# DirecTV Quality on UN55JS8500 (Samsung 4k TV)



## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Hi All,

Got a new UN55JS8500 TV (Samsung 55 inch SUHD 4K) last week and everything except DirecTV looks amazing on it. Netflix, HBO GO, Amazon, YouTube, xBox One, PS4, etc. My core issue with DirecTV is that I mainly have it for sports so that's how I'm trying to fine tune it. Here's my issue (I'll use the World Cup as an example).

- When the picture zooms in close to a player or item, the picture is crisp, looks great, etc.
- When the picture zooms out (which in soccer is most of the time to show the full field of action) the players aren't crisp, they are "washed out", and in general the screen doesn't look that good.
- I also notice this "washed out" affect on normal shows (Elementary on CBS is a good example since it's one of the only ones I DVR for my wife).

I have upgraded from an 8 year old 42 inch (37 inch viewable) Samsung Plasma (which I've moved upstairs). I've been working with some folks on the avsforum and they recommended I come here. They recommended some picture changes for the Samsung TV (selecting Movie mode, some other stuff, etc) which has helped some, but the problem I have with movie mode is the colors aren't as bright. My wife complains when I turn it on as well as she doesn't like it. Even with Movie Mode enabled it still has issues I outlined above. I contacted DirecTV and they sent me a new receiver, but the new receiver didn't have any change on the problem.

Honestly, I'm not sure if I just need to adjust my line of thinking on how good a picture I should be getting from DirecTV on this TV but many others love the quality of DirecTV on the TV and I can't imagine the issues I'm seeing would allow so many to love it. Since everything else non-DirecTV looks so amazing it tells me this has to be caused by DirecTV, wether it's a signal issue, or something else.

Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas on what I may be able to do to improve my picture? Or is this the "quality" I'll have to suffer through on this TV (and any LED TV) due to limitations with DirecTV?

Thanks in advance for any help 
Ethan


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Your Manual, http://static.bhphotovideo.com/lit_files/113183.pdf , tells that you should be in Sports Mode to make the picture look better on the sports and also tells of the settings along with that that might improve your picture.
I have had 4 new HD TVs and never chose Movie as the setting to use.

You might also play around with the Dynamic Contrast and the Auto Dynamic ? backlighting.

Look at the data starting at about page 89.
Mode
(MENU/123) MENU System Sports Mode or Soccer Mode Try Now
You can use Sports Mode to get optimal picture and sound settings for soccer events, making them appear and sound as if you are there. In addition, if a recording device is connected to the TV when you are using Sports Mode, you can view highlights extracted from the recorded sporting event automatically or manually.

The actual name may differ with specific geographical area.
　
Enabling sports mode
(MENU/123) MENU System Sports Mode or Soccer Mode Sports Mode or Soccer Mode
You can set Sports Mode to On to optimize the picture and sound modes of the TV automatically for soccer events.

Enabling Sports Mode changes Picture Mode to Stadium and Sound Mode to Stadium, and disables some Picture and Sound menus.
　
Extracting highlights automatically
(MENU/123) MENU System Soccer Mode Auto Highlights Try Now
You can set Auto Highlights to On to configure the TV to extract highlights of a sporting event automatically.
However, Auto Highlights is not available:

When you are switching the input signal using the SOURCE button.
When 3D mode is active
When Audio Description is on
When you are viewing the content in MY CONTENT
When the Screen Mirroring function is running
When you are viewing highlights of the current soccer game in the UHD resolution by using the Highlight Player function

This function is not available in the U.S.A. and Canada.
The performance of Auto Highlights depends on the characteristics of the transmitted signal.
It is advisable to use Auto Highlights only while watching


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> Your Manual, http://static.bhphotovideo.com/lit_files/113183.pdf , tells that you should be in Sports Mode to make the picture look better on the sports and also tells of the settings along with that that might improve your picture.
> I have had 4 new HD TVs and never chose Movie as the setting to use.
> 
> You might also play around with the Dynamic Contrast and the Auto Dynamic ? backlighting.


Yes, I should've mentioned that I did watch the NBA Finals in Sports mode after trying movie mode for a bit, it did look nice but the issues I described in my original post still happen in Sports Mode. The issues I'm explaining, do you notice them at all on your TV's?


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Yes, I should've mentioned that I did watch the NBA Finals in Sports mode after trying movie mode for a bit, it did look nice but the issues I described in my original post still happen in Sports Mode. The issues I'm explaining, do you notice them at all on your TV's?


I will check later tonight to see if I am having this problem on my 46 Samsung LCD, 1080p TV on the soccer matches. As a rule I watch Nascar , Golf and Boxing and do not have any problems with them.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> I will check later tonight to see if I am having this problem on my 46 Samsung LCD, 1080p TV on the soccer matches. As a rule I watch Nascar , Golf and Boxing and do not have any problems with them.


Cool, I appreciate it.


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## hancox (Jun 23, 2004)

1) what abc affiliate are you watching the finals on? If you say WTNH, stop everything. (they stink PQ-wise)
2) what directv receiver are you using? Left-field hunch you'll say an HR24-500.
3) Tried component cables? Worth a shot, if for nothing else than to eliminate a potential path...


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

exorr said:


> They recommended some picture changes for the Samsung TV (selecting Movie mode, some other stuff, etc) which has helped some, but the problem I have with movie mode is the colors aren't as bright.


Maybe you're being overly cautious with adjusting the user picture controls. When you say the colors aren't as bright in Movie mode, I wonder why you don't change the Color and Contrast controls to make the colors as bright as you think they should be. You have the power! Also, if there is some blurriness, don't be afraid to be aggressive with the Sharpness control.

I have the JS9000, and I've been very pleased with the DirecTV picture (for the best channels only, though). I'm not sure Sports mode is a good idea for the problems you describe -- I think it's for depiction of motion. (But I haven't actually tried Sports mode on my set.)


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

Calibrating your TV will give you it's best picture performance. If you can't afford to have your TV calibrated professionally there are several affordable discs (Digital Video Essentials, Disney WOW, DVE HD Basics, HDTV Calibration Wizard, Spears & Munsil) that will give you very good results.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

hancox said:


> 1) what abc affiliate are you watching the finals on? If you say WTNH, stop everything. (they stink PQ-wise)
> 2) what directv receiver are you using? Left-field hunch you'll say an HR24-500.
> 3) Tried component cables? Worth a shot, if for nothing else than to eliminate a potential path...


1. It happens on almost all sporting events, no matter the channel. I didn't notice it for the Stanley Cup, but that was the only event I didn't notice a big issue on.
2. HR34-700
3. I haven't, but I have tried many different HDMI cables.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

GregLee said:


> Maybe you're being overly cautious with adjusting the user picture controls. When you say the colors aren't as bright in Movie mode, I wonder why you don't change the Color and Contrast controls to make the colors as bright as you think they should be. You have the power! Also, if there is some blurriness, don't be afraid to be aggressive with the Sharpness control.
> 
> I have the JS9000, and I've been very pleased with the DirecTV picture (for the best channels only, though). I'm not sure Sports mode is a good idea for the problems you describe -- I think it's for depiction of motion. (But I haven't actually tried Sports mode on my set.)


I did change some of the settings in Movie mode. I guess I can mess around with it some more. I have used many different settings and none of them would make the issue that much better.


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

Since I have a different model, JS9000, it's probably no help, but I did post my settings at AVSf: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-lcd-flat-panel-displays/1922161-official-2015-samsung-4k-suhd-js9000-series-curved-smart-tv-thread-6.html#post33381609


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Where is your source selection taking place to choose what is shown on the TV?

Having you tried another input or bypassing this device?

I noticed recently that some TVs allow you to configure what type of input you want on a input-by-input basis (in case you want to turn overscan off and stuff like that).


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## NR4P (Jan 16, 2007)

Your expectations of what should be crystal clear, super sharp in Soccer may be too high. You mentioned distant shots of players. Are they hundreds of feet away from the camera? If so, they will not be very sharp unless zoomed in.

Here's something to try on the weekend or perhaps during ABCs basketball at night.

If you can, connect an OTA antenna to your TV. Scan to get local channels. Hopefully you can get a few.
When sports are on OTA, tune it directly to get your local OTA channel. That will be as good as it gets.

Then switch inputs to Directv via HDMI.

If you see a difference, its the STB or HDMI input. 

I also have a UHD TV and everything is not crystal clear.
Indoor scenes on network shows with low light will not be clear/cridp like outdoor sports in sunlight.


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## HarleyD (Aug 31, 2006)

exorr said:


> I did change some of the settings in Movie mode. I guess I can mess around with it some more. I have used many different settings and none of them would make the issue that much better.


Don't be afraid to tweak the settings. That is how I have always gotten my best results. I would suggest you look into getting a basic calibration video as well. They are available from many different sources in both Blu Ray and DVD. It doesn't really matter which format for what you would be using it for.

When I got my first Plasma HDTV in 2006 they threw in a calibration DVD. It was produced by the same people who make Monster cables and it's just a series of repeating scenes with narration on how That particular setting should be adjusted for the picture that is on the screen. The different portions of the video allow you to set and verify brightness, contrast, sharpness, saturation, aspect ratio, etc.

It has worked well enough to satisfy me on all my sets in the past.

When I bought my UN55JU6700 last month I used it on that as well. I just went into Standard picture mode and made my adjustments. The disk suggests you may want to tweak setting in two different presets...one for daylight and one for the dark...but my experience is getting one group of setting well adjusted is good for me.

It's not anything nearly as sophisticated as ISF calibration but if you make the adjustments based on the video the picture looks pretty darn good. At least I think so. I may not be as discerning as some. I can only say it looks good to me.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> Calibrating your TV will give you it's best picture performance. If you can't afford to have your TV calibrated professionally there are several affordable discs (Digital Video Essentials, Disney WOW, DVE HD Basics, HDTV Calibration Wizard, Spears & Munsil) that will give you very good results.


I was actually considering paying someone to professionally calibrate it as well as assist me with setup of my entertainment room. I got a MantelMount to mount the TV over the Fireplace (which we don't use). The mount lowers the TV to eye level for those that don't know what it is. This will free up an entire wall in our living room. I kind of want to hire someone to help me with that, plus my speaker setup, etc. My issue is I'm not having much luck doing google searchs for people that do this stuff. Do you have any recommendations on a good way to find a good calibrater/installer?


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Cool, I appreciate it.


I am watching the ladies on 219 and it is a 720p feed and I do not see any problems.. I let my TV do the conversion. Do you have Native ON ? Choose only the 1080i and 720p resolutions unless you do PPV and then you would need the 1080p.

I don't think it makes any difference but my TV is hooked up with component cables and has an optical ran to an AVR for the sound.
Are you passing your video thru the AVR ? If yes, you might try a direct connection to the TV.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

harsh said:


> Where is your source selection taking place to choose what is shown on the TV?
> 
> Having you tried another input or bypassing this device?
> 
> I noticed recently that some TVs allow you to configure what type of input you want on a input-by-input basis (in case you want to turn overscan off and stuff like that).


I've tried moving my input's around all over. I haven't noticed a different in any of them. I'd never even heard of overscan before (just google's it when you mentioned it). Not sure my TV does that or not, I'll poke around...


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> I am watching the ladies on 219 and it is a 720p feed and I do not see any problems.. I let my TV do the conversion. Do you have Native ON ? Choose only the 1080i and 720p resolutions unless you do PPV and then you would need the 1080p.
> 
> I don't think it makes any difference but my TV is hooked up with component cables and has an optical ran to an AVR for the sound.
> Are you passing your video thru the AVR ? If yes, you might try a direct connection to the TV.


Ok thank you. I will try component cables tonight, maybe that will make a difference. I do use an AVR but during most of my testing I move it directly to the TV just to be sure the AVR isn't causing any problems.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

NR4P said:


> Your expectations of what should be crystal clear, super sharp in Soccer may be too high. You mentioned distant shots of players. Are they hundreds of feet away from the camera? If so, they will not be very sharp unless zoomed in.
> 
> Here's something to try on the weekend or perhaps during ABCs basketball at night.
> 
> ...


The OTA test is an awesome one I hadn't thought of. I do have OTA on my roof back from the day when I couldn't get local's in HD via DirecTV and a few months back I tested it to be sure it was still working and it was working great. I'm going to do that test to see if there's a noticable difference, if there is, like you said at least then I know 100% this is with DirecTV.

I also agree with you that my expectations are probably too high. Elementary is a show that has lots of low light parts and it's not crystal clear like I'd expect it to be. Seeing that you see that same issue with a UHD TV this may just be the norm. It sucks that I can stream shows from Hulu at 1080p and it looks much better...kind of makes me wish I just streamed everything lol.


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

exorr said:


> The mount lowers the TV to eye level for those that don't know what it is.


Oh, it's not now at eye-level? The SUHD sets give a beautiful picture when viewed straight on and at eye-level. Mine looks awful when I look from the side or when I stand up so that I'm looking down at the screen. And I mean truly awful.

If you can get your set to eye-level, you're in for a treat, I predict.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

exorr said:


> I was actually considering paying someone to professionally calibrate it as well as assist me with setup of my entertainment room. I got a MantelMount to mount the TV over the Fireplace (which we don't use). The mount lowers the TV to eye level for those that don't know what it is. This will free up an entire wall in our living room. I kind of want to hire someone to help me with that, plus my speaker setup, etc. My issue is I'm not having much luck doing google searchs for people that do this stuff. Do you have any recommendations on a good way to find a good calibrater/installer?


If there are no private calibration professionals in your area try the nearest Best Buy and check with their Geek Squad.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

GregLee said:


> Oh, it's not now at eye-level? The SUHD sets give a beautiful picture when viewed straight on and at eye-level. Mine looks awful when I look from the side or when I stand up so that I'm looking down at the screen. And I mean truly awful.
> 
> If you can get your set to eye-level, you're in for a treat, I predict.


No sorry, that comment was misunderstood. It's eye level now, I bought a mount to move it over my fireplace. The mount is made to then lower the TV to eye level  I only mentioned that to prevent people from freaking that I was moving my TV above the fireplace haha


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> If there are no private calibration professionals in your area try the nearest Best Buy and check with their Geek Squad.


Just say no to Best Buy...haha  Thanks though I will keep digging for a private professional.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Just say no to Best Buy...haha  Thanks though I will keep digging for a private professional.


I am sure you are aware of this, but just in case you are not,
Each of the screens where you can choose and make changes has a "Reset" choice that sets the picture back to the way it was before you took it out of the box.


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## slice1900 (Feb 14, 2013)

Watch the same program on that TV and another TV, and see if you see the same issues. If you don't, swap receivers between the two TVs and see if the problem follows the receiver or stays with the TV. Then you can at least narrow down whether it is a Directv issue or an issue with the TV before you start changing all sorts of settings on the TV.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

slice1900 said:


> Watch the same program on that TV and another TV, and see if you see the same issues. If you don't, swap receivers between the two TVs and see if the problem follows the receiver or stays with the TV. Then you can at least narrow down whether it is a Directv issue or an issue with the TV before you start changing all sorts of settings on the TV.


The issue is I don't really have a good TV to compare with. The only other one I have is a 37 inch Plasma but due to the screen being 18 inches smaller I feel that issues I wouldn't really see there, are visible on the new larger TV. However, this is only happening on DirecTV. All other sources I use, Netflix, Amazon, HBO GO, xBox One, and PS4 all look amazing. I'm not concerned its an issue with the TV. It's just trying to get the TV to make it look better.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

FWIW, IMO, I think this is normal. I have my HR44 connected to my iMac 5K and I see the same "washed out" picture, Soccer is really bad. However when I stream 4K content the picture is crystal clear. Until there is dedicated 4K content we might just have to get used to what we got now. Keep in mind that 4K is twice as large as HD. So your TV is "amplifying" a small(er) picture to fill the entire display


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

You might want to check out nearby Imaging Science Foundation calibrators/dealers ....
https://www.imagingscience.com/dealers.php


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> I am sure you are aware of this, but just in case you are not,
> Each of the screens where you can choose and make changes has a "Reset" choice that sets the picture back to the way it was before you took it out of the box.


Yup, done that a few times now


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

peds48 said:


> FWIW, IMO, I think this is normal. I have my HR44 connected to my iMac 5K and I see the same "washed out" picture, Soccer is really bad. However when I stream 4K content the picture is crystal clear. Until there is dedicated 4K content we might just have to get used to what we got now. Keep in mind that 4K is twice as large as HD. So your TV is "amplifying" a small(er) picture to fill the entire display


Ok thanks for this. 1080p content even looks fantastic on this TV (netflix streaming and such)...although to be honest I can't confirm that for sports since I watch those live. Unfortunetly DirecTV and other cable providers only do 720p and 1080i live broadcasts. The amplfying a smaller picture to fill the screen is why I think I didn't notice this as much on my smaller 37inch viewable TV and now it's jumping out at me. Same resolution, but much more space to cover.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Ok thanks for this. 1080p content even looks fantastic on this TV (netflix streaming and such)...although to be honest I can't confirm that for sports since I watch those live. Unfortunetly DirecTV and other cable providers only do 720p and 1080i live broadcasts. The amplfying a smaller picture to fill the screen is why I think I didn't notice this as much on my smaller 37inch viewable TV and now it's jumping out at me. Same resolution, but much more space to cover.


To test the picture, watch the Golf Channel, 218. It is in 1080i. See if there is a difference there. They have close up and distant shots.

Channel 220 has hockey on tonight and it is 1080i broadcast also.


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

jimmie57 said:


> To test the picture, watch the Golf Channel, 218. It is in 1080i.


Since I got my SUHD Samsung two months ago, I'm seeing quality differences among the D* channels that I didn't notice before. And many of the D* HD channels, I now realize, have second rate picture quality. But some are first rate. I just looked at 218, the Golf channel, and I'd give it a B+ for picture quality -- a little blurry and poor color. I looked around for some other sports, but just now, at any rate, I just couldn't find anything that looked good. I don't watch much sports, but I have seen A rated pictures for golf and tennis in the past. The 701- channels are always good, when there's a tournament.

Luckily for me, some documentary channels, which I tend to watch, have A/A+ pictures. The Science channel is often very good. The Cooking channel and the Food channel are usually good. CNN is good.

My local Honolulu HD channels are good, except ABC.

I've gone through all the premium channels I get, looking for A+ pictures, and they are rare. Showtime is consistently poor. Starz is mostly poor. HBO and Cinemax are pretty good, but not very consistent -- B+ to A. The extra pack (I forget the name) channels are usually good: SonyHD, MGMHD, Hallmark Movie, Smithsonian, UHD, HDNM.

So unless you spend some time looking around for the quality channels, you could get a not-totally-deserved bad impression of upconverted 1080i on D*.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

GregLee said:


> The Cooking channel and the Food channel are usually good.


I've found that both of these channels are often over-saturated.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Yes, there is definitely difference between the channels in HD. Many of them are the 720p variety and I think some of the channels use od SD content uprezid to HD.
The ABC channel here in Houston is 720p.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

harsh said:


> I've found that both of these channels are often over-saturated.


That's because you're a DISH customer! :sure:


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

harsh said:


> I've found that both of these channels are often over-saturated.


On your side of the fence perhaps.....


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## ejbvt (Aug 14, 2011)

jimmie57 said:


> Yes, there is definitely difference between the channels in HD. Many of them are the 720p variety and I think some of the channels use od SD content uprezid to HD.
> The ABC channel here in Houston is 720p.


Most ABC and Fox affiliates are 720p and all of their cable channels are, too.

Movie mode on any TV I have ever seen is a terrible thing. Just use normal mode and then fine tune your calibrations from there. I use the auto adjusting brightness and it works great on my LG TV. I wouldn't use that if the room didn't get so bright during the daylight hours.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

MysteryMan said:


> That's because you're a DISH customer! :sure:


I guess DISH customers must be more discerning as I've observed this on four different carriers.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

No doubt. But self congratulations really belong in DISH threads.....


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Laxguy said:


> No doubt. But self congratulations really belong in DISH threads.....


Whereas in the DIRECTV threads it is supposed to be all about heaping unconditional praise on DIRECTV?


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Can we make a thread that says, "Lets Argue about Anything" and take all the BS to it ?
Then I won't click on something thinking I am going to learn something new and waste my time .


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> Can we make a thread that sys "Lets Argue about Anything" and take all the BS to it ?
> Then I won't click on something thinking I am going to learn something new and waste my time .


LOL, agreed. I do appreciate all the help from you and others on my original request for help


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> LOL, agreed. I do appreciate all the help from you and others on my original request for help


You are welcome. Hope you are getting the TV adjusted to your liking.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> I will check later tonight to see if I am having this problem on my 46 Samsung LCD, 1080p TV on the soccer matches. As a rule I watch Nascar , Golf and Boxing and do not have any problems with them.


It sounds like the TS is describing what Fox puts out for sports. I know it's 720p and the closeup shots are fine but when they zoom out, that's where I see the problems the TS mentions.

Rich


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## b52pooh (Mar 10, 2011)

_My personal opinion --- picture quality is a very subjective proposition to deal with and I do not see how it can be truly resolved to everyone's liking over an internet forum. We would all have to go to your house to view the TV, then give our opinions. All we can do is make sure you have all options or settings available for you to try. It's really up to you whether or not you like the picture. _


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

HarleyD said:


> Don't be afraid to tweak the settings. That is how I have always gotten my best results. I would suggest you look into getting a basic calibration video as well. They are available from many different sources in both Blu Ray and DVD. It doesn't really matter which format for what you would be using it for.
> 
> When I got my first Plasma HDTV in 2006 they threw in a calibration DVD. It was produced by the same people who make Monster cables and it's just a series of repeating scenes with narration on how That particular setting should be adjusted for the picture that is on the screen. The different portions of the video allow you to set and verify brightness, contrast, sharpness, saturation, aspect ratio, etc.
> 
> ...


Which, in our subjective world, is all that matters.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

harsh said:


> Whereas in the DIRECTV threads it is supposed to be all about heaping unconditional praise on DIRECTV?


Hope that was a generality. Not all of us do that.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

b52pooh said:


> _My personal opinion --- picture quality is a very subjective proposition to deal with and I do not see how it can be truly resolved to everyone's liking over an internet forum. We would all have to go to your house to view the TV, then give our opinions. All we can do is make sure you have all options or settings available for you to try. It's really up to you whether or not you like the picture. _


Exactly! Well put! I've tried the calibration discs and gave up quickly on them. You should be able to buy a TV and not have to spend a small fortune to have it calibrated to what someone else thinks is proper. And it is all subjective...

Rich


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Rich said:


> It sounds like the TS is describing what Fox puts out for sports. I know it's 720p and the closeup shots are fine but when they zoom out, that's where I see the problems the TS mentions.
> 
> Rich


Thanks Rich. I've come to realize that's where most of my issues are showing up. Hockey must be in 1080i so I don't notice the issue much there, but the 720p feeds are sucky. I guess with this larger screen it's much more noticable now


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

harsh said:


> Whereas in the DIRECTV threads it is supposed to be all about heaping unconditional praise on DIRECTV?


No, but when every single post is about negativity, it starts from being constructive to just plain trolling....


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> Thanks Rich. I've come to realize that's where most of my issues are showing up. Hockey must be in 1080i so I don't notice the issue much there, but the 720p feeds are sucky. I guess with this larger screen it's much more noticable now


The better the TV, the more bad things you see. My plasmas don't upscale and the 720p feeds from Fox, ABC and others are clearly not as good as the 1080i feeds. That's why I watch so much Netflix and Amazon content. 1080p/60fps on both of them on my Fire TV boxes.

Rich


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Rich said:


> The better the TV, the more bad things you see. My plasmas don't upscale and the 720p feeds from Fox, ABC and others are clearly not as good as the 1080i feeds. That's why I watch so much Netflix and Amazon content. 1080p/60fps on both of them on my Fire TV boxes.
> 
> Rich


Yup, ever since getting this TV I cringe to even watch anything on cable. I stream everything from Netflix/Amazon if I can


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

exorr said:


> Yup, ever since getting this TV I cringe to even watch anything on cable. I stream everything from Netflix/Amazon if I can


Cable?

You're not seeing good-great pictures on DIRECTV®?


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> Cable?
> 
> You're not seeing good-great pictures on DIRECTV®?


Sorry, right DirecTV...I know that's not officially "Cable" but "Satellite"


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

But you're not seeing good pictures on DIRECTV®?


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

Laxguy said:


> But you're not seeing good pictures on DIRECTV®?


I've compared DirecTV HD to Amazon HD, and I find that the best DirecTV HD channels are superior to anything I see on Amazon HD (1080p). I'm comparing them both upconverted to UHD on a Samsung JS9000. (I can't get Amazon 4k because I don't have a fast enough net connection, and I'm not subscribed to Netflix.)


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

GregLee said:


> I've compared DirecTV HD to Amazon HD, and I find that the best DirecTV HD channels are superior to anything I see on Amazon HD (1080p). I'm comparing them both upconverted to UHD on a Samsung JS9000. (I can't get Amazon 4k because I don't have a fast enough net connection, and I'm not subscribed to Netflix.)


If you don't have a fast network connection it may just be that your streaming from Amazon isn't great. Amazon, Netflix, HBO, all my streaming options are hands down better than anything on DirecTV.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> But you're not seeing good pictures on DIRECTV®?


No, not as good as I would've expected but I'm thinking it's due to some channels broadcasting in 720p. Not all channels are equal unfortunately. Everything I stream is 1080p and looks amazing.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> No, not as good as I would've expected but I'm thinking it's due to some channels broadcasting in 720p. Not all channels are equal unfortunately. Everything I stream is 1080p and looks amazing.


You haven't mentioned the premium channels unless I missed it.
If you have them how do some of those look ? Note that some of them are in 720p also.
Have you checked out any of the old movies on AMC that are now showing in HD and sometimes LB since they were on the really wide screens when they were filmed ?


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> You haven't mentioned the premium channels unless I missed it.
> If you have them how do some of those look ? Note that some of them are in 720p also.
> Have you checked out any of the old movies on AMC that are now showing in HD and sometimes LB since they were on the really wide screens when they were filmed ?


I don't watch premium other than HBO and I just stream that since streaming is better quality. Honestly all I ever watch is sports except for what I record for my wife lol. I will be testing more this weekend when I have some time to sit down with sports on numerous different channels. I also have a tech showing up today so am going to ask them just to make sure my signal is as good as it should be, etc.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> I don't watch premium other than HBO and I just stream that since streaming is better quality. Honestly all I ever watch is sports except for what I record for my wife lol. I will be testing more this weekend when I have some time to sit down with sports on numerous different channels. I also have a tech showing up today so am going to ask them just to make sure my signal is as good as it should be, etc.


The thing about these digital signals is that if you get a picture that is not pixelating, that is as good as it gets. A higher number on signal strength lets you watch it longer before the rain knocks out the signal completely.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> The thing about these digital signals is that if you get a picture that is not pixelating, that is as good as it gets. A higher number on signal strength lets you watch it longer before the rain knocks out the signal completely.


Yah, I have the Belmont on my DVR paused at a point where what I'm noticing is obvious, I'll ask the tech if that's what I should expect or not and see what he says.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Yah, I have the Belmont on my DVR paused at a point where what I'm noticing is obvious, I'll ask the tech if that's what I should expect or not and see what he says.


I have seen some frames on my TV that were not correct if I paused the program and then sat there and clicked to advance one frame at a time, especially in live sports.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> I have seen some frames on my TV that were not correct if I paused the program and then sat there and clicked to advance one frame at a time, especially in live sports.


Yah sorry, I didn't mean I see it when paused, just that when the tech gets here I can hit "play" so they can see it


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

exorr said:


> Yah, I have the Belmont on my DVR paused at a point where what I'm noticing is obvious,* I'll ask the tech if that's what I should expect or not and see what he says*.


You might be in for a treat, as all the tech can do is change the 34 and hopefully they have a 44. There is nothing the tech can do to improve pic quality.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

peds48 said:


> You might be in for a treat, as all the tech can do is change the 34 and hopefully they have a 44. There is nothing the tech can do to improve pic quality.


Yeah, they already swapped my 34 with another 34 and it didn't make a difference. I asked for the 44 and they said "it's not an upgrade, we can't give it to you" even though it has wireless, is much faster, etc. Not sure how that's not an upgrade...lol


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

exorr said:


> No, not as good as I would've expected but I'm thinking it's due to some channels broadcasting in 720p. Not all channels are equal unfortunately. Everything I stream is 1080p and looks amazing.


If you are comparing a 1080p image to 1080i 0r 720p, of course the others will look better, especially on a 4K monitor. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Yeah, they already swapped my 34 with another 34 and it didn't make a difference. I asked for the 44 and they said "it's not an upgrade, we can't give it to you" even though it has wireless, is much faster, etc. Not sure how that's not an upgrade...lol


But, the tech today might hook one up to see if it changes your pictures ??? If it does, he would probably leave it.
Good luck.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> But, the tech today might hook one up to see if it changes your pictures ??? If it does, he would probably leave it.
> Good luck.


Yup, agreed, maybe I'll find a way to convince him to do that...haha


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Laxguy said:


> If you are comparing a 1080p image to 1080i 0r 720p, of course the others will look better, especially on a 4K monitor. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier.


Oh I'm well aware of this. It's just that the 1080i image even looks fuzzy when it zooms out, but as you said, I'm used to my 8 year old 37 inch viewable plasma. Now I have a 55 inch 4k TV, I'm just seeing all these imperfections in the signal I never saw before. Knowing this is "normal" though has helped me not stress out about it when I watch it. Having others here tell me how normal it is, and they have the same thing, etc etc has made it so I can actually look past the "problem" now


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> Oh I'm well aware of this. It's just that the 1080i image even looks fuzzy when it zooms out, but as you said, I'm used to my 8 year old 37 inch viewable plasma. Now I have a 55 inch 4k TV, I'm just seeing all these imperfections in the signal I never saw before. Knowing this is "normal" though has helped me not stress out about it when I watch it. Having others here tell me how normal it is, and they have the same thing, etc etc has made it so I can actually look past the "problem" now


That reminds of when my mother had the guy out to put in the HD service that she did not want ( MY sister did it ).
The guy hooked it up and went to the channel she was watching, then he changed it to the HD version of the channel.
My mother said, "Oh, that lady does not need to be on HD. She is old and has brown spots and wrinkles just like me." She had not noticed that on the SD channels.
She kept the HD service.


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

jimmie57 said:


> Have you checked out any of the old movies on AMC that are now showing in HD and sometimes LB since they were on the really wide screens when they were filmed ?


I'm looking at "Changing Lanes" on AMC right now, upconverted to 4k and pseudo-HDR. Nice color and contrast, but the resolution is a little soft. The field of view seems too narrow I've seen some older movies on AMC, too, that looked good, but I can't recall names right now.

I'm not sure I've been clear that top-quality 1080i video is an entirely different experience when upconverted to 4k HDR than when I had my previous 2k plasma sets. Plasma just doesn't make it. (I haven't seen OLED.)


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Greg- What was the model and year of your old 2k plasma set?


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

GregLee said:


> I'm looking at "Changing Lanes" on AMC right now, upconverted to 4k and pseudo-HDR. Nice color and contrast, but the resolution is a little soft. The field of view seems too narrow I've seen some older movies on AMC, too, that looked good, but I can't recall names right now.
> 
> I'm not sure I've been clear that top-quality 1080i video is an entirely different experience when upconverted to 4k HDR than when I had my previous 2k plasma sets. Plasma just doesn't make it. (I haven't seen OLED.)


Check out the Disney channel 290. It is 720p but it is all animated. Animations do not have camera problems like live sports.
How does that one look ?


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

jimmie57 said:


> Check out the Disney channel 290. It is 720p but it is all animated. Animations do not have camera problems like live sports.
> How does that one look ?


Right now we have "Happy Captain's Day; Planet of the Plants". The resolution is a little soft, but the apparent depth is good, and the colors are lush and beautiful. I have my set's color space set to Native, meaning the TV is free to use colors in its expanded gamut, even if they are not in the rec. 709 standard. I don't know exactly what the TV is doing. I think this works great for cartoons, and mostly pretty well for natural scenes. The cartoons have lots of color (and if they're not exactly as the artists intended, who cares?).


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

GregLee said:


> I've compared DirecTV HD to Amazon HD, and I find that the best DirecTV HD channels are superior to anything I see on Amazon HD (1080p). I'm comparing them both upconverted to UHD on a Samsung JS9000. (I can't get Amazon 4k because I don't have a fast enough net connection, and I'm not subscribed to Netflix.)


I've done all the comparisons too, on my 1080p plasmas and there is just nothing good I can say about D*'s PQ when compared to the PQ of NF or Amazon. Not saying that D* doesn't have good PQ, just that NF and Amazon HD is better. I think.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> _*If you don't have a *__*fast network*__* connection it may just be that your streaming from Amazon isn't great.*_ Amazon, Netflix, HBO, all my streaming options are hands down better than anything on DirecTV.


That's his problem. Plus the upscaling of what he does get. I absolutely agree with you.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

GregLee said:


> I've compared DirecTV HD to Amazon HD, and I find that the best DirecTV HD channels are superior to anything I see on Amazon HD (1080p). I'm comparing them both upconverted to UHD on a Samsung JS9000. (I can't get Amazon 4k because I don't have a fast enough net connection, and I'm not subscribed to Netflix.)


Don't you have a cable company on the island? That's what you need. A good cable ISP is now putting out about 100 or over Mbps on the mainland. Never been to Hawaii, don't know enough about what's out there. Curious, I am.

Rich


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

DirecTV tech just left my house. RVU still not functioning on this TV. He did however fully set it up so whenever it's enabled I can add it to my Genie as I would any other client. So a tech won't have to come back again.

He also found that I had a bad LNB on my Satellite (completely dead) so he replaced that which may help with some of the quality issues I was seeing on some of the stations.

He upgraded me to the new HR44 without batting an eyelash. Man the HR44 flies, so much faster than the HR34!

All in all the tech was awesome. Hoping the RVU function will be enabled soon but at least he did his full install so he won't have to come back....


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

exorr said:


> DirecTV tech just left my house. RVU still not functioning on this TV. He did however fully set it up so whenever it's enabled I can add it to my Genie as I would any other client. So a tech won't have to come back again.
> 
> He also found that I had a bad LNB on my Satellite (completely dead) so he replaced that which may help with some of the quality issues I was seeing on some of the stations.
> 
> ...


Excellent ! Glad you got that one.

That dead LNB would cause you to not get some channels.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> I don't watch premium other than HBO and I just stream that since streaming is better quality. Honestly all I ever watch is sports except for what I record for my wife lol. I will be testing more this weekend when I have some time to sit down with sports on numerous different channels. I also have a tech showing up today so am going to ask them just to make sure my signal is as good as it should be, etc.


Aside from the installer call, I could have written the above post.

Rich


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

Laxguy said:


> Greg- What was the model and year of your old 2k plasma set?


It's a 2013 Panasonic 60ST60. Now I have a 2015 65JS9000 and a 2014 50HU8550, both Samsung LED.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> I have seen some frames on my TV that were not correct if I paused the program and then sat there and clicked to advance one frame at a time, especially in live sports.


You really ought to get the MLB package if you can get it without charge. Then watch the Yankees on YES. All kind of goofy things happen on that channel, but the PQ is really good. Again, subjective, but I do believe it has a lot to do with the TV being used.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> Yah sorry, I didn't mean I see it when paused, just that when the tech gets here I can hit "play" so they can see it


Hmm, I watched the Belmont Stakes race and didn't see any problems. Wasn't that on NBC...just checked, it was and that's a 1080i channel. You shouldn't have had any problems with that.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> Yeah, they already swapped my 34 with another 34 and it didn't make a difference. I asked for the 44 and they said "it's not an upgrade, we can't give it to you" even though it has wireless, is much faster, etc. Not sure how that's not an upgrade...lol


Should have dangled a $50 out there. I always get what I want. And the installer walks away happy. And if they come back, they never forget that act of kindness.

Rich


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

Rich said:


> Don't you have a cable company on the island? That's what you need. A good cable ISP is now putting out about 100 or over Mbps on the mainland. Never been to Hawaii, don't know enough about what's out there. Curious, I am.


We do have TWC here, and it has high nominal speeds. Currently, I use 16Mbps DSL from our telco. I could get a 25-30Mbps DSL rate if I wanted to pay for it, and it would be higher still if I lived downtown, which I don't. But I don't want to stream video -- it just holds no attraction for me, so why pay more?


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

GregLee said:


> It's a 2013 Panasonic 60ST60. Now I have a 2015 65JS9000 and a 2014 50HU8550, both Samsung LED.


I've got that Panny plasma. I don't have any problems with PQ on it. Again, subjective, I don't have a 4K to compare it to.

Rich


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

Rich said:


> I've done all the comparisons too, on my 1080p plasmas and there is just nothing good I can say about D*'s PQ when compared to the PQ of NF or Amazon. Not saying that D* doesn't have good PQ, just that NF and Amazon HD is better. I think.


I think not.

I've also done some looking at Youtube videos at 1080p and from 10-14Mbps speeds, and the Youtube apparent resolution might beat out D*, though the colors don't look as good, to me. Amazon is not as good from here -- it just isn't.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

Rich said:


> Should have dangled a $50 out there. I always get what I want. And the installer walks away happy. And if they come back, they never forget that act of kindness.
> 
> Rich


The tech that arrived today swapped it with no issues. The one I talked to before was someone on the phone


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

GregLee said:


> We do have TWC here, and it has high nominal speeds. Currently, I use 16Mbps DSL from our telco. I could get a 25-30Mbps DSL rate if I wanted to pay for it, and it would be higher still if I lived downtown, which I don't. But I don't want to stream video -- it just holds no attraction for me, _*so why pay more?*_


We look at TV as a luxury item, the only real luxury item that we have, so PQ is much more important to us than the cost of an ISP. That and the fact that with all the computers, game platforms and streamers we have we really need the cable for our ISP. You've got the equipment, now you need to feed the equipment. NF really should be part of the experience.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> The tech that arrived today swapped it with no issues. The one I talked to before was someone on the phone


Unless you're talking to a Retention CSR or a CMA, you really shouldn't believe anything they tell you.

Rich


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## GregLee (Dec 28, 2005)

Rich said:


> I've got that Panny plasma. I don't have any problems with PQ on it. Again, subjective, I don't have a 4K to compare it to.


I didn't have any PQ problems with my st60, either. I've been making some comparisons between the PQ I'm seeing on the specific Samsung model I've had for 2 months now. It's lots better than any picture I've ever seen on any plasma, except for the problem with off-axis viewing. There are a number of technical differences in play, and I can only guess at what makes the difference, but my guess is that it is mainly (1) the quality of the uprezzing algorithm, (2) the HDR-ready features, including 10-bit color depth and enhanced brightness, and (3) the wide color gamut. I doubt you can expect a lot of improvement just going from 2k to 4k -- that's not where the action is. I can make the 4k comparison looking at my last year's model HU8550 4k set, which I have in another room (for my wife). It's okay -- I like the HU8550, but its 4k picture is not nearly as good as the 2015 JS9000 picture.

So, please, I'm not comparing 2k with 4k, plasma with LED, Panasonic with Samsung. None of those things.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

exorr said:


> He also found that I had a bad LNB on my Satellite (completely dead) so he replaced that which may help with some of the quality issues I was seeing on some of the stations.


I have to question that, as far as I was aware your channels were working, no?


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

peds48 said:


> I have to question that, as far as I was aware your channels were working, no?


He said it was one LNB and that it wasn't both that controlled connectivity to that satellite. Honestly I don't know, he mentioned it was faulty so maybe it wasn't completely dead...lol


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

exorr said:


> He said it was one LNB and that it wasn't both that controlled connectivity to that satellite. Honestly I don't know, he mentioned it was faulty so maybe it wasn't completely dead...lol


I figured as much. Blame something totally unrelated to make the customer feel something was "fix".


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

Rich said:


> I've done all the comparisons too, on my 1080p plasmas and there is just nothing good I can say about D*'s PQ when compared to the PQ of NF or Amazon. Not saying that D* doesn't have good PQ, just that NF and Amazon HD is better. I think.
> 
> Rich


Absolutely ! No question about it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

GregLee said:


> I didn't any PQ problems with my st60, either. I've been making some comparisons between the PQ I'm seeing on the specific Samsung model I've had for 2 months now. It's lots better than any picture I've ever seen on any plasma, except for the problem with off-axis viewing. There are a number of technical differences in play, and I can only guess at what makes the difference, but my guess is that it is mainly (1) the quality of the uprezzing algorithm, (2) the HDR-ready features, including 10-bit color depth and enhanced brightness, and (3) the wide color gamut. I doubt you can expect a lot of improvement just going from 2k to 4k -- that's not where the action is. I can make the 4k comparison looking at my last year's model HU8550 4k set, which I have in another room (for my wife). It's okay -- I like the HU8550, but its 4k picture is not nearly as good as the 2015 JS9000 picture.
> 
> _*So, please, I'm not comparing 2k with 4k, plasma with LED, Panasonic with Samsung. None of those things.*_


I think most of us appreciate the comparisons. I know_* Drew2K*_ just got a new Sammy 4K and immediately posted the pros and cons that he saw. That was a good post. I wasn't trying to bait you or anything like that. I want to know everything that I can about the 4Ks before I make the leap. And since you have the same model Panny plasma, your comments are much appreciated.

Rich


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

I just wanted to "put a bow" on the issue I was having and thank everyone who helped me.

My DirecTV quality wasn't that great. I was seeing lots of poor quality when the screen zoomed out. I had lots of people recommend settings, tried them all, but none of them really helped that much. I scheduled the RVU install for the TV with DirecTV and also hoped the tech maybe able to iron out some of the quality issues. While here he found a defective LNB on my satellite which he swapped out and he also upgraded my HR34 to an HR44. He attempted to install the RVU, but it didn't work as most know it's not supported yet. He did leave the RVU setup though so whenever Samsung fixes the issues with it, I can enable it without another tech coming. I'm not sure if it was the LNB or the HR44 but something changed after he left. I'm not noticing nearly as much of the quality issues as I was previously. I still notice it some during soccer but it's not even close to as bad as before. I'm thinking it maybe the HR44 that helped more than the LNB, but I truly don't know. Either way, my picture seems much more crisp since he left. It's not as nice as Netflix, HBO, Amazon streaming of course, but it's still much better than it was.

So thanks to everyone that helped. Hope my experience may help someone else also...


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## slice1900 (Feb 14, 2013)

The LNB swap can't make a difference, it must have been the switch to the HR44. Maybe your HR34's HDMI output was defective or something.


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## exorr (Oct 25, 2006)

slice1900 said:


> The LNB swap can't make a difference, it must have been the switch to the HR44. Maybe your HR34's HDMI output was defective or something.


Well I had originally swapped my HR34 for another HR34 and didn't see any improvement in quality. Is it possible that the HR44 in general is the reason? Maybe I'm just crazy and "think" the quality is better...lol


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

exorr said:


> Well I had originally swapped my HR34 for another HR34 and didn't see any improvement in quality. Is it possible that the HR44 in general is the reason? Maybe I'm just crazy and "think" the quality is better...lol


As long as you're happy with it...

Rich


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