PAL or RGB??

[lhough20]

I've just purchased a sony kf42sx300u (42" lcd rear projection) and also have sky+. I am convinced the picture quality looks a bit better when changing the sky+ output to PAL from RGB. Can anyone help? Why would the picture look slightly better in PAL than RGB??



Also as i'm new to the AV world! what is the correct way to set up a TV? e.g. contrast, colour, brightness, etc. or is it just personal taste? is there certain points to look out for?



Thanks for any help

Lee

[buns]

Hi there,



We would need a bit more info. In fact PAL is a picture format and RGB is a transmission method. Your sky box will ALWAYS be using PAL since it is the UK's picture system. However you can have PAL sent using different methods, RGB is one, svideo, composite etc.



Without a bit more info, I cant answer your question.



As for the setup, do you have a dvd player connected to the tv? That being the case, the typical way of setting up would be to get a calibration disc such as PAL digital video essentials and set the tv up that way.



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[juboy]

Why would the picture look slightly better in PAL than RGB??






A correctly calibrated picture may not necessarily be to your taste initially, especially if what you're used to was a long way 'out' to start with.



Most TVs run with very high contrast and colour settings from the factory and so many people become accustomed to that kind of image. RGB connections can sometimes look a little washed out in comparison to non-RGB images as, in theory, it should bypass the colour settings to a greater degree.






Also as i'm new to the AV world! what is the correct way to set up a TV? e.g. contrast, colour, brightness, etc. or is it just personal taste? is there certain points to look out for?






The quickest and least expensive way to calibrate your TV's settings would be to look through your DVDs and see if you have any THX mastered ones. If you have any of the Star Wars DVDs, Fight Club, Monsters Inc. and so on then you will have access to the THX Optimiser test sequences. They're not the absolute last word in test discs but they'll get you close to a fairly well calibrated TV with very little effort.



Personal taste isn't really the best way to set a TV as you have no 'control' version to compare against. As far as things to be wary of, a too high contrast setting is the one that'll mess things up most - both your eyes and the TV.

[Jeff]

Hi there,



We would need a bit more info. In fact PAL is a picture format and RGB is a transmission method. Your sky box will ALWAYS be using PAL since it is the UK's picture system. However you can have PAL sent using different methods, RGB is one, svideo, composite etc.










Not quite, PAL is composite video. RGB is a form of component video. In the case of the Sky + box you are simply choosing between composite and RGB.

[buns]

On reflection im realising that! Surely though there is a difference between a component signal in pal and one in ntsc....?



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[Jeff]

The only real difference is in the FPS. i.e 24, 25 or 30fps. There is no such thing as PAL or NTSC component (even if it incorrectly says so on DVD's).

[buns]

Yeah..... I understand when i think about it..... the differences in color are things distinct to composite..... this is what I get for not thinking before I post!



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[Madge]

The only real difference is in the FPS. i.e 24, 25 or 30fps. There is no such thing as PAL or NTSC component (even if it incorrectly says so on DVD's).


Are you sure Jeff, I have the distinct impression they look somewhat different on a scope :?~:-?~:???:

[Jeff]

It will look different if there is a 7.5 IRE pedestal.

[cybersoga]

The picture on the DVD is stored as YCbCr 4:2:0 component for both american discs and UK discs. There isn't much difference when the dvd player is outputting component other than the refresh rate and the resolution - american is 720x480 60hz and UK is 720x576 50hz. People still use the terms NTSC and PAL because it's easier to remember, it's still perfectly acceptable. Saying it's "NTSC Component" or "PAL Component" is better than saying it's NTSC or PAL because at least your saying it's component as opposed to composite.



When composite output is required from a dvd player, the dvd player will encode PAL or NTSC output from the component source on the disc. Laserdisc and VHS are different because they actually have PAL or NTSC encoded video on the disc/tape.