So you are already an SD Customer with Bell TV, so I have to ask how the receiver is connected to the TV.?

Most 32" Tv's I have connected an SD receiver to in the past have given a quite watchable image.

The lowest quality is Coax, then comes Composite (Red, White & Yellow) and best is "S" Video.

The base HD model is the 6131, you will get only 1 HD Channel I believe and that is teh Bell barker Channel, although you will get any of the HD Channels that are on "Free Preview", right now that is quite a few.

There is no switching required from SD to HD, they do that themselves.

 

The issues of running an SD source with an HD TV are well covered in many threads.

If you buy a HD receiver you can add it to your account without changing your programming package. It is not "mandatory" that you subscribe to HD programming.

Note that buying a HD receiver and watching SD programming will do absolutely nothing in terms of picture quality. It will not be any better than wathcing SD programming with an SD receiver (other than perhaps a minor increase do to a input method change ie. coax vs svideo)

 

Thank you both. The cable is coax. I think we have composites available. the TV (Samsung LN32B360 720P) does not have S video.

The issues of running an SD source with an HD TV are well covered in many threads.

I did search here before posting but probably did not have the correct language. I will search again but if you'd care to post some links that would be great. What does SD mean? Satellite Dish? Standard Delivery? Scan Disk?

The base HD model is the 6131, you will get only 1 HD Channel

Interesting. Bell has sent me a substantial list of "free" HD channels. More than one for sure (I think 10) but now I wonder if they are part of some current freebie enticement and would disappear right after I bought an HD receiver.

 

Here's an FAQ on SD PQ (Standard Definition Picture Quality)

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=18580

Here's a post useful for those new to HDTV - FAQs, Search Tips, Optimization, etc.:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

 

Using the coax is the absolute WORST connection possible for ANY Bell TV receiver.

The 6131 should have come with a set of Composite Cables in the box, along with Component for HD connections. I would strongly suggest you connect to your TV with the Component Cables and set the receiver at 720p for the HD Output.

NOTE: Unless you have 2 x LNBF's on your Dish you will receive NO HD channels at all, they are all on the 82 degree bird, I am guessing that you are only getting 91 degrees.

 

Note that buying a HD receiver and watching SD programming will do absolutely nothing in terms of picture quality.

That may have been true when most channels used analog studios and feeds but that is no longer the case. Bell's digital signals are capable of supplying SD resolutions that are superior to composite 480i. (Think about DVD which is basically an SD format but is superior in quality to analog OTA.) RF coaxial and composite outputs will degrade the picture on digital SD channels. Using a component or HDMI connection will provide a better picture for many SD channels. Using an HD receiver may also provide some free HD networks, which will have a better picture than their SD counterparts.

 

That may have been true when most channels used analog studios and feeds but that is no longer the case........

From a "source" point of view, receiving SD signals with an SD receiver compared to an HD receiver result in the same quality. While it may not have been clear, I was not referring to changing the connection from the receiver to the TV. The impact there is likely, but minimal, but alo applies to running just an SD receiver anyway.

 

HD receiver may also provide some free HD networks

Only if they get the signals.

 

Thank you for the links. I have read them and understand more now.

Can we go back to basics? We DO NOT have an HD receiver. Our SD receiver is model 3100. That's SD digital, right? I see on the Bell website that the current lowest price SD receiver for sale is a model 4100. Could that be part of my problem? Neither TV nor 3100 receiver is equipped for S-video. Picture on the old TV (CRT? big in all directions anyway, not flat) was fine on all channels.

Should I buy a new receiver? They are on sale now, half price. So $50 for the 4100 SD and $100 for the 6131 HD. In a current flyer it appears the 4100 receives "free HD channels". How can that be? Cunningly, the flyer does not say how many free HD channels but it lists 14 elsewhere.

Another tip I read was to route the cable through the DVD player. I know we improved our reception with the old system by routing through the VCR. Agree?

 

The 3100 is SD, has s-video output and is (IMO) better than the 4100. Routing through another device will not "upscale" the picture quality. With SD, the best picture is obtained using s-video. There may be options in your tv to adjust the scaling. An SD receiver is not capable of receiving HD channels, free or otherwise. You have an HD tv, why would you spend money on another SD receiver that will not offer you any benefit? The real choice you need to make is whether or not you want HD channels, either the free (included in your package) ones or at an additional cost. If you do, then you need a new receiver. If you have gone through the options in the links, then you will know if the issue is an SD source or your TV set. Another optoin is to borrow an HD (or better) device to test your TV. BD player, HD satellite receiver, etc.

 

As the OP mentioned in post 4, his TV doesn't have an S-video input, therefore he needs to use composite for the best PQ from his current STB, or as you say, upgrade to HD.

 

Thanks folks. As I said earlier, better cable are not an option, the only possible connection between the 3100 and this TV is the red, white and yellow. Misinformed you earlier. It mystifies me that this same cable connection brought in acceptable SD signal on the old CRT TV but it cannot on the HD TV.

We have investigated HD. It is very much more expensive as we do not qualify for any of the current new subscriber incentives. We are not new subscribers. Why Bell is so nasty to it's current customers is strange. A complication of going to HD is that the dish would have to be re-pointed, as said above, and those attachment thingamadigs installed.

But wait! The current Bell flyer mentions a Digital Basic package which is the digital standard and includes free HD channels. How can that be? IF the dish points in slightly different directions for SD and HD how can Bell offer both on the same alignment?

And, the digital standard package has, for instance, CTV. Plus CTVHD is named as one of the free HD channels. So, would we get CTV twice? Once in SD and again in HD? It doesn't make sense to me. This would be the case with several channels.

We are seriously considering returning this TV and trying to find an old CRT. The new CRTs available at places like Walmart, CTC and Zellers are poor quality.

 

Your best bet is to pick up a 6131 on sale. You probably qualify for a free dish upgrade from Bell. With the upgrade, the free HD channels are available. Without it, only SD channels will be available.

 

qualify for a free dish upgrade from Bell.

Don't think so. We were just in to the Bell store. We won't even get the same treatment as a new subscriber. Where a new sub. would get $100 off, we would have to pay full price. That's for an HD receiver. Bell obviously is trying to drive us away and will succeed if we have to go to Shaw, where we will be new subscribers. We don't like HD. It's not good on the smaller TVs, even $1,000 ones we just checked out. Where it is good it's overkill. I don't need to see everybody's facial pores. It's too much. We're packing up the LCD TV to return it right now. We'll probably be forced to change sooner rather than later but for now the old freebie CRT will do.

Oh yes, according to the BEll store person, we would get CTV twice, once in SD, again in HD, if we went to HD.

 

If you want to get into HD on the cheap, why not pick up a used 6100 receiver, these can be had for as little as $50 to $75, then call Bell TV, subscribe to something from the 82 degree bird, maybe just an HD package, this will entitle you for the FREE Upgrade.

You only need to subscribe for 6 months I believe and then you can cancel the programming, leaving you with the few free HD channels.

 

The used 6100 is an idea but too late. We took the TV back. We were too fed up to look for a used CRT so came home and hooked our old one back up and observed a miracle. The ghosting and double image on text are gone. It's really just as good a picture as the $1,000 Sony with 120 hz that we saw on Shaw SD satellite at a store. Maybe even better. Must have had loose or dirty cables before. We'll stick with this till it or SD signal dies.

You have all been a big help. I have learned more than I ever want to know about TVs and satellite and stuff. Thanks.

 

An update. Thought you would enjoy a joke. Many stations have converted to digital signal and we still have the same old freebie TV. The picture is fantastic on digital signal. Seems digital signal is fine, great even, on the old CRT TVs but standard signal is crappy on digital TVs.