How to improve PQ on HD feed

[tornadog]

I recently moved from Uverse to Directv, still have uverse connected for comparison. I notice that the same feed looks pristine in uverse but in Directv there is a bit of pixellation almost like it was upconverted from SD. Its uniform across all channels. Any idea if I am missing some setting.

My setup is Directv DVR to Pioneer AVR to Samsung HDTV

When the directv tech set it up, he said my signal strength was very good 95+, so I figured I should be getting the best PQ available.

 

[Hookem99]

This is actually the exact opposite of my findings last week with Uverse. I was thinking about switching and compared the two, side by side, with two of the exact same model Samsung LCD's. Funny how things can be different on similar equipment.

On the front of the receiver there is a resolution light, be sure its lighted to 1080i. Also, if you are comparing signals on the same TV, my Samsung allows each input can be configured differently. I would also check those to be sure you are comparing the same settings.

 

[cparker]

going through an AVR? Is the AVR processing the video signal? The DirecTV DVR may be processing the signal, handing it off to the AVR which then processes it and sends it to the TV. Try setting the DVR to NOT do any video converting. If teh signal is being overprocessed you'll see just about exactly what you're describing.

You basically have 3 devices converting or analyzing/processing teh signal. Assuming your AVR converts. The DVR processes signal, the AVR processes signal, the TV processes signal... scaling, upconverting, formatting, etc.

You want to figure out which of those devices does teh best job at it and tell the others to feed the native signal through without processing it.

Make sense?

 

[gadgtfreek]

Yeah, Ive also never heard of Uverse topping much anyone. What channel are you having this issue on? Nevermind, I see its "uniform". Somethings up, because other than my overcompressed locals, directv looks good on my 58".

 

[Jimbo]

Are you using the same type of connections ? (HDMI, Component ?)

I would eliminate the AVR just be sure, for your test anyways.

 

[charper1]

Yeah, Ive also never heard of Uverse topping much anyone. What channel are you having this issue on? Nevermind, I see its "uniform". Somethings up, because other than my overcompressed locals, directv looks good on my 58".

Ditto, I also go thru a A/V unit and the HD looks great on my FPTV, even the HD locals, the SD is well..............................SD

 

[johns70]

Your picture won't pixelate till the signal gets pretty darn low.

A 95 signal strength doesn't look any better than a 70 signal strength.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Sounds like to me, its more from macroblocking or something of the sort, but I just dont see those issues on Directv.

 

[stonecold]

I never seen those issues on a 52 inch samsung but dont take my word fo it read everyone elses responses.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

This is actually the exact opposite of my findings last week with Uverse. I was thinking about switching and compared the two, side by side, with two of the exact same model Samsung LCD's. Funny how things can be different on similar equipment.

On the front of the receiver there is a resolution light, be sure its lighted to 1080i. Also, if you are comparing signals on the same TV, my Samsung allows each input can be configured differently. I would also check those to be sure you are comparing the same settings.

Maybe it is just me but 720p actually seems to look better on my relative's HD TV. She has a 1080p Samsung HD TV and uses an HDMI with her DirecTV HD receiver. However, I do think that each person should try both 720p and 1080i to see which one looks better. I think that the 720p looks smoother and makes the SD channels even look better. The HD channels look good in either, but I still think that they look smoother with 720p.

 

[cparker]

I've only had my HR24 for a couple of weeks, but I know there's a setting for.... basically.... telling it what to do with the video signal. Do you want it scaled to 720p, 1080, do you want it stretched to fit, or send it through native?

If your AVR does upconversion then it's looking at the incoming signal and needs to be told whether to format it for the TV in whatever manner you tell it, or to pass the signal unprocessed (raw... or native....whatever).

Then your TV gets the signal and usually you can tell the TV to do various processing depending on the input signal. Stretch, Zoom, upconvert, downconvert, etc.

All of that processing can affect the appearance, the lip sync, all kinds of things.

If you want to do a true comparison, you have to take all of that processing out of the equation and tell all devices to just leave the signal alone and "show me what you got".

With all of these devices having a capacity to process the signal, you then choose ONE to handle it. If the direcTV DVR (or receiver) does the processing and gives you the best result, then you tell the AVR to pass it along untouched and tell your TV to do the same. Or you can tell the satellite receiver to pass it along untouched and have your AVR process and format for your TV and tell your TV to just show it and not process it. OR... tell both the satellite receiver AND the AVR to leave it alone and tell the TV how to handle incoming signals.

There is a bit of trial and error here as each combination of equipment brings different decoders and scalers into play. YOU might find that your brand new TV does a better job than your satellite receiver or AVR but someone else might have a brand new AVR that does a better job at it.

In terms of simply doing a comparison of signal, you have to tell the satellite receiver to leave it alone and go directly to your TV without the AVR in there and tell the TV to leave the signal alone and just "show me what I got". That's your starting point.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Input resolution, below 1080p, on a 1080p native set, all depends on the guts of the set. Some like 1080i, some like 720p, some do better with native than the HDDVR.

 

[cypherstream]

I run native and have 3 resolutions checked off (480p, 720p, 1080i) because those are the ONLY resolutions supported by my earlier generation Samsung Plasma over HDMI.

My TV itself is only 720p model from a few years ago when 1080p required an extra $1000. It still looks better with Native. The TV does a good job at converting the picture to the native panel resolution.

When comparing DirecTV HD to cable HD on ClearQAM tuner, they are pretty close, but local affiliates like ABC,NBC,CBS,PBS,FOX look a little sharper on the Cable signal. The cable company encrypts national HD channels, so I can't really compare something like Discovery or ESPN for example. I do have to say that those national channels on DirecTV look crystal clear, even when sitting close to the screen. The only nationals that are "in the clear" on the cable wire are QVC HD, CSPAN1 & 2 HD. DirecTV doesn't have these in HD to compare, but the cable side looks pretty good, and the QVC one has 3 channels on that same frequency. That's not a hard channel to encode though because it's pretty much static text and very slow camera panning on whatever their selling.

So my verdict?
DirecTV HD Nationals are crystal clear and pristine. Better than any thing else out there.
DirecTV local HD channels tend to take a softer look, but don't get me wrong, it still looks crystal clear and you need a real good eye to see the difference. I think the MPEG2 to MPEG4 conversion looses a bit of detail for the locals, but it's not bothersome.

Another thing to check, see if your TV has 1:1 pixel mapping, or a no overscan mode. My TV calls it "Just Scan", and to me I think it looks best in this mode, as no detail is lost off the screen.

 

[gadgtfreek]

IIRC, Direct also puts more locals on a TP, than nationals.