Najiya asked

17th May 2010

I have just recently installed a new HD+ virgin media box.I use to have a cable running through the house with 3 TV's connected to one box. With the new HD box It does not have the Hole to plug in that cable and now the other 2 tv's do not work because there is no signal.

As you're now aware the new V HD set top boxes available from Virgin Media don't have an RF output that can be used to watch the same channel the STB is tuned to on other televisions.

Your options are either to purchase an separate RF modulator to send the boxes output over your existing cabling, or to split and distribute the cable around your house and have a set-top decoder box for each television. The second option will be more costly but will allow you to watch different programmers in different rooms, but the first should come in at less than £50 and be simpler and cheaper.

Iain asked

14th May 2010

I wonder if I could trouble you to help me with an AV problem I have? My Panasonic TH-50VX100E does not support composite or scart input cards. Very annoying and they don't tell you that when you buy it!

My idea was to connect my composite source to the scart socket on the Sky HD+ box and HDMI out. However there is no obvious way of selecting an external input with the Sky remote. Is what I'm trying to do possible?

I've actually find it quite hard to find much information about the HDTV you have, presumably as it's a couple of years old, but I would have thought that would make it more likely to support some kind of analogue video input which is what you're after.

I'm looking at this spec sheet for the 60 inch model:

http://www.awe-europe.com/documents/th65vx100e_specsheet.pdf

and this shows in slot 3 on the back, 3 analogue video terminals and 2 for analogue audio.

Component/composite/SCART are all analogue video connection that are =interchangeable with adapters, so if your HDTV has an analogue card in one of the slots the connection should be straightforward.

If you don't have the right card I'd try searching online to see if you can get hold of one. Your Sky+ HD box likely has a SCART passthough, but it is just a passthough; so you would still need an analogue/SCART connection on your TV, and if you had one of those already there's no point in the passthough.

Prasanna asked

11th May 2010

I read in one of your answers that any TV marked as HD Ready must be able to display HDCP content as part of a required standard. Can you please let me know where to confirm this? I have purchased a TV which was sold as HD Ready and is not supporting HDCP. The seller is now refusing to accept that it should support HDCP as part of standard? Any help on this issue is highly appreciated.

As you say in order to use the HD Ready logo on an HDTV it must be able to support HDCP via an HDMI or DVI input. Sadly the EICTA website doesn't seem to be working this morning for me, but if by the time you get this it is, you should be able to find the information you require here:

http://www.eicta.org/index.php?id=32&id_article=50

In the mean time there is some less formal explanation and background on Wikipedia here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready

If you happen to have a spare HDMI cable it's worth swapping your current one out as that can sometimes be a source of problems that can hinder the HDCP negotiation process.

Paul asked

5th May 2010

My tv is a LG 32" 1080 line. On both BBC and ITV HD channels i find the speach is out of sinc, can i ajust this?

Thanks for your question. From what I've read there does seem to be occasional lip-sync issues with certain LG models, so I don't think you are alone in having this problem.

Probably the safest route to start with it to contact LG and see if they are aware of the problem and if there is anything they can do to help you with it. There may for example be update firmware available or they may be able to address the problem under warranty if applicable.

If you aren't able to get an help at all from the manufacturer your next best bet is to visit avsforum.com and search for other users with the same model as you. In some LG models the problem may be able to be mitigated somewhat by adjustment in the menus but you need to be careful and follow any instructions you find with great care.

Car asked

3rd May 2010

I have HD Ready TV and HD Ready Digital Recorder. Is it possibe to tune to HD channels without an HD Box?

You will need some kind of high-definition capable picture source in order to be able to watch HDTV.

It's worth checking that the over-the-air tuner built in to your television doesn't already support high-definition in you are in the USA, but if you're in the UK you will almost certainly need an external aerial/satellite decoder.

Alex asked

3rd May 2010

We have a 32" Philips HD ready LCD television and are in the Granada region. I am now considering purchasing a Humax Freeview HD box but have been told that there will be very little benefit from HD on a 32" TV and that in order to see the HD benefit in picture quality you need at least a 37" LCD screen. Is this so?

It's not so much the absolute size of the TV that's affects your perception of a high-definition picture but rather how large or small your usual viewing distance from the screen is. The further away you sit the less detail you will be able to perceive in the picture and more of the benefit of the high-resolution picture will be lost.

There is absolutely no definitive figure for the best viewing distance for a 32 inch screen, it's very subjective and the distances on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimum_HDTV_viewing_distance#The_Recommendations

range from 2 to around 4 meters depending on who is making the recommendation.

Jim asked

3rd May 2010

I have puchased from M&S a Sony Bravia 32-inch KDL-32W5810 Full HD LCD TV with built in Freesat. Of which I now await delivery.

I am now looking for a DVD recorder with hard drive capacity as well. I have come across a Sony RDR HXD890B DVD Recorder which says it is Freeveiw. The woman at the shop says because of the Freesat in my television, I will be able to record and play back Freesat channels. On this point I would like to be sure, because I can get it at half price, but I don't want a lemon on my hands when they come to install my Freesat dish etc.

She also stated that I would only be able to record one channel while watching another, which to me is no great deal, but if I left my old aerial up, I would be able to connect up at the back and record two at once if I so desired? Is their a lot of hazzel involved here and if so is it worth it for the bother? My main question is the one about the Sony recorder, and if it difficult to connect up.

I don't think the Sony DVD recorder is going to be much use to you but I'll elaborate a little so you can be sure. Firstly it looks very much like it's a standard definition device so it wouldn't be very good at recording the high-definition content you can get from Freesat. The other stumbling block I can see it that I don't think there is any way to get a video signal out of your Sony television. Like most TVs it only has video inputs, and what you want it a video output to be able to connect to an input on the DVD recorder.

Sorry the news isn't better, but you'll probably do better with a separate Freesat recorder that's specifically designed to do what you want, and should allow you to record one channel whilst watching another on your TV.

John asked

29th April 2010

Hi, after having a standard-definition TV for so long, we have just taken delivery of a Sharp LC-40LE600E full-HD TV and the picture is stunning. If i decided to upgrade to Sky HD, or purchase a Freeview or Freesat HD box would the picture get any better?

I'm sure there's room for further improvement in your television picture but what you should do really depends on what you currently like to watch and what you think you will be watching in the near future.

I suspect you are now watching Freeview (digital) on your new HDTV, so the picture improvement that brings over the older analogue system coupled with the new larger display technology is probably quite noticeable.

In a way I'm tempted to tell you to do nothing and just enjoy your your new television for while as you're not going to be able find a lot of free/cheap high-definition content available at the moment. Sky HD is expensive and may or may not have HD content you want to watch, Freesat has a limited number of high-definition channels, and Freeview HD may not yet be available in your area until digital switchover takes place.

Equally one of those three options, a HD disc player or games console may be just what you're after and are prepared to pay for in order to realise the full benefits of you new television.

I'd take a trip to a shop and see what further improvement you can see in a high-definition picture then see based on that what you do or don't feel link spending to get it.