How do you handle customers who are dissapointed with SD images when they move up to a HD set.

I'm not talking about the overall resolution. I'm talking about all the artifacts that seem to get added into the SD images. It's almost like a film over the picture.

I warn them up-front that they might not be too thrilled...I even demo it for the curious. When they see the HD and DVD picture though they generally still go ahead with the plan

what would you expect........ noxt time warn customer in advance and you wont have this problem

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feed non HD channels to display on s-video, yes you will have to switch inputs for SD and HD but if you have a remote with macro it will work (just building a program for MX850 to do this.....hope it works......

I go to extremes to explain the possible problems with SD programming to the extent I think it has costed me BUT I will take that over a customer screaming at me anyday. There are some of these so called enthusiasts who cause more harm than good with the latest propoganda they read on the web!

We handle it buy trying to sell better TV's with better scalers built-in. We warn that if you choose a cheaper TV the SD will be butchered but HD/DVD will still look pretty. The other alternative we offer is a standard HD set with an optional outboard scaler. That way a customer can decide what comprimses they are willing to make and it leads to the sales of better, higher-margin TV's with happier customers.

I always warn customers that the picture from the Cable co. channels 100 and below will look "sub-prime" When they ask what I mean, I tell them the truth. It is a difficult conversation especially when thay expect a perfect picture coming from a 27" crt to a plasma.

Make sure you are up front especially if the customer is a Cable Co customer.

Make sure you explain the diff between High def and digital 4X3 picture coming from the cable co.

I have never lost a sale/install since the time I installed an LCD and the Comcast cable picture looked so bad that the customer MADE me take it out...even though the DVD's where outstanding.

I saved the sale by having her switch to Sat. TV. Not all the channels where perfect, but most were leaps and bounds better than cable.

Why is it we have some great TV's on the market and yet some providers (cable) send crap???

Some broadcasters send crap out, then the providers might compress the data more, to fit their delivery pipe. WB, UPN etc look pretty bad on any of the services. Crap in Crap out. It least that was the way It was explained to me.

It's what we call "The Emporer and His New Clothes". If you're familiar with the story it pins it down quite well. If you're not up front expect them to feel betrayed.

Scoop City has right idea. We put a couple buttons on the MX-850's Cable device: HD CH (Comp1, and the DSCHD channel in the middle of all the HD channels so they can find them), HD ON (comp1) and HDOFF (SVideo Input 1). With both an HD ON and OFF you don't have to add the toggle "Format/PixSize" garbage button.

Personally, I watch it all on the HD ON. I'd rather have the black bars than see everyone looking like umpa loompas.

When pushing the "Cable" button, my TV defaults to S-Video1 cause I've still got a CRT big screen. The kids don't care, so the more full screen when everyone else is watching the less burn in we'll get over time.

I tell them right out right.. "if you get cable... 1-99 will look horible on this screen."

On Demand and rentable HD boxes has caused a lot of our installs to flip of sat and move to cable. Then they see the image and complain.

Complain to the cable provider about the sub par picture.

Comcast DC has started telling people infornt of us that there is a plan to move all the channels to the digial level. YEAH RIGHT! Not this year.
Basically they say this so the customer will sign the work order and let them leave.

The latest incident I was involved with was a customer that has DirecTV, so everything was carried in digital. They also switched from a 41" Sony to a new 50"SXR Sony. I believe the tuner was a H10.

Costco and other cheap plasmas have bad SD pictures. Better plasmas and RP sets have better RP sets.

What sets and brands are you selling? I prepare my client's for it and they are usually pleasantly surprised with the SD results.

But I dont sell crap. If they want crap, they can go to the box stores and get it.

This was a new Sony.

And how do you feel the SD looks?

I also thought it looked very bad.