CSN-Chicago HD Picture Quality sucks!!!

[tsduke]

It's almost a joke that they call this HD.

 

[spidey27]

It must be from the source cuz the quality is bad on comcast also!

 

[StonesCat]

I'm guessing it's some kind of residual effect of what was going on the other night on WGN. Comcast does the HD for both.

 

[rad]

What problems are you seeing? I'm watching via D* and only thing I'm seeing is some macroblocking in the crowds when they're panning to follow a runner.

 

[talljoel]

I felt the HD quality for tonights game was below average. Nice to find out others have the same opinion.

 

[njlamber]

I actually switched over the SD and watched it because the PQ was driving me crazy.

 

[fire_317]

I am a AT250 subscriber and this is the 1st I heard CSN Chicago was available in HD. I am going to add HD, but can you tell me if it is included in the essential or ultimate HD bundles?

I chatted online with a dish csr person about CSN-C HD and she told me that it was not available yet and they were working on a "Deal" to add it to the dish HD lineup, but there was no eta on when it would be available. So this is good news!!

Thanks for your help!

 

[volzjr]

I've seen most of the Cubs games on CSN this year, and IMO last nights game was the worst PQ of the year. Not only was there macroblocking of scenes being panned, but oftentimes when a cut transition was applied while switching to a static scene, the new scene was all macroblocked for a moment, and then would "snap" into focus. It wasn't horrible, but I know they can do a broadcast with better PQ, so what was up last night? On the bright side, at least the "crowd shots" were still pretty clear, and that's where HD really shines!

 

[jwestpfahl]

CSN Chicago would be available in the HD Essentials ($10) package.

 

[EmpireState]

It wasn't horrible, but I know they can do a broadcast with better PQ, so what was up last night? On the bright side, at least the "crowd shots" were still pretty clear, and that's where HD really shines!

I watched last nights game too and I dissagree with you. There was constant blocking on the crowd, around the edges of the score bar, even around players mouths if they talked too fast during interviews after the game. Was this some sort of compression gone crazy? The last two games have been HORRIBLE.

 

[ehren]

Do you all have 61.5? I do and it's been lousy for a month now atleast! Tons of blocking around the edges of the scoreboard at the top of the screen, it's heavily being compressed and I don't think it is CSN-Chicago's fault, I see it also on FSN-Wisconsin HD telecasts of Brewers games.

 

[volzjr]

Do you all have 61.5? I do and it's been lousy for a month now atleast! Tons of blocking around the edges of the scoreboard at the top of the screen, it's heavily being compressed and I don't think it is CSN-Chicago's fault, I see it also on FSN-Wisconsin HD telecasts of Brewers games.

Nope... single dish here. And I only noticed that the PQ had gone south last night, it's been decent up 'til then. Except of course when the Cubs got pushed over to SD while the Pale Sox got the HD treatment, but that's a whole other story!

 

[raysmith]

I noticed this about a month ago on CSN-Chicago. Exactly as volzjr described: Terrible blocking on any on motion scenes and in static shots, it would macroblock for a moment, and then "snap" into focus. This went away for about a month, when I noticed it again on Tuesday night during the White Sox game. [Nice to know Comcast/Dish doesn't discriminate between the Cubs and the Sox! ] I've never seen blocking this bad on an SD broadcast., let alone an HD broadcast.

I recorded the game and took some pictures of the screen which I will post later today after I get home. Not sure if this is a Dish problem or a Comcast problem. I'm on a single dish too.

Ray

 

[awcdish]

CSN Bay Area has had a lot of quality problems as well...so still not sure if it is a comcast or dish issue. All I know is the last few home Giants games were listed as HD on the CSN Bay Area website but were not on the CSNBA-HD channel on Dish. I wonder if it was in HD on comcast.....

Seems like Dish doesn't show 100% of the available HD games or the quality is terrible as described due to bandwidth issues. These channels should not be counted in the 100 national HD number for sure.

 

[nextoo]

The Cubs game last night was the worst example of a supposed "HD" broadcast I have ever seen. There must be something wrong. I was switching between the Cubs game and another game on FSN and the difference was dramatic. The FSN game was crisp with excellent PQ. The Cubs game was barely watchable.

 

[raysmith]

These images are from the Comcast broadcast on Tuesday, 7/22/2008 on my 722 DVR. I don't have a way to capture directly, so I took a photograph of paused shots with my camera. Not perfect - but it captures the gross blocking that was going on.

I know there is a way to embed these images - but I'm having trouble so here are the URLs.

http://waterbat.com/Comcast/sox5.jpg
http://waterbat.com/Comcast/sox2.jpg
http://waterbat.com/Comcast/sox3.jpg

Just for comparison - this was a picture of a stop action replay shot. The detail is there when there is no movement in the image.
http://waterbat.com/Comcast/sox4.jpg

So who do we complain to, Comcast or Dish?

Ray

 

[ehren]

wow that is sick to look at.

 

[goaliebob99]

I have been watching on D* and the PQ is good over at Directv. Maybe you all should email CEO@Echostar.com and let them know whats going on so someone at the up link can look at it. I just wish comcast would upgrade there damm studio to hd, where as the HD telecasts of the games are good.