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C
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I have a 625 DVR, and I like it quite a bit. It runs into a 31" Sanyo CRT TV, which is on it's last leg. Naturally, buying another 4:3 ratio CRT sounds like a bad idea, especially considering the price nosedive of 42-ish" 16:9 LCD TVs. I can nurse the CRT a little longer to try and waste the least money on a flashy new screen. But I got to thinking...

The 625 has an S-Video output. Does it put out 480i or 480p? What is the underlying MPEG implementation on my standard programming, anyway? Is it really just NTSC video frame size, or is it actually bigger and better?

I've tried digging in the forums a bit, but there's just SO MUCH CHATTER that I couldn't wade through it. :) The HD DVR looks nice, but I'm just not ready to take that monthly cost hit...it'll be bad enough that I'm paying off a $2000 TV.
5 Replies · 1492 views
G
Several of the LCD tv's do not handle s-video/rca inputs very well. You may wind up spending several thousand dollars and wind up with a poorer PQ from your 625.
navychop
I'd say that was likely. And why buy a $2,000 HDTV and get little if any HD use out of it when maybe $200 more might get the full HD signal? I think after 2/1, or maybe now, you might get a deal where you pay $200, but get $200 in programming credits, and get a ViP622. Someone more knowledgeable than I might help you here. Call a CSR and see what they say. You'll pay an additional $20 per month for HD. I don't think you'll have any other additional amount to pay, assuming you swap the 625 out.

Besides, I'm pretty sure S-video doesn't pass 480p, just 480i. It certainly doesn't pass any higher resolution.

SD from satellite is normally MPEG-2, but will slowly move to MPEG-4 (which the 625 does not support). SD is 480 lines out of a 525 signal. Digitally, you might actually get 400 to 480 viewable lines. I think OTA analog you get 350-400, and VHS as low as 200. Other factors vary these numbers somewhat. If you want HD, you need an HD signal and an HDTV. You won't magically get SD looking better on an HDTV- there isn't any extra picture info thrown away by the 625 or analog TVs.
S
It was reports Dish provided on PPV 704x480 and for regular channels 640x480 recently, but now they downplay to 544x480 and 480x480 :(.
S-VHS output is 480i only, regardless channel resolution.
C
SD from satellite is normally MPEG-2, but will slowly move to MPEG-4 (which the 625 does not support)...If you want HD, you need an HD signal and an HDTV. You won't magically get SD looking better on an HDTV- there isn't any extra picture info thrown away by the 625 or analog TVs.
The migration from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 is the only thing that bothers me. I've even been looking at EDTV monitors (which are only 480 lines anyway) because the 625 and a plain-old 480p DVD player are my sources. By the math, a 40-42" (diagonal) 16:9 screen is the same height as my 31" 4:3 screen, and I have no intention of going any bigger.

TV isn't really that important to me, but I like to watch what I like to watch, and I'd like for it to look nice. It's also important to know how bad the CRT is running these days. No ghosting yet, but I have a lot of field instability.

Who knows? Maybe by this time next year, a 50" LCD will cost a Grand, and Dish will be giving away 500-hour DVR units? ;) Thanks for the technical info, guys.
navychop
Good luck. You can certainly save on EDTV monitors, but look at them to make sure there aren't other drawbacks- some have poor PQ. I suspect this is the last batch of EDTVs in your size range, they'll all be HDTVs in the future.
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
162 Replies · 4006 views
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dfergie
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
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Y
Today is the anniversary of Dan Wheldon's passing at Las Vegas in a dreadful crash that luckily didn't take more drivers' lives. I vaguely remember the crash, but I more strongly remember Paul Tracy trying to keep it together as he left the Medical Center knowing that Dan most likely wasn't going to.

The safety in these vehicles is beyond incomprehensible, especially relative to what it was 60 years ago, when dying wasn't unexpected. But it is still very dangerous. I always scoff at the prayer invocations, but never scoff at the risks these drivers take and the emergency workers out there who might need to pull short of a miracle to save a driver's life.
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
HBO Max has the live in car streaming without commercials, which provides an interesting take, but you are driving blind, knowing only what the team is telling the driver about what is happening on the track. The stages definitely ruin the NASCAR set up.
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Y
NASCAR is an abject mess, but at least it has Kyle Larson. Guy had the lead on the green/white checker, fell back to 12th or the like, kept his cool, and charged back to win with room to spare at the line. And win very cleanly!

NASCAR needs to stop racing at Talladega. Especially if they are going for elderly Sunday drives at the track! Stage racing is real stupid, but NASCAR should consider one half point a second per group gap as a bonus.
Foxbat
Congratulations to the youngest Formula 1 World Champion, 20-year old Kimi Antonelli! The podium at the Mexican Grand Prix featured three World Champions with 4-time World Champion Max Verstappen, 7-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, and newly-crowned World Champion Kimi Antonelli. A dozen World Championships represented!
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 4 views
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
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dishstaller
Don't Look Back - Boston
harshness
Please Come to Boston - Dave Loggins
Bobby
Come A Little Bit Closer - Jay and the Americans
sdfntx
Closer to You - Brandi Carlile
long_time_Dish
(They Long To Be) Close To You -The Carpenters
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Lon.TV
Last reply · posted in Lon.TV
3 Replies · 178 views
R
Well, ATSC 3 is a flop
TRG
TRG
So in other words, corporate greed is more important than public safety. :mad:
b4pjoe
So in other words, corporate greed is more important than public safety. :mad:
At least for a couple more years
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network
0 Replies · 9 views
jamieh1
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV Programming Forum
DIRECTV Stream/Internet added Ch 4105 SportsGrid
269 Replies · 39489 views
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K
Now live:
4101 Yahoo! Sports Network
4121 DP World Tour
4195 F1 Channel
4196 MotoGP Channel
K
Now live:
4275 Law & Crime
4364 Military Makeover Channel
K
Game Show Central is now live on channel 4342
K
Now live:
4101 Yahoo! Sports Network
4121 DP World Tour
4195 F1 Channel
4196 MotoGP Channel
It only took them 41 days to announce it
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K
A new exclusive FAST channel called "DIRECTV Sportside" is testing
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Ramy
Supporting Founder
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
201 Replies · 4030 views
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cp2k
Honestly, I would rather see an expanded bracketed playoff system than the current Conference Championship Game + playoff model we're using right now. The Conference Championships essentially allow two teams to beat up on each other, and then both typically are going to end up in the playoffs anyway unless it is one of the weaker or smaller conferences. Let them play it out on the field against others.
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Jimbo
Honestly, I would rather see an expanded bracketed playoff system than the current Conference Championship Game + playoff model we're using right now. The Conference Championships essentially allow two teams to beat up on each other, and then both typically are going to end up in the playoffs anyway unless it is one of the weaker or smaller conferences. Let them play it out on the field against others.
Until the Big Ten changed thier alignment, (a couple years ago) ... it was not like that at all, the East side won most years the west side represented the Big Ten, but they may have been the team with the 4th best record ...
They finally changed that, to a single conference ... but yes, in most cases, both teams will get in ... now, its a certain both will get in ...

The biggest issue with the Conference Now is the Number of TEAMS .... WAY to Many.
It would take 2-3 YEARS to do a round robin where everyone would play one another ... How do you know how good a team is when teams don't play the same teams ?
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meStevo
They finally changed that, to a single conference ... but yes, in most cases, both teams will get in ... now, its a certain both will get in ...

Surprised you haven't made this claim yet.


View: https://x.com/RedditCFB/status/2119843536439005342?a=pI0NYBONwLj4vjRrQWo&s=20
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cp2k
I like the move to campus sites for the early games. That adds a fun new dimension for fans, and cuts down on some of the travel expenses that would come with having to follow a team all the way through the playoffs at neutral sites.
Jimbo
I like the move to campus sites for the early games. That adds a fun new dimension for fans, and cuts down on some of the travel expenses that would come with having to follow a team all the way through the playoffs at neutral sites.
Agree ... they started doing that a few years ago.
Y

That'd be more than the FA Cup! Over 700 teams. It is also the most glorious tournament in the world.

Maybe it is time to get rid of the College Football season and just go to a tournament. 128 teams, fill in the bottom end with the lower division. Random draw (except the top 10 teams are in one bucket to draw from in the first and second rounds to avoid OSU v Alabama in the first round), go from 128 to 8. 4 games. Then the 8 remaining teams play 7 games against each other. Then the top two play for the title.