Questions about new HDTV

On Christmas Eve I purchased a 32 inch LCD HDTV with an
internal HD tuner (Syntax/Olevia 232v). My previous TV was
an old 15 inch analog set with reception and picture quality
so poor that I couldn't read movie credits or the scoreboard
graphics during football games, so of course I've been
awestruck by the picture quality of my new HDTV.

I'm receiving local digital signals with an indoor amplified
loop UHF antenna. I don't subscribe to cable service and I'm
in an apartment. All of my local stations are broadcasting
UHF signals. The picture quality is great, except for
occasional signal dropout.

A few questions for you...

While watching my local NBC and CBS stations, there is a
loud crackle sound whenever the image seems to change
format, usually when transitioning between the program and
commercials, and sometimes between commercials. It sounds
like electrostatic discharge, like the spark of touching a
doorknob followed by a crackle, or pulling apart pieces of
fabric that have a static charge. It's as loud or louder
than the program sound and makes listening with headphones
uncomfortable.

Is this a common problem with on-air digital broadcasts, or
is my TV generating the noise?

Is there some gizmo that I can put between the TV and
external speakers that will filter out the spark/crackle sounds?

Sometimes, but not very often, the picture and sound are out
of sync by a fraction of a second. It's most noticeable when
a person on screen is speaking. It only occurs when watching
TV programs, not DVDs. Is this a known problem with some
broadcast signals, or is my TV to blame? Or is it related to
signal strength?

Thanks.
Dean

DeanK wrote:
....
While watching my local NBC and CBS stations, there is a
loud crackle sound whenever the image seems to change
format, usually when transitioning between the program and
commercials, and sometimes between commercials. It sounds
like electrostatic discharge, like the spark of touching a
doorknob followed by a crackle, or pulling apart pieces of
fabric that have a static charge. It's as loud or louder
than the program sound and makes listening with headphones
uncomfortable.

Is this a common problem with on-air digital broadcasts, or
is my TV generating the noise?


I also only receive my TV Over-the-air. Neither my Panasonic Plasma or
my Viewsonic LCD makes the crackling noise you describe. That sounds
like your set.

....
Sometimes, but not very often, the picture and sound are out
of sync by a fraction of a second. It's most noticeable when
a person on screen is speaking. It only occurs when watching
TV programs, not DVDs. Is this a known problem with some
broadcast signals, or is my TV to blame? Or is it related to
signal strength?
....

The "lip-sync" problem is common and is usually associated with the
broadcast equipment.
....

Dan (Woj...)

On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:37:49 +0000, DeanK wrote:

While watching my local NBC and CBS stations, there is a
loud crackle sound whenever the image seems to change
format, usually when transitioning between the program and
commercials, and sometimes between commercials. It sounds
like electrostatic discharge, like the spark of touching a
doorknob followed by a crackle, or pulling apart pieces of
fabric that have a static charge. It's as loud or louder
than the program sound and makes listening with headphones
uncomfortable.

As I get this on all my sets at the same place in a recording, I'd assume
it's a broadcast error, or recpetion error. A better antenna may or may
not help.

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DeanK:

Sometimes, but not very often, the picture and sound are out
of sync by a fraction of a second. It's most noticeable when
a person on screen is speaking. It only occurs when watching
TV programs, not DVDs.

It does occasionally happen on the broadcast.

On my setup, it also occasionally happens if the sound on the television
is on at the same time as the digital sound from the receiver; the
receiver will lag.

--
Mac Cool

We exchnaged and ended up with this tv too. No crackle and we are
using in circumstances like yours. On a sidenote, our box/receipt say
the tv is 32"...but I measured across at it was actually 28". Still,
the quality is way up from our orig. purchase...so we're happy overall.


Mac Cool wrote:
DeanK:

Sometimes, but not very often, the picture and sound are out
of sync by a fraction of a second. It's most noticeable when
a person on screen is speaking. It only occurs when watching
TV programs, not DVDs.

It does occasionally happen on the broadcast.

On my setup, it also occasionally happens if the sound on the television
is on at the same time as the digital sound from the receiver; the
receiver will lag.

--
Mac Cool

wrote:
On a sidenote, our box/receipt say
the tv is 32"...but I measured across at it was actually 28".

Television sets and monitors are measured diagonally. 28/16*9=15.75,
and (15.75^2+28"^2)^0.5=32 inches.

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DeanK wrote:
[O]f course I've been awestruck by the picture quality of my new
HDTV.

I'm receiving local digital signals with an indoor amplified loop
UHF antenna. I don't subscribe to cable service and I'm in an
apartment. All of my local stations are broadcasting UHF
signals. The picture quality is great, except for occasional signal
dropout.

And it's 100% free! I'll bet people you have over, who've mostly
forgotten over-the-air even exists, are astounded when you tell them
that, eh?

--
URL:http://www.pobox.com/~ylee/ PERTH ---- *

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URL:http://groups.google.ca/groups?selm=slrnd1g04a.5mt.ylee%40pobox.com

"DeanK" wrote in message
t...
On Christmas Eve I purchased a 32 inch LCD HDTV with an internal HD tuner
(Syntax/Olevia 232v). My previous TV was an old 15 inch analog set with
reception and picture quality so poor that I couldn't read movie credits
or the scoreboard graphics during football games, so of course I've been
awestruck by the picture quality of my new HDTV.

I'm receiving local digital signals with an indoor amplified loop UHF
antenna. I don't subscribe to cable service and I'm in an apartment. All
of my local stations are broadcasting UHF signals. The picture quality is
great, except for occasional signal dropout.

A few questions for you...

While watching my local NBC and CBS stations, there is a loud crackle
sound whenever the image seems to change format, usually when
transitioning between the program and commercials, and sometimes between
commercials. It sounds like electrostatic discharge, like the spark of
touching a doorknob followed by a crackle, or pulling apart pieces of
fabric that have a static charge. It's as loud or louder than the program
sound and makes listening with headphones uncomfortable.

Is this a common problem with on-air digital broadcasts, or is my TV
generating the noise?

Is there some gizmo that I can put between the TV and external speakers
that will filter out the spark/crackle sounds?

Sometimes, but not very often, the picture and sound are out of sync by a
fraction of a second. It's most noticeable when a person on screen is
speaking. It only occurs when watching TV programs, not DVDs. Is this a
known problem with some broadcast signals, or is my TV to blame? Or is it
related to signal strength?

Thanks.
Dean

both very common around my house

the crackle is when the local station is flipping between the HD network
feed and the local SD commercials... probably due to a non-seamless break in
the compression stream structure

The image-sound delay thing is another common "artifact" in the bit stream
processing... it's being addressed... as far as I know, it can come from a
lot of things upstream