An upgrade with downgrade results?

[sharkbyte5150]

I've had a Panasonic Plasma (TH-42PD50U) that I bought in 2005. It's only considered "enhanced definition" and broadcasts in 480p but I can watch HD content on it and it looks incredible, so much so that nobody believes it's not full HD.

I was at Fry's recently and saw a deal I just couldn't pass up, the Panasonic TC-P50U50 50" plasma for $599, so I grabbed it.
Old TV was connected to cable box with a component video cable and had a Blu-Ray player connected to the TV's only HDMI slot.

New TV has both cable box and Blu-Ray connected via HDMI cables and I don't know if I was just expecting too much or what but it seems to be that the picture is NOT what one would expect from 1080p through HDMI. First of all, the picture is mostly good on HD channels but the menu is blurry, even though writing on channels is clear.

Honestly, the picture looks NO better than it was on my old 480p set with component video and I just do not understand how this could be possible.....

I'd love to hear any suggestions on how to clear up the image, or especially from someone who owns the P50U50 and has Comcast and a better experience. I'm ready to box it up and take it back and be happy with my 480p.

 

[americanaudiophile]

First off you don't mention if the picture is better to you on the Bluray player (which is the only source you have of 1080p. If it does look better than we can assume that cable is your issue. The most you can get from cable is 720p (1080i is not better except when nothing moves). Make sure you have the cable box outputting HD (go in to the set up menus and make sure it is set correctly. You will notice much more of a difference on some channels than others and on different programs than others.
1080p is not that big a deal if the other things that affect picture quality are bad.
Check online for the best setting to use to get the most accurate picture for your TV and you may find that you will get better black levels and a bit more detail as well as a bigger picture on the new set.

 

[sharkbyte5150]

Sorry for not clarifying but yes the picture was better on Blu-Ray and after some tweaking of the cable box settings everything looks great!