video output from the Sky+ box directly into the 876, and allow the 876 to do the conversion and upscaling.

I've tried this with sky through my Onkyo 905. The results are not as good in my opinion as going straight from scart to the TV. I found that the edges to lines on the Sky menu were shaking and not as clear.

 

[Anonymous]

Just a quick note on the 876 scaler, I connected my panasonic bd30 player in 2 ways:

1: component & optical, with the menu set up to output the native resolution of the DVD

2:HDMI, set to 1080p upscaling with the audio via it's 1.3a HDMI.

Just to see if i was better letting the 876 or bd30 upscale my SD dvds, and altough the BD30 was pretty good the 876 just beat it in terms od edge definition and a little extra detail, well in my opinion anyway.

So now I have 2 settings SD DVD and the HDMI version for blu ray discs passing straight through the HD audio & picture.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Davo2008:Sorry Andrew, I was typing while you wrote this.

Type faster, type faster...

Davo2008:I'll stick with what I have then. Thanks for the advice!

No probs!

 

[Anonymous]

It of course is only my opnion, but remember the 876 has the improved scaler with ISF calibration tools, this may have made a difference.

 

[Anonymous]

fatboyslimfast: Apart from that, if you really did want to upscale I think there are some DVD players that support upscaling so maybe that would be the cheapest solution.

I get a marginally better picture playing Sky+ SD through my DVD player than direct to the TV (both are Sony - see signature)

BTW Sky HD boxes are now available for £45 to existing subscribers with £30 installation fee. (Still £120 pa subscription though)

 

[Andrew Everard]

Not really - it'll still be GIGO: the input signal will be rubbish, so there's not much even the best scaler in ther world can do with that.

 

[Anonymous]

Point well taken, never tried through the s-video, only the component on my sky+ HD box and as I said it did not like that much initially it looked good but after 20 mins or so it started flickering.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Davo,

just a thought, but do you not pay Sky £10 a month for the Sky + functionality? That certainly used to be the case. If so, then there would be NO extra £10 per month outlay for the HD box. In which case, from looking at the Sky adverts at the moment it seems you can upgrade for £49 for the box and £30 install fee.

 

[Andrew Everard]

There seems to be some debate as to whether this offer only applies to new customers, or existing Sky subscribers, but if the OP can get the deal mark 1's suggesting seems to make a lot of sense.

 

[Davo2008]

Hi Mark unfortunately not. Sky+ is free. I'm assuming that this will eventually be the case with Sky HD as well, but for the forseeable future it's an additional tenner! Not worth it........until they start broadcasting the adult channels in HD! (only kidding)

 

[Anonymous]

Until yesterday (when a nice sky installer bought me a shiny new Sky+ HD box

) I was running my Sky+ via my Sony STR-DA2400ES using a SCART to Composite cable (and using the optical for the audio), upscaled picture was far better than the direct to TV SCART to SCART connection so I'd say giive it a try if your amp does the video upscaling. SCART to Component may give you an even better picture, though as it's coming out of SCART maybe not, but if you've got to buy a cable anyway (I used Composite as that's what I already had) it's probably worth a try

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:There seems to be some debate as to whether this offer only applies to new customers, or existing Sky subscribers, but if the OP can get the deal mark 1's suggesting seems to make a lot of sense.
Definitely applies to existing customers Andrew, I requested an upgrade to Sky+ HD last week when the £49 (+£30 install) offer came out and had the box installed yesterday

 

[Andrew Everard]

smee:I was running my Sky+ via my Sony STR-DA2400ES using a SCART to Composite cable (and using the optical for the audio), upscaled picture was far better than the direct to TV SCART to SCART connection

Find that very surprising - past experience suggests otherwise.

 

[Andrew Everard]

smee:Definitely applies to existing customers Andrew, I requested an upgrade to Sky+ HD last week when the £49 (+£30 install) offer came out and had the box installed yesterday

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Davo2008]

I've just ordered a £3.99 S-video cable to experiment with the amp's upscaling. Would buying a scart to component lead make any difference over the s-video (in theory)?

As an existing customer, I called them up too. I definitely would've gone for the deal if it weren't for the compulsory year's subscription. That's what grates me at the moment, as there are too few HD channels (I don't have the movie package) to justify an additional tenner....."in these harsh economic climes..."

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:Find that very surprising - past experience suggests otherwise.

Maybe it was just my knackered old eyes being fooled

Or maybe you need the combination of a Sony amp + a Sony TV (KDL-40W4500) to get the improvement

 

[Anonymous]

You can't use a Scart to component lead in this context. They exist, but aren't relevant in this particular case. The video output of the Sky+ box is RGB, not component: turning one form of video signal into the other requires an external video converter box of the type Andrew mentioned earlier (I used to use one myself: think it was by JS Technology). So, take RGB Scart out of the Sky+ box (using a premium RGB video-only cable, naturally), plug it into the powered video converter, then output it from the box via a component video cable into your flat panel TV. However, it's not a cheap solution, and as someone else has pointed out, the money spent on box and cabling could be put towards investing in the Sky+HD box straight from the off.

One other point worth re-iterating. As Andrew said earlier: what matters most is getting the best possible video signal out of your source device and into your display. Then, and only then, should you consider other factors: upscale rubbish, and what you wind up with is still rubbish. A good-quality standard-definition RGB Scart or component video signal should be significantly better than an externally upscaled S-Video or composite video image - unless, that is, the video upscaling built into your flat-panel TV is truly appalling.ÿ

 

[HD Elvis]

A touch off topic here but...Does Sky HD actually have a dramatic improvement in p.q on a 768p fixed display. I have a 428xd and wondered how the sky hd's 1080i pictures would look on my display. TBH at the moment my sd sky+/tv do a fine job but I just wondered what kind of p.q my 40 odd quid and a tenner a month would generate? Any advice?