Is my dish network broadcasting 1080p?

[twodose]

I was at hhgreg today looking at some flat panels ant the expert there told me that even with the hopper and joey from dish that i am only receiving 720p even though my display is 1080i, he said that most people don't know it but dish does not broadcast in 1080i or 1080p.

He said that no one broadcasts in 1080 because they don't have the bandwith to do it.

He also said that the only way i would be able to view 1080 on my tv was if I was using a blue ray player. He said that most people don't know this.

I always assumed that I was receiving a 1080i or p from dish, is this true?

 

[FogNoggin]

My one and only HD TV is 720p. Whenever I rent a BluRay disc I'm astounded at how much better it looks than any Dish channel. It made me think that upgrading to a 1080 TV would almost be pointless. Perhaps it's true that all of Dish is 720p... or worse!?

I'll be interested to read the responses you receive to this question.

 

[agarrett22]

You can get 1080 from ota if the station is broadcasting it. Our local CBS is in 1080 ota, but NBC and fox are 720. Im not for sure about dish.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy S3 using SatelliteGuys

 

[thechaz05]

Dish has a few ppv channels that broadcast in 1080p. I can tell you that according to my tv, I am receiving 1080i.

Sent from my phone using SatelliteGuys sweet app

 

[teachsac]

I was at hhgreg today looking at some flat panels ant the expert there told me that even with the hopper and joey from dish that i am only receiving 720p even though my display is 1080i, he said that most people don't know it but dish does not broadcast in 1080i or 1080p.

He said that no one broadcasts in 1080 because they don't have the bandwith to do it.

He also said that the only way i would be able to view 1080 on my tv was if I was using a blue ray player. He said that most people don't know this.

I always assumed that I was receiving a 1080i or p from dish, is this true?

Hogwash. Dish carries both 720p (Fox and ABC suites) and 1080i (HBO, USA, CBS, etc). PPV movies are carried in 1080p24. The only thing the sales guy is an expert at is blowing smoke out his ***.

S~

P.S. Here's the spec sheet for the Hopper/Joey as posted by Scott

 

[garys]

HH Gregg may have the receiver set at 720p and that's why the salesperson thinks that's the highest output.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

If your TV support 1080i then change the setting and notice the difference. The only things in 1080p on DISH are the PPV movies.

 

[Jim S.]

They do recompress the hell out of anything they carry though. So Dish's 1080i channels may not look like a Blu-Ray, unless there are a lot of poorly-mastered Blu-Rays out there.

 

[Tampa8]

Well.......... There is some truth to what the salesperson is saying. Dish Network does not broadcast in full 1920X 1080. But it's more complicated than that. Bandwidth also plays a part into it. So does the actual material being broadcast. Not every camera used is 1920X1080 even today. Many/most field HD cameras that are 1440X1080. And as mentioned, much is shot in 720P. Codecs play a big part in this, witnessed by many accounts - including professional ones that the Hopper has a superior picture.
So alot goes into what you see in the end, and it's what you see in the end that counts. On my calibrated 55" TV, I defy anyone to see any real difference between 720P or 1080I, and only with the most critical eye see it even in the satellite picture VS the OTA picture. Thre have been many who will say they like 720P better, and in some fast moving scenes that may be true. Source material has more to do with it than anyone may realize. Some TV shows just barely look HD, others pop out of the screen. For years CSI was outstanding, recently "Pickers" just seems to stand out for instance. Live and especially outdoor scenes have more pop than recorded and indoor scenes usually. Lighting has a large part in that.
Also, even OTA may not always be full resolution, if they have sub channels sharing the frequency. Recently the local PBS learned that trying to add a third sub channel.

And yes, Blu-ray on my TV looks fantastic, and generally better than any broadcast channel.

 

[patmurphey]

Yeah isn't that Bluray wide screen movie great in 1920 x 600 or so - or do we count all those black pixels?

 

[BBruin66]

720p and 1080i take up nearly the same bandwidth.

 

[Tampa8]

Yeah isn't that Bluray wide screen movie great in 1920 x 600 or so - or do we count all those black pixels?

I don't think you understand resolution. A movie in 1080P is 1080P on Blu-ray.

 

[teachsac]

I don't think you understand resolution. A movie in 1080P is 1080P on Blu-ray.

Wll, yes and no. They are 1920X1080p (well most), but it depends on the aspect ratio how may pixels are used for the actual picture:

a 1.78:1 (16:9) presentation uses 1920 x 1080 pixels
a 1.85 presentation uses 1920 x 1038 pixels
a 2.35 anamorphic presentation uses 1920 x 817
a 2.39 anamorphic presentation uses 1920 x 803
a 2.55 Cinemascope presentation uses 1920 x 753
a 2.75 Ultra-Panavision presentation uses 1920 x 698

S~

 

[rockymtnhigh]

They do recompress the hell out of anything they carry though. So Dish's 1080i channels may not look like a Blu-Ray, unless there are a lot of poorly-mastered Blu-Rays out there.

And since a BD is 1080P and not 1080i we would expect a difference, even without the decompression.

 

[teachsac]

And since a BD is 1080P and not 1080i we would expect a difference, even without the decompression.

Not all BDs are 1080p. There are a few that received no love and are 1080i. Short Circuit is one.

S~

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Not all BDs are 1080p. There are a few that received no love and are 1080i. Short Circuit is one.

S~

Sure, some are 1080i, and even then they will look better than recompressed 1080i. But almost all new BDs are 1080p.

 

[BBruin66]

And since a BD is 1080P and not 1080i we would expect a difference, even without the decompression.

Without compression there wouldn't be much of a difference. BLU-Ray amounts to 24hz Whereas 1080i is 30hz. At that point it's personal preference as to whether you prefer 24 frames per second progressively scanned or 30 frames interlaced (which equates it to 60hz). Now if someone did 1080p60, then that would be the undisputed winner.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Without compression there wouldn't be much of a difference. BLU-Ray amounts to 24hz Whereas 1080i is 30hz. At that point it's personal preference as to whether you prefer 24 frames per second progressively scanned or 30 frames interlaced (which equates it to 60hz). Now if someone did 1080p60, then that would be the undisputed winner.

Without compression, I would not expect much difference. 1080i should be 1080i.

 

[garys]

Not all BDs are 1080p. There are a few that received no love and are 1080i. Short Circuit is one.

S~

I wouldn't expect movies that are as old as this one could look any where close to new movies.

 

[Bobby]

I wouldn't expect movies that are as old as this one could look any where close to new movies.

Short Circuit, filmed in 1986, was shot on 35mm film. That is higher resolution than even 1080P. It can be made to look just as good any new, or old, movie. I have bluray copies of Ben Hur (1959) and Casablanca (1942) and they are stunning to see.....