I have the Dish Network VIP722 DVR receiver hooked up to my Onkyo 605 receiver through component, and then running HDMI from the 605 to my TV.

My question is this.... When I hook up the 722 thru component, the picture looks much better than it does when it is hooked up thru HDMI. What could possibly be the reason for this? For example, the blacks are MUCH deeper, and the colors are richer as well. Is it possible that I just have a bad HDMI cable? Or does the 722 seem to have an inferior HDMI connection?

The HDMI cable is not the problem.

Most likely it is your display settings. Most displays save separate settings for HDMI and component. The best settings for component are often not the best settings for HDMI.

The TV is always on HDMI2, as that is the connection that I have running from my 605 to the TV. So the picture settings are always the same.

The TV is always on HDMI2, as that is the connection that I have running from my 605 to the TV. So the picture settings are always the same.

When you input 1080i through component on the 605, it is downconverted to 720p or 480p (depending on setting) through HDMI. Perhaps you should try setting the Dish DVR to output 720p instead of 1080i.

I still say you should try calibrating your display properly for HDMI. If you bought your TV recently, there is probably a thread for it on this forum with recommended settings.

The TV is always on HDMI2, as that is the connection that I have running from my 605 to the TV. So the picture settings are always the same.

Have you tried HDMI direct from the 722 to the TV? If that works properly, then it's probably something in the conversion process that's causing the issue. In other words, the HDMI output from the 605 has all the characteristics of the component input signal, which probably aren't the same as those in the HDMI output from the 722.

That's not to say that the HDMI from the 722 will be the same as the HDMI from, say, your Blu-ray player, but that's another issue! :p

Brad

I also found that component looks better also. I have a VIP 622 & have it hooked up component to my tv & optical to my 8.8. For my projector I got it hooked up hdmi to the 8.8 & hdmi out to the pj. I almost bought a 30ft component cable for my projector to see if theres a difference there also, but i think its the tv that handles video better this way.

When you input 1080i through component on the 605, it is downconverted to 720p or 480p (depending on setting) through HDMI. Perhaps you should try setting the Dish DVR to output 720p instead of 1080i.

I still say you should try calibrating your display properly for HDMI. If you bought your TV recently, there is probably a thread for it on this forum with recommended settings.

I do have it set up to output 720p thru component. And I have tried both 720p and 1080i thru HDMI, and it still just does not look as good as component does. And yes, I do have my TV calibrated properly, so that shouldn't be an issue. The fact of the matter is, it is the same source material going into my 605, just with different connections, and it looks totally different. HDMI is supposed to be better, but for some reason, it is not.

You would think that going HDMI to the receiver, and then HDMI to the TV, it would stay perfect, since it's a digital signal the whole way thru, but that just doesnt seem to be the case.