Matrix switching in a pub

[bigglesuk]

I was sat in my local (well not that local as I have to drive to it) about to watch the game last night and decided to speak to the landlord about the TV's in the bar. They have three of them (1 x 42" plasma, 1 x 42" LCD and 1 x 32" lcd) which are all linked to the Sky box. He says it goes through a matrix on a composite video signal. The picture quality is however really poor and pixalated.

 

Am I right in saying that by changing to an RGB signal the picture quality on the TV's would be much crisper and less pixalated? I don't have an LCD TV so can't really play with settings etc. but know that RGB does make a big difference on my CRT TV.

 

If so, any ideas of a cheap RGB matrix switcher? Not sure how many ins and outs it would need (min 3 outputs). Can't be too pricey as I want to try and convince the bar manager to upgrade, I want better quality when drinking beer and watching football.

 

Adam

[paulears]

pixelation isn't usually a problem for composite - pixelated images tend to be caused by low signal strength in the receiver - is there a non-modern monitor anywhere? I'd suggest that switching to rgb won't make the problem go away, although you might get a small improvement in the perceived quality.

[Andrew C]

I'm with Paul here, the pixelation is happening in the digital part of the set-up. LNB-downlink-box.

[bigglesuk]

I take it by that you mean the Sky box? The picture on the plasma TV does look better than the LCD's but not by much. I think the signal goes out the Sky box then travels about 10-15m to the matrix unit. The larger LCD is then about 5-6m away from the matrix and the plasma is right next to where the Sky box is.

 

So your saying the only way to improve the picture is to somehow get a better signal to the Sky box?

[paulears]

Yep - the snag with digital satellite is that it does have problems when the signal to noise ratio isn't really good - when it falls below the threshold, pixelation is the digital equivalent to a snowy picture on an analaogue system. The length of rgb and composite cable is not an issue for a 15m run. If it has got worse recently, then water may have got into the LNB connector - especialy if it wasn't sealed that well. A little bit of moisture here is a killer!

[bigglesuk]

Is there anywhere to find out what the signal to noise ratio is on the box? Is it hidden in a menu somewhere?

 

You may be able to tell that I don't have Sky.....

[Chris Beesley]

Most, if not all Sky boxes have a menu that will show signal strength and quality.

[emsgeorge]

Yep, having had my sky looked at, because of exactly the same problem .......

 

Get the sky remote: press Services, then 4 (system setup), 6 (signal test) - and it will show you the signal strength and signal quality - both bars should be 80 - 100%. Watch it for fluctuations, and if it dips below 60%, call an engineer out from sky (should be free), to sort it out for the pub. They tend to be on 24hr callout contracts with sky, because it costs stupid amounts of cash to show things on sky in the pubs !.

 

My problem was the dish had moved slightly with the wind - only a couple of cm, and it lost all signal for ages at a time. With the wind we have been having recently .....