Perhaps, but I would be a bit surprised to be honest. It isn't unheard of for processors to cause issues, but it is pretty rare these days.
Horrible Picture Quality
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19Mbps ain't much bandwidth for HDMI cable. Hope he meant 18GHz.
OP has spent a metric ton of cash on a Kaleidescape, OPPO UHD player, and other high-end gear, and on professionals to install and calibrate it. Sounds like he just might not be satisfied with consumer-level video quality. Dish HD is good enough for most people, but it's nowhere near what you'll get from a full-bitrate Blu-Ray or professional-studio-type sources.
OP has spent a metric ton of cash on a Kaleidescape, OPPO UHD player, and other high-end gear, and on professionals to install and calibrate it. Sounds like he just might not be satisfied with consumer-level video quality. Dish HD is good enough for most people, but it's nowhere near what you'll get from a full-bitrate Blu-Ray or professional-studio-type sources.
It sounds like he switched from DirecTV. It also sounds like he is watching on a ~120" screen. I could be that 1440x1080i just isn't going to look as good as he wants, although, I would expect the video processor to clean things up pretty nicely. On my measly 70" UHD set, Dish looks really good most of the time, just like DirecTV did, but at larger sizes, it could really look bad for all I know.
It has been over week since I had a new dish installed and I still got one concern on the HD signal and quality on the locals. The HD quality on the locals depending on the station too is very sharp and pixel and the face is either sharp mix with blurness. I called Dish and told them about this and an overseas staff told me my signal is fine and they sent out another signal to my receiver. But, I am still getting this sharp/blurness. And, I am also once in a while getting a 1-2 second signal flash pending on the channel. The other stations from channel 101 and up are fine. Any suggestion??
Well, that makes two of you in LA with PQ problems. Maybe it is localized?
While HelenDee's profile shows her from Los Angeles, she said in another thread that she lives 20 miles from San Francisco. There is a long way in between and different spot beams involved...
I had Fios and Dish both pretty much the same .Now I have Comcast and Dish and both pretty much the same. Both have a good quality picture . I do like my hopper 3 . It has to be something with your setup.
No, it is just a surround sound processor. I have tried connecting the Hopper3 directly to the Sony projector via a fiber/copper hybrid cable, with the same result. Remember, I have having the same problem with two UHD displays and three HD displays.
Can you take a few pictures along with the guide or info showing the channel you are tuned to? It's a shot in the dark. If it as bad as you say it's like you aren't getting HD. That said, it will no way compare to your other sources. Dish is soft, and unlike what others have said I see a significant difference between OTA and Dish locals. So I do think you may just be expecting too much.
Unless the local is compressing the heck out of it, OTA should be sharper than most MVPD. Even if an MVPD is taking a direct fiber feed, they're compressing the heck out of it to get it to you.
My point was dish is compressing the heck out of it.
OTA is sharper and substantially less macro blocking and compression artifacts.
In my humble opinion the problem so to speak is with a video calibration. professional video calibrations can result in some content looking better than before while at the same time making other content look absolutely awful. in fact it's quite common to see a many professionally calibrated TVs that a Blu-ray disc is absolutely littered with film grain. some consider film grain to be distracting noise while others think is a beautiful reminder of them watching what was originally on the chemical medium. often a professional calibration with the best intentions can turn your television into a CONRAC studio monitor: a ruthless display that will rip apart every picture and show you every possible flaw unless your source is of the highest quality.
the professional calibration was achieved by using the service menus that are not accessible to Consumers changing the various parameters in a manner that are permanent. however this does not mean that you cannot adjust the picture settings sharpness etc for each of the inputs using the consumer accessible menu in picture setting options.. in fact because every source is different you are going to have to use the picture settings from the consumer menu to make adjustments so that that Source input has the best picture quality to your eye.
keep in mind that OTA cable TV and satellite provide picture quality and audio that is not as good as a Blu-ray or UHD physical disc coming out of the great player. I have to use separate settings for each of the inputs on my DVDO (That is what it is designed for) I also have to use separate settings for each of my inputs on my AV receiver with a Qdeo chip. if I've left things as they were without any manual consumer adjustments all the input devices/sources have wildly different picture quality.
Keep in mind that your professional calibration was done so that your display has the best starting point or the best reference point or each of the parameters performing at their Peak or best. again you cannot change that without going into the service menus so you're not going to mess up the calibration. but that isn't enough the last step is for the consumer to make necessary settings changes from the consumer menu of your TV or of your video processes such as a DVDO etc. so that each Source has the best possible picture quality to your eye.
if the pro calibrator set your consumer picture settings a certain way then go ahead and take a picture of it or write it down for keeping if for some reason you want to set it back that way. however your monitor has been calibrated that cannot be changed without a pro going into the service menus. now it's up to you to fiddle around with a consumer settings so that each Source looks good to your eye even if it means turning on some of the proprietary processing or changing the gamma a bit, or whatever it takes so that you get a really good picture. in my case I have wildly different settings for the TiVo versus the dish versus the Oppo Blu-ray versus my S VHS VCR. in fact I have separate settings that I set within the Oppo Blu-ray itself because the DVD has to have a separate setting to look good, the way I like it and I use a second video setting within at the Oppo for Blu Rays so that some Blu-rays suffering from poor transfers look good. not all Blu-rays have good quality transfers some are really bad and for those I've got to set my settings to make it look decent.
so go ahead and try adjusting your picture settings accessible from your consumer menu from your TV or your processor and see if you can't get it to look the way you want it. and for what it's worth even professional calibrators themselves will use a processor or an AVR and adjust manually through the consumer menu option of their TV or processor each input so that each Source looks its best so by using the consumer settings you're not doing anything wrong in fact you'll be doing everything right to get the picture to look its best.
finally I am not against professional calibrations. I think professional calibrations can do wonders for underperforming TV sets or maybe even mediocre displays. what's ironic is that on some of the best TVs professional calibration is often not needed it's just so close out of the box to how a pro calibrator what set it that the money for a professional calibration just doesn't make economic sense for some very high-end, top TV's. I support anybody who gets a professional calibration but everybody needs to know what they're getting into with professional calibration. it's not always going to produce the picture quality that each person may prefer. colors will be muted because that reflects real life more than colors that pop out at you. however some people are adamant they know that those colors on their beautiful hd or UHD TV isn't reality but that's why they like it they like that aesthetic. think about some of the greatest paintings or types of art: did impressionists really make the colors look realistic on their paintings? what about older paintings that are idealized versions, and what about the art of David hockney and his Over the Top Rich color that are nothing like real life and yet that's what draws people to it. great art or painting isn't always about realistic colors of images, it is about something that can often create a mood or take your breath away take your breath away or communicate something to you. it's ironic the colors and some of the greatest paintings are extremely rich and not realistic and yet they tell a story every bit as compelling as a good TV show or movie.
professional calibration is something that many people will have to get used to to enjoy. on the other hand there are some people who want the processing and want the pop and want that brightness and wanted to look not real. in fact most films by most directors are designed not to look realistic. however the idea is supposed to be to get an image that was the director's intention and sometimes the directors intention is to saturate you with color and Light. some people just prefer all the processing and Aesthetics that are opposite of the intention of a professional calibration and for those people I say good each person is entitled to have their picture display the way they want on their HDTV or UHD TV.
the professional calibration was achieved by using the service menus that are not accessible to Consumers changing the various parameters in a manner that are permanent. however this does not mean that you cannot adjust the picture settings sharpness etc for each of the inputs using the consumer accessible menu in picture setting options.. in fact because every source is different you are going to have to use the picture settings from the consumer menu to make adjustments so that that Source input has the best picture quality to your eye.
keep in mind that OTA cable TV and satellite provide picture quality and audio that is not as good as a Blu-ray or UHD physical disc coming out of the great player. I have to use separate settings for each of the inputs on my DVDO (That is what it is designed for) I also have to use separate settings for each of my inputs on my AV receiver with a Qdeo chip. if I've left things as they were without any manual consumer adjustments all the input devices/sources have wildly different picture quality.
Keep in mind that your professional calibration was done so that your display has the best starting point or the best reference point or each of the parameters performing at their Peak or best. again you cannot change that without going into the service menus so you're not going to mess up the calibration. but that isn't enough the last step is for the consumer to make necessary settings changes from the consumer menu of your TV or of your video processes such as a DVDO etc. so that each Source has the best possible picture quality to your eye.
if the pro calibrator set your consumer picture settings a certain way then go ahead and take a picture of it or write it down for keeping if for some reason you want to set it back that way. however your monitor has been calibrated that cannot be changed without a pro going into the service menus. now it's up to you to fiddle around with a consumer settings so that each Source looks good to your eye even if it means turning on some of the proprietary processing or changing the gamma a bit, or whatever it takes so that you get a really good picture. in my case I have wildly different settings for the TiVo versus the dish versus the Oppo Blu-ray versus my S VHS VCR. in fact I have separate settings that I set within the Oppo Blu-ray itself because the DVD has to have a separate setting to look good, the way I like it and I use a second video setting within at the Oppo for Blu Rays so that some Blu-rays suffering from poor transfers look good. not all Blu-rays have good quality transfers some are really bad and for those I've got to set my settings to make it look decent.
so go ahead and try adjusting your picture settings accessible from your consumer menu from your TV or your processor and see if you can't get it to look the way you want it. and for what it's worth even professional calibrators themselves will use a processor or an AVR and adjust manually through the consumer menu option of their TV or processor each input so that each Source looks its best so by using the consumer settings you're not doing anything wrong in fact you'll be doing everything right to get the picture to look its best.
finally I am not against professional calibrations. I think professional calibrations can do wonders for underperforming TV sets or maybe even mediocre displays. what's ironic is that on some of the best TVs professional calibration is often not needed it's just so close out of the box to how a pro calibrator what set it that the money for a professional calibration just doesn't make economic sense for some very high-end, top TV's. I support anybody who gets a professional calibration but everybody needs to know what they're getting into with professional calibration. it's not always going to produce the picture quality that each person may prefer. colors will be muted because that reflects real life more than colors that pop out at you. however some people are adamant they know that those colors on their beautiful hd or UHD TV isn't reality but that's why they like it they like that aesthetic. think about some of the greatest paintings or types of art: did impressionists really make the colors look realistic on their paintings? what about older paintings that are idealized versions, and what about the art of David hockney and his Over the Top Rich color that are nothing like real life and yet that's what draws people to it. great art or painting isn't always about realistic colors of images, it is about something that can often create a mood or take your breath away take your breath away or communicate something to you. it's ironic the colors and some of the greatest paintings are extremely rich and not realistic and yet they tell a story every bit as compelling as a good TV show or movie.
professional calibration is something that many people will have to get used to to enjoy. on the other hand there are some people who want the processing and want the pop and want that brightness and wanted to look not real. in fact most films by most directors are designed not to look realistic. however the idea is supposed to be to get an image that was the director's intention and sometimes the directors intention is to saturate you with color and Light. some people just prefer all the processing and Aesthetics that are opposite of the intention of a professional calibration and for those people I say good each person is entitled to have their picture display the way they want on their HDTV or UHD TV.
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I started another thread on this a few days ago. I just went from a 722k to a Hopper 3. The Hopper 3 looks like total crap on my 80" TV, and the 722 looked fantastic. I see the softness the OP is talking about, and it is almost unwatchable. Then again, if you hit an OTA channel, it is so sharp sometimes it is just nothing but noise. What I discovered is that setting the output to 720p dramatically helps with the over-sharpening on locals, but not the softness on other channels, such as HBO. 1080i shows BAD combing on many local shows (like Jeopardy), while 720p introduces other artifacts into native 1080 programming (like streaming episodes). Setting any sharpening on the TV does nothing but reveal more compression artifacts.
Are we to keep jumping from 720 to 1080 depending on the channel? Going from local OTA to satellite feed is an obvious reduction in quality, as the satellite feed is filled with compression. My 722 never had this problem, and it is baffling to me how it could be so different. The quality of the Hopper varies by channel and even scene. Streaming looks great (in 1080), so it's not the TV, HDMI cable, etc. There is no equipment between the TV and the Dish receiver. I refuse to believe it is somehow my TV, when there was no change except the introduction of the new Hopper. My old 722 ran for 10+ years with perfect quality.
Like the OP, I am unsure how to resolve it, but perhaps they did? Dish has replaced the receiver already and it is exactly the same. Something changed in the way they process the picture with the Hopper receiver. I just don't see how this was an improvement.
Are we to keep jumping from 720 to 1080 depending on the channel? Going from local OTA to satellite feed is an obvious reduction in quality, as the satellite feed is filled with compression. My 722 never had this problem, and it is baffling to me how it could be so different. The quality of the Hopper varies by channel and even scene. Streaming looks great (in 1080), so it's not the TV, HDMI cable, etc. There is no equipment between the TV and the Dish receiver. I refuse to believe it is somehow my TV, when there was no change except the introduction of the new Hopper. My old 722 ran for 10+ years with perfect quality.
Like the OP, I am unsure how to resolve it, but perhaps they did? Dish has replaced the receiver already and it is exactly the same. Something changed in the way they process the picture with the Hopper receiver. I just don't see how this was an improvement.
Going from a 722 to a Hopper sure was an improvement on my SONY TV. 
Yeah, I went from a 722 to a Hopper to a Hopper 3 on my 70" Sharp and it looked great all the way. Now I have a 75" Vizio and it looks really good still.Going from a 722 to a Hopper sure was an improvement on my SONY TV.
