WinTV-D TV Tuner quality (sample image)

[mattman]

Here is a screenshot from my WinTV-D

The channel is an analog cable channel (not digital tv):

http://matthewyo.homestead.com/files/sample.jpg

Can I get a better picture somehow? Is anyone else with this card (or any Hauppauge tv tuner) getting similar quality (or lack thereof)

Thanks

-Matt

[websurfer907]

Wow, that's pretty bad. I have a WinTV card, and it looks better than that. Does it look like that on a regular TV?

[Beavis]

Is the quality any better on the higher channels?

[tacosalad]

The WinTV tuner isn't particularly sensitive. Is your signal running through a splitter? This is typical if you send an incoming signal to a TV, a VCR, and the computer.

Although they aren't conspicuously labeled, a splitter always reduces signal strength in order to keep the impedance properly matched. (It divides the load across the outputs.) A two-way splitter will introduce a 3.5 dB loss, and a four-way splitter will introduce a 7 dB loss.

If you're using a splitter anywhere in the line, you might bypass it as an experiment. (Don't just disconnect the other devices.) If the picture improves, you might consider buying a distribution amplifier or RF amplifier. Or, if the splitter is a three-way, move the WinTV to a different output.

[SHS]

To me it look more like at bad tuner try hook up VCR run RCA to it to see if look it better.

[mattman]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-07-09 15:18:53, websurfer907 wrote:
Wow, that's pretty bad. I have a WinTV card, and it looks better than that. Does it look like that on a regular TV?
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

The other TV's in my house are very sharp

[mattman]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-07-09 16:33:03, Beavis wrote:
Is the quality any better on the higher channels?
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No, their the same

[mattman]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-07-09 19:59:40, tacosalad wrote:
The WinTV tuner isn't particularly sensitive. Is your signal running through a splitter? This is typical if you send an incoming signal to a TV, a VCR, and the computer.

Although they aren't conspicuously labeled, a splitter always reduces signal strength in order to keep the impedance properly matched. (It divides the load across the outputs.) A two-way splitter will introduce a 3.5 dB loss, and a four-way splitter will introduce a 7 dB loss.

If you're using a splitter anywhere in the line, you might bypass it as an experiment. (Don't just disconnect the other devices.) If the picture improves, you might consider buying a distribution amplifier or RF amplifier. Or, if the splitter is a three-way, move the WinTV to a different output.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

I am using a 4 way splitter:
1). TV in living room
2). TV in bedroom
3). Cable modem
4). WinTV-D

Since we only have one cable outlet in our home, I need the splitter. I guess that leaves the amplifier option. What exactly am I looking for? Can I get this at Rat Shack?

Thanks everyone....I'll repost a sample pic if it works

[mattman]

BTW, can someone post a screenshot of their TV Tuner picture quality, just so I know what I'm shooting for? TIA

-Matt

[incognito]

I don't think you should need an amplifier for only
a 4-way split -- the signal loss for that just isn't that
high.

I think it's more likely that you have a faulty cable
or a poor connection. I'd try shuffling the cables
around to see it that makes a difference before I went
and installed an amp.

[websurfer907]

Hmm.. at my house, we have the cable split up into 6 TV's with 3 different splitters... and the quality is better than that (although it isn't great.. ) so its probably something else.

Did you try connecting it to a different output after, like tacosalad said?

[tacosalad]

Don't look for an amplifier until you've tested it without the splitter. Just temporarily run the line straight to the WinTV--just for testing. You won't have to leave your TV sets disconnected for very long. Luckily, it's free to run the test.

A 4-way split could certainly introduce picture troubles if the signal isn't very strong, and the WinTV's tuner is likely to be the first to exhibit problems. I've seen this first-hand, and a colleague reported the same thing a few months ago. Even so, that doesn't mean it's the cause of your woes, so do try the direct connection to see if it has an effect.

Unfortunately a cable modem won't work downstream from any sort of amplifier. My colleague solved this in his house (similar to your set-up) by using a two-way splitter on the incoming signal and sending one output to the cable modem, the other to a four-way distribution amplifier from Radio Shack.

FYI: A splitter always reduces signal strength. That's necessary to keep the impedance constant. A distribution amplifier is supposed to retain signal strength while splitting, not really to amplify it.

[SHS]

I agree with tacosalad that is your best option

[incognito]

Not for nothing, but isn't the wintv-d designed
for receiving off-air digital tv signals? Why would you
want to buy one only to hook it up to cable?

I'm curious about how good it is at tuning in digital
broadcasts. Have you used it for that?

[mattman]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-07-10 09:41:50, incognito wrote:
Not for nothing, but isn't the wintv-d designed
for receiving off-air digital tv signals? Why would you
want to buy one only to hook it up to cable?

I'm curious about how good it is at tuning in digital
broadcasts. Have you used it for that?
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I bought the WinTV-D from a hot tip at Anandtech for $50. I definitely am waiting to get it hooked up to an antenna to get digital broadcast

[Belboz]

mattman,

I had similiar capture quality with my WinTV-PCI card. The output looked like that when I had the coax cable run right from the cable splitter outside to the WinTV card. Funny thing was when I hooked that coax line directly to my TV in the computer room it was beautiful.

I took my TV's composite video out and fed it to the WinTV card and the picture was beautiful too.

I assumed the PC or the WinTV card was generating quite a bit of interference with the coax line.

You might want to try either using a TV or VCR to decode the channels for you and feeding the composite or svideo signal to your cap card and see if that helps.

[KingDiamond]

I own a WinTV-D and the analog quality isn't that great when you look closely, but it's good when you're farther away.

The reason for this is because a TV has line filters and stuff. Also, the resolution is 640x480 on your TV, and you see less of the blemishes. If you look at the new RCA digital-TV ($1,600) , and you look at an analog channel, there are a lot of lines and things you don't see on a conventional tv. The RCA digital tv is basically a huge CRT monitor.

But if you look at a digital channel on the RCA tv, then it will have a photo quality picture.

Here's some screenshots from my WinTV-D:


CHICAGO NBC-5 ANALOG CABLE-
http://www.bingier.com/images/nbc5.jpg

CHICAGO NBC-5 DIGITAL-TV INDOOR ANTENNA-
http://www.bingier.com/images/nbc5dtv.jpg

CHICAGO WGN-9 ANALOG CABLE-
http://www.bingier.com/images/wgn9.jpg

CHICAGO WGN-9 DIGITAL-TV INDOOR ANTENNA-
http://www.bingier.com/images/wgn9dtv.jpg

[mattman]

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On 2001-07-10 12:33:32, KingDiamond wrote:
Here's some screenshots from my WinTV-D:
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KingDiamond,

Thanks for the pics, man. Great help. Those digital tv pics are awesome. Can you capture digital tv w/ the WinTV-D. As you can see, I haven't had much time to play with it yet

-Matt

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mattman on 2001-07-11 22:22:53 ]</font>