D* vs TWC HD

[jsegura]

Ok, just an observation here:

I just got hooked up w/TWC Hd service to get Local HD, INHD (NBAHD) and TNT-HD for the upcoming playoffs. Using the Discovery Channel for comparison on my Samsung 360 and TWC's Pace DC-550 HD box it seems TWC HD is a tad bit better than D* as far as picture quality is concerned. I got the 360 hooked up with their DVI cable (which was given to me from a friend a while back) and the Pace box w/their standard component cables. But the picture was actually better on the 360 when I switched it to espn-hd. INHD which apparently is a cable only thing is crystal clear BTW. But overall the HD pic quality is pretty close. When D* moves to mpeg-4 can we expect better picture quality or not? Thanks

 

[hancox]

720p (ESPN-HD) is a smaller bandwidth signal, so you'll see less impact from compression. Not shocking that that is a close call (also because you would figure ESPN-HD gets more eyeballs then Discovery HD, so D* knows who is buttering their bread).

As for MPEG4 and PQ - we all hope so. It's going to depend on how the bandwidth gets divied up, what channels go in per market, etc.

That being said - I think there will be markedly better PQ, but that's only a hunch/hope.

 

[jsegura]

I hope it gets better too.
I also think that 720p for sports is over rated. Hdnet uses 1080i for sports and to me it makes the difference between a great picture and almost being there. Maybe 720p is good for a hockey puck or a 100mph fastball but I think b-ball and football can get by w/1080i.

Maybe it's just me.

 

[mini1]

720P and 1080i totally depends on your display when it comes down to it. What ever your display is best at showing you, is what your going to like the best.

 

[jsegura]

True, I didn't think about it like that.

 

[Hall]

I'm surprised at what you're seeing when comparing the two. The head engineer at my local TW told me they pass all of the HD channels, local and network, along to customers "untouched", i.e. they don't re-encode them or down-convert them. It's no secret that DirecTV currently *is* changing their HD channels from what they receive. Over at AVS Forum, they're calling DirecTV's offerings "HD-Lite".

 

[jsegura]

I guess it depends on the program you are watching, your TV, settings... all that stuff.
I have a 42 mits TV, maybe I could really tell the difference if I had a 50+ TV..