Fuzzy Picture

[slacker9876]

the rep .... my brotha!

I am using component video too ... perhaps this answer my question.

 

[directvrep]

Mind if I join the conversation?

the rep .... my brotha!

I am using component video too ... perhaps this answer my question.

'puter went down for a few days , I thought I'd put my 2 cents in while I could.

Your Friendly DTV Res Spec
white_knight_2010@yahoo.com

 

[Mike Greer]

okay then, lets keep this simple. I understand what your saying on the cable ... I am more analog the line of bad connections ... bent broken cable WOULD cause loss ... even if just a few TP's, so we agree.

What? I don't see how we agree?

BUT

Why does cable look so crappy and satellite so good then? I have BOTH and the cable looks like CRAP, please help me to understand why my SAT looks twice as good as my cable.

Your cable looks so bad because your cable co sucks!

 

[Mike Greer]

To qualify ourselves as " 100% digital quality picture " and " CD quality sound " we must provide no fewer than 400 lines COMPRESSED, up to 512 lines uncompressed quality picture. D* has dropped below 400 lines 1 time in 10 years :shocked ... that was the 1st year of operation when the sat went completely down. Compression ratio does not cut down on the amount of lines PQ provided. The further data is compressed the more it tends to sque... or merge data causing pixelization. We must also continuously provide nothing less than 128 bt/ 16 ccm audio, which as well has only gone down 1 time. If for some reason the data transfer of PQ from your DTV IRD to your TV is " crappy" then I suggest you contact us , we would be more than glad to t/s or have a replacement IRD sent to you.... at the very least we would be glad to send a service call. ( as a tip, using RCA jacks, or S-vid cables really improve the pic quality )
Feel free to call, we are tole free and open 24/7 for customer service or tech support call 1-800-531-5000 and if you don't want to wait for the menus, chose option 0 then option 4.

Your Friendly DTV Res Spec
white_knight_2010@yahoo.com

Mr. Friendly DTV Res Spc,

You loose all credibility when you say "100% digital quality picture" or mention "CD quality sound". These are both just marketing words that carry absolutely no weight.

"The further data is compressed the more it tends to sque... or merge data causing pixelization." - Exactly! DirecTV compresses so much that the 400 lines 'merge' into much less - like half!

"If for some reason the data transfer of PQ from your DTV IRD to your TV is " crappy" then I suggest you contact us" I can't even get DirecTV to fix the audio problems with my HD-Tivo - I have called several times and they always start out with "No one else is having these problems." Is that in your script? After I explain the 100's of people that have complained they seem to find the problem in their 'Database' and then tell me "DirecTV is working to correct the problem as soon as possible."

Why would I call again? So I could get the "100% Digital Quality" speech again? I don't think I can take it again!.

I have attached a picture that is composed of 2 identical pictures of the exact SAME resolution. Which one looks better to you? Again they are the EXACT SAME RESOLUTION, the second one is just over compressed not unlike ALL DBS providers do - not just DirecTV. Both pictures have a little over 160 lines of resolution.

 

[slacker9876]

Yeah but my satellite looks pretty cuz it's 400 lines of digital images with CD quality sound.

FYI Digital Cable ISN'T DIGITAL , unless you are watching premium or PPV. This is widely known and accepted. I am not going to argue the point anymore. Besides you have offered no "proof" of your compression theory. Yes they use it, no it does not degrade PQ like you are saying.

If this fella gets his image to a 4:3 format and uses S-Video or better, he will have a great picture, which is the nature of the thread ... not what you and I think.

 

[slacker9876]

Oh and cable also compresses the crap our of their signals ... that is what all the switches are for that the pedestals connect to. You are invited to my home for a demo, my sat images looking nothing like the MPEG1 images you posted.

 

[Mike Greer]

Yeah but my satellite looks pretty cuz it's 400 lines of digital images with CD quality sound. .

Now that you put it that way I see your point!

FYI Digital Cable ISN'T DIGITAL , unless you are watching premium or PPV. This is widely known and accepted. I am not going to argue the point anymore. Besides you have offered no "proof" of your compression theory. Yes they use it, no it does not degrade PQ like you are saying.

Nothing wrong with analog - many times it improves the picture - it just depends on your cable company. I'll see if I can come up with some comparisons... As far as proof goes - it is kind of like you "proving" that I don't like M&M's... If you like DirecTV's overcompressed SD channels I'm sure you'll love their HD when they get through adding HD locals and compress the hell out of them also!

If this fella gets his image to a 4:3 format and uses S-Video or better, he will have a great picture, which is the nature of the thread ... not what you and I think.

I'd say that if keeps his aspect ratio as it should be and uses S-Video or better he will get a "better" picture. If your TV is bigger than 27" no one can get a "great" picture using DirecTV SD - it goes against the rules of nature!

As far as the nature of this thread - he wants to improve his 'fuzzy' picture, you suggested he check his satellite cable - it doesn't matter what cable, how long it is or what the condition of the cable is... Unless he is getting picture drop outs, loosing the satellite signal or getting the world famous 'blocks' he doesn't have a cable problem. He could have a problem with the cable connecting his display with his receiver but as I said earlier that is easy to check.

 

[Mike Greer]

Oh and cable also compresses the crap our of their signals ... that is what all the switches are for that the pedestals connect to. You are invited to my home for a demo, my sat images looking nothing like the MPEG1 images you posted.

You are correct - many cable co's also compress the hell out of their digital signals. I'm not sure what you mean by "that is what all the switches are for that the pedestals connect to" but the compression is done a the head end - not out in the neighborhoods.

Thanks for the invite but I have DirecTV here - I also have a Sony G70 projector that along with showing me how good HDTV can look also shows me how bad DirecTV SD channels are.

I didn't mean to imply that your signal looks like the picture I posted. I just wanted to point out that both the pictures have the same number of 'lines' and that 400 lines on DirecTV has little to do with the resolution they supply.

 

[Dvlos]

You can't watch SD channels on anything bigger than a 40" you start seeing all the horrible PQ errors. Which is why I went with Voom after buying my 65" so I could enjoy 39+ HD channels with 5 times the picture clarity of SD, it even looks better on a standard TV though!

 

[DaveO]

You can't watch SD channels on anything bigger than a 40" you start seeing all the horrible PQ errors. Which is why I went with Voom after buying my 65" so I could enjoy 39+ HD channels with 5 times the picture clarity of SD, it even looks better on a standard TV though!

I'm sorry, but that statement is total BS!

Perhaps you the TV that you have, but on my Toshiba HDX82, SD looks just fine. There are no "horrible PQ errors".

Perhaps it's so on your 65" tv, but it surely is not on my 50" tv, which is all I could fit in here. Maybe I was lucky?

 

[Dvlos]

SD looks as fine as it's going to be man, but you are not going to tell me that TNT SD showing the Grid looks as clear and as sharp as The Grid on TNT HD. Now my 36" showing the local news for example looks pretty damn good, on a 65" the edges look softer, you see more blur on all the tones, less texture, what do you expect from 480i? A what 30 year old standard, like a previous poster said I don't think that the designers of NTSC forsaw people using 50+" TVs to watch this stuff.

I called them "horrible PQ errors" because let's face it standard definition is seriously limited in clarity and quality. That said D* and V* have superior PQ to cable and Dish in my area. To me the SD that D* and V* show is the best you are going to get out of Standard Definition and if you view it on a large screen it looks exponentially WORSE than viewing it on a 27-36" analog television. Especially if you stretch to fit a 16:9 TV.

 

[slacker9876]

As far as the nature of this thread - he wants to improve his 'fuzzy' picture, you suggested he check his satellite cable - it doesn't matter what cable, how long it is or what the condition of the cable is... Unless he is getting picture drop outs, loosing the satellite signal or getting the world famous 'blocks' he doesn't have a cable problem. He could have a problem with the cable connecting his display with his receiver but as I said earlier that is easy to check.

...and I admited I was WRONG abuot this, if I didn't I am now.

You are correct - many cable co's also compress the hell out of their digital signals. I'm not sure what you mean by "that is what all the switches are for that the pedestals connect to" but the compression is done a the head end - not out in the neighborhoods.

Thanks for the invite but I have DirecTV here - I also have a Sony G70 projector that along with showing me how good HDTV can look also shows me how bad DirecTV SD channels are.

I didn't mean to imply that your signal looks like the picture I posted. I just wanted to point out that both the pictures have the same number of 'lines' and that 400 lines on DirecTV has little to do with the resolution they supply.

Ahhhh ... I gotcha now. Okay, that is a very true statement. However, with my particular configuration be it the dish, cables, receivers, TV's and so on .... my images look like the top image. FOR SD PROGRAMS I DO HAVE TO CHANGE TO 4:3 or they look like your bottom picture, well not quite that bad but I did need to find a way to watch SD programs that was not in 16:9

 

[slacker9876]

You can't watch SD channels on anything bigger than a 40" you start seeing all the horrible PQ errors. Which is why I went with Voom after buying my 65" so I could enjoy 39+ HD channels with 5 times the picture clarity of SD, it even looks better on a standard TV though!

I second the thrashing upon this statement ... I had Voom, after week one they gave me 2 free months of service, after week two they offered two free months of VaVaVoom. I cancelled this service about 18 days after installation because I could not watch it due to artifacts in the images on ALL CHANNELS that were not the Voom Exclusives, and I could not watch the exclusives because the programming bored the heck out of me, even WorldSport and Rave. I got Voom for StarzHD and while it was HD in fact, my PQ had so many artifacts it looked like a marginal OTA DTV signal.

However all mu channels (the ones I watch) look great with D* on my 55" RPTV. HD is very nice, as is OTA DTV, SD, as I have posted previously I need to reduce to the 4:3 format on this TV.

 

[Dvlos]

When did you cancel slacker, I've had them since May and they had several artifacts and "mosquito noise" problems on their channels, it was an issue that Wilt said "they are working on" since then 2 firmware updates and some tweaks and the PQ for both HD and SD are much, much improved. I am comparing D* with V* as of this month.

 

[slacker9876]

I had the service from May 28th though June 13th. I have been following the Voom forum just in case I wanted to jump back on board.

If the rumor mill "comes true" though it looks like I will have all the HD I need with D* by the end of the year. This only includes DiscoveryHD, ESPNHD, NFL ST in HD, StarzHD, HDNet for NHL (no season this year it looks like). NHL Hockey and NFL Football is about 45% of my viewing for an entire year ... the more in HD the better. Movies are about 20%-30% and I prefer Starz, they always seem to have what I like.

But rumors are rumors ... until I get some channels who knows but i feel the HD TiVo I returned may re-appear in my config in the next 4 months ... Then i have to choose D*, I mean really man it's a stinking TiVo!!!!!

 

[Dvlos]

Yeah the DVR option I think hurt Voom and offering tons of HD paints only part of the picture, I really want a DVR to record HD games and movies BIG time... I'm willing to stick through it. If the rumor mill IS true then damn we will all be D* customers and I'll have to brush up on the use of their HD-Tivo. What I am not thrilled with a is a payment option on the HD-Tivo or a even a lease plan, gotta fork out 1k looks like of my dough up front for it. That kind of sucks.

However I think all this is premature speculation, I don't see Voom selling, instead looks like they cleared their debt with Cablevision and have some millions to upgrade Voom, AMC, IFC, and WE and polish it up for more HD competition. A couple of months ago in a discussion I mention the D* E* and V* wars for HD viewers, whether D* or E* were really motivated about it before will no longer be the case. I think the bigger Voom gets the more HD and HD channels will start popping up around the country with the big 3 probably trying to find a way to compete and air those channels first.

In the end, it is us, who spent money on our home theatres that are going to win.