Alright guys, I'm completely new to this scene. Please excuse any ignorance or just plain stupidity when I'm trying to describe my set up.

I recently got a Sammy 5064 and was hooking up all the cables to it. I have cable service (which I will call CableTV for separation from cables, the wires) as well as DirecTV. The DirecTV give me special Chinese channels and the CableTV gives me 69 channels of cable.

I am not entirely sure how to hook this up. I called a representative and she was helpful to an extent, the only problem was I wasn't sure what she was talking about.

I want the best quality on both I can get. If there is any additional hardware that I need to achieve this quality, please mention, and if you want to be really nice, provide a link :D.

Here what I have:
Outlet 1 - only outlet to have CableTV coming from it
Outlet 2
DirecTV DVR r-15

I have a coax coming from outlet 1 into a diplexer. From that, I have 2 cables coming out. I have one going directly into my TV and the other going into satellite 1 on my DVR. I have a coax coming out of outlet 2 into satellite 2 on my DVR. I have s-vid/composite cables from from my DVR into my TV.

The rep told me that this set up was incorrect and mentioned something about a coupler (?). Could someone please walk me through how this should be set up so I get the best quality out of my cable and directv?

Also, is the way to get free HDTV is to add a antenna into the "Ant. Air" connector on my 5064? What else can I do to maximize my HDTV experience?

Why didn't you get the DirecTV HDTV DVR? You cannot take advantage of your TV with the DirecTV R15. You need the HR20 or the HR21 with their new dish. The cost from DirecTV is $199.

You cannot experience HD with s-video and composite. You need to be using component or HDMI. You can order quality, affordable cables from Monoprice.com.

As a temporary solution until you get your new DirecTV HDTV DVR and new dish, run a QAM channel scan on your TV. Look for HDTV locals (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc) on channel numbers such as 87-2, 95-1, and 115-2. Note most high-definition on the local networks is only available via primetime, or 8-11pm.

Well, we only use the satellite for the Chinese channels, which aren't HD. We haven't ordered any HD programming yet.

I was just wondering about the best way to hook up the current set up. I had a diplexer before, and the DTV rep said I shouldn't be using that alone. She also mentioned a coupler, or something like that. I'm not entirely sure what all she suggested because I wasn't sure about some of the parts.

Any help would be great.

And thanks for the suggestion about the scan, bfdtv, I think I did that when setting up the TV but I can do it again just in case.

dang3r,

The best way to hook up your TV is with a HDTV STB or DVR.

SD channels from cable and satellite are never going to look great with a 50" TV. You really need a HDTV box to take full advantage of your TV.

You don't need to worry about diplexors, couplers, etc. That has nothing to do with your picture quality. The satellite rep just wanted to make sure you were able to tune two channels on your DirecTV DVR.