In a unique position

[nyvram]

Because I still have my $11 analog cable going and Nashville HD channels are available from DISH, I can 'flip' back and forth between my HDMI-DISH feed and my coaxial cable input for local stations.

What I've found is the picture looks better(?) on the cable. Its a bit tough to describe and I certainly don't have any way to take screenshots or anything, but the colors appear to be richer and sharper; the DISH image seems to be a tad muddier and colors a bit more washed out.

Has anyone else tried this? I realize this is a very subjective opinion and its possible the fact one source is a coax cable and the other is HDMI might skew the results enough, but I would think the colors/satuation, etc. would be very similar. Is this simply due to the fact the HD signal is coming from a COMPLETELY different beast (satellite-delivered, different compression and over HDMI)? I guess I'm trying to compare apples & oranges huh?

Anyway, it was interesting. Too bad I can't get an OTA signal from where I live then I could compare ALL THREE!

 

[CJPC]

Well, depends on the locals. However Dish is dropping the resolutions on all local channels to, I believe, 1280x720.

So, say your station is broadcasting their signal as 1920x1080, which would come "raw" OTA, so will look great. Over cable, it is compressed (or over compressed, depending on your cable company), but should still look decent (as long as they are not tampering with the resolution too). But, on Dish, they are dropping both the bitrate and the resolution.

Its a touchy subject, but 100% OTA will beat Satellite for locals, and most of the time Cable will too.

 

[nyvram]

Its a touchy subject, but 100% OTA will beat Satellite for locals, and most of the time Cable will too.

I'm guessing this will continue until capacity starts to surpass bandwidth or some super new compression comes along that gives you a stunning picture at a tiny size.

Was VOOM a total experiment? I swear that those worn 1960s episodes of Flipper we watched for months were some of the best-looking HD programs on DISH.

I know..be patient..the quality will even out eventually.

 

[papalittle]

Because I still have my $11 analog cable going and Nashville HD channels are available from DISH, I can 'flip' back and forth between my HDMI-DISH feed and my coaxial cable input for local stations.

What I've found is the picture looks better(?) on the cable. Its a bit tough to describe and I certainly don't have any way to take screenshots or anything, but the colors appear to be richer and sharper; the DISH image seems to be a tad muddier and colors a bit more washed out.

Has anyone else tried this? I realize this is a very subjective opinion and its possible the fact one source is a coax cable and the other is HDMI might skew the results enough, but I would think the colors/satuation, etc. would be very similar. Is this simply due to the fact the HD signal is coming from a COMPLETELY different beast (satellite-delivered, different compression and over HDMI)? I guess I'm trying to compare apples & oranges huh?

Anyway, it was interesting. Too bad I can't get an OTA signal from where I live then I could compare ALL THREE!

I believe you can hook the cable to the antenna in on the dish receiver back.

 

[Dirtydan]

Try component cables instead of hdmi

 

[rcdallas]

Locals look better on cable vs the overly compressed data being uplinked.

 

[Pepper]

Was VOOM a total experiment? I swear that those worn 1960s episodes of Flipper we watched for months were some of the best-looking HD programs on DISH.

VOOM was unique, you're not likely to see that quality of picture again for a long time.

 

[s10zr2]

What type of tv do you have? I have found that most LCD tv's look better with component video cables and most Plasma's look better with hdmi. Hdmi is not always better than component.

 

[nyvram]

What type of tv do you have? I have found that most LCD tv's look better with component video cables and most Plasma's look better with hdmi. Hdmi is not always better than component.

Really?? That is very interesting. Its a VIZIO 47" LCD (not the latest or greatest tech) but its the best-looking tv I've ever owned. I did spend some time poring through AVSFORUM to find the optimal 'color calibration' settings for it.

I went with HDMI because of all the questions I have regarding upscaling, etc. and because its only one cable. I know this is more a question for my DVD player than the sat box.. Hmm. I never thought I'd favor component over HDMI. I tossed all my old component cables in a box never to be used again (or so I thought).

 

[JEFFinINDY]

What type of tv do you have? I have found that most LCD tv's look better with component video cables and most Plasma's look better with hdmi. Hdmi is not always better than component.

Never heard that one before....

 

[JEFFinINDY]

Well, depends on the locals. However Dish is dropping the resolutions on all local channels to, I believe, 1280x720.

So, say your station is broadcasting their signal as 1920x1080, which would come "raw" OTA, so will look great. Over cable, it is compressed (or over compressed, depending on your cable company), but should still look decent (as long as they are not tampering with the resolution too). But, on Dish, they are dropping both the bitrate and the resolution.

Its a touchy subject, but 100% OTA will beat Satellite for locals, and most of the time Cable will too.

I'm pretty sure your resolution of 1280x720 is not correct for Dish. This was the resolution that DirecTV used (and still does on their MPEG-2 HD) for HD. Dish never went this low, did they?

1440x1080 is the number I've heard for 1080i on Dish.

 

[navychop]

OK, below are the "official" resolutions for ATSC OTA. They are, of course, sometimes fudged a bit:

ATSC Table 3 Formats for DTV Transmission

Vert……….horz………aspect………fps/scan
1080………1920………16:9….....24p, 30p, 30i
720..………1280………16:9….....24p, 30p, 60p
480..……..…704………16:9….....24p, 30p, 30i, 60p
480..……..…704……….4:3.….....24p, 30p, 30i, 60p
480..……..…640……….4:3.….....24p, 30p, 30i, 60p


1440x1080 is often used, in fact many HD cameras capture at this resolution, so "blowing it up" to 1920x1080 would not really gain anything but numbers. Many discussions on this elsewhere. 1280x720 is a perfectly valid resolution, and is used by some networks. It is better, at least in theory, for showing fast motion. In this resolution, and entire frame may be "painted" progressively, while an equivalent 1920x1080 picture would only have half (every other line) of the frame painted.

Some programs will be 1280x720, because that's how they are intended to be. Some will be 1920x1080, some 1440x1080 and some 1280x1080. Other combinations are possible.

Some do claim that under some circumstances component cables look better. Doesn't matter. I suggest that wherever possible, HDMI (or DVI) connections should be made. Component is an analog medium, and the program providers can require analog outputs to be down rezzed, to protect their property. Digital connections such as HDMI & DVI, have other copy protection schemes built in, that are lacking in component.