LCD HD TV Picture Quality Lacking


My Dad recently purchased a Sony Bravia LCD and my father-in -law just bought a Magnavox LCD. These are the 1st HD tv's I've had a chance to spend time viewing. Compared to standard televisions I find the color on both TV's to be unnatural (even after adjustments) and the pictures often lack clarity, and definition. They are fuzzy (cloudy looking). My Dad's Sony is connected to a digital HD cable box from the cable company. My father-in laws' LCD is still connected to a standard digital cable box. In the stores when I've seen true High Definition demos, like the NFL it is awesome. Are there any LCD televisions out there with natural looking color? (especially skin tones) Is this cloudy affect, lack of clarity and definition present on all these HD TV's or are there exceptions? Are there HD TV's that are clear in Non HD broadcasts? I do realize the source of the signal matters greatly, but why would my old JVC look clearer, more focused, and have more natural colors than these LCD tv's? Frankly before I shell out the cash, I want to see better performance than I saw from their TVs? Is this a question of something I heard about called "calibration."
Adjustments have been made to my Dad's TV by me and it still looks subpar unless it's an HD broadcast and some of those look unnatural too. Thanks for your thoughts.
foster_9
The cable source in both cases is adding an extra layer of confusion. Connecting an antenna to each set should allow you to determine what is going on. A new HD TV should simply not deviate that much in any of its adjustments to account for what you describe. The HD signals via our outside antenna provide an excellent picture on our Sony Bravia.
Yes the best way to see what these TVs can do, is to use an antenna for HD broadcast or go Direct TV / Dish.
Cable TV hasn't quite caught up yet. Especially the channels still broadcasting in analog.

Quality also varies depending on the model and set. The lower line Bravia looks OK, the top of the line models do have better color contrast by comparison. I think Mitsubishi's LCDs has a terrific picture as well. Sharp and Samsung are good ones.

As you've pointed out, it is all about the signal received. Hook up a true Hi Def source..especially 1080p and no analog TV can match them.
How are you connecting the HD cables boxes to the LCD? If by standard cable from the cable company to the back of the TV, that is a problem right there. You should be using a high quality HDMI cable or at very least a high quality component cable.