My PQ Rant

[jagouar]

Something Id like to see is a Rating system where you could give it a star rating for not only PQ but the actual show as well.

sorta like the review thread but a searchable database.... I could host but know almost nothing about coding such a system (but I have a host with mySQL/PHP with extra bw I could spare)

 

[DarrellP]

Let's do this thread from a new perspective:

Let us know the size of your TV and how long you have been receiving HD.

It seems to me that the people who think Voom looks fantastic are mostly new people who probably just signed up and are seeing Voom (or HD) for the first time. I would agree with them that it looks fantastic if I'd never had HD before, but I've been getting it for over 4 years and I know what great HD looks like.

I'll start: 110" HD Projector viewing from 14' away and I've had HD for 4 1/4 years. Voom PQ has deteriorated severely since the encoders went online. I see pixelation with scene changes, sometimes with movement and it looks fantastic when nothing moves. I see soft, putty-like faces with movement and a lack of detail in background or fine detail. SD is unwatchable.

People, all you have to do is watch an OTA HD channel then switch back to a Voom HD channel and the difference should bite your nose off. If you don't see the difference, Guido should come steal your TV in the night. ;-)

 

[Voomin@720p]

I have a 50" LCD that I watch from about 7 feet away. I see NO difference in PQ from NBCHD, CBSHD, PBSHD and VOOM.

I am NOT a HD newbie. I have had VOOM for over a year and before that I had D* HD.

I run the 50" LCD via DVI and have the VOOM box set to 720p

 

[Dish Roamer]

I view Voom on a Sanyo Z2, 106" screen, DVI, 15ft back.

Voom is also viewed on a 46" Sony RP, DVI, From around 10ft

I have been with Voom for over 1 1/2 years. I still see major problems with a majority of the channels.

Wayne

 

[Dish Roamer]

Let's do this thread from a new perspective:

Let us know the size of your TV and how long you have been receiving HD.

It seems to me that the people who think Voom looks fantastic are mostly new people who probably just signed up and are seeing Voom (or HD) for the first time. I would agree with them that it looks fantastic if I'd never had HD before, but I've been getting it for over 4 years and I know what great HD looks like.

I'll start: 110" HD Projector viewing from 14' away and I've had HD for 4 1/4 years. Voom PQ has deteriorated severely since the encoders went online. I see pixelation with scene changes, sometimes with movement and it looks fantastic when nothing moves. I see soft, putty-like faces with movement and a lack of detail in background or fine detail. SD is unwatchable.

People, all you have to do is watch an OTA HD channel then switch back to a Voom HD channel and the difference should bite your nose off. If you don't see the difference, Guido should come steal your TV in the night. ;-)

I have a similar set up as you do and agree totally with your assessment. Thanks for turning this thread into something useful

Wayne

 

[txdude]

Are most people using DVI with voOm?

Personally I found that my DVI is more prone to pixelation, and sharpness and color seems much better with component video on my TV.

 

[The Stone Man]

I've had Voom for 15 months, watching on a 43" Pioneer plasma TV. I use the DVI / HDMI cable out from Voom and into the Pioneer receiver unit. At one time or another, I have seen every 'wart' being talked about in this thread.

Over the past 15 months, the picture quality has fluctuated. Sometimes great, and sometimes not. I believe that is what frustrates most people who post regarding picture quality. They see the picture when it looks really good, and they want it to be that way all the time. And you know what?? It should be great all the time or at least most of the time.

And in this forum, there are many sophisticated and experienced people. Some of them have valuable information to share, and can provide help and guidance for the less experienced people. I'd rather see more energy spent on discussing the problems at hand, and less energy spent on trying to rip somebody a new one.

 

[Vicki]

I watch on a 48" Mits from about 12' away, set to 1080i, connected with DVI.

Pretty new to the HD experience. Had VoOm for about 5 months last summer--saw WOW! PQ a few times, and not so WOW. Had cable HD from November to 3/22/05, and didn't see much WOW! on anything.

Haven't had a lot of time to really check a lot since I got VoOming again, but what I have seen so far looks as good as the OTA HD I've been able to catch. The only pixelization I've encountered has been on OTA, and I deliberately tried to catch some fast action sports and movies on VoOm to see if I could spot it there. Now, I admit, I didn't watch the whole game or the whole movie, but over periods of 10-15 minutes, it just wasn't there on my set, at that time.

I'm not sure I can envision what DarryllP describes as "soft putty-like faces". Of course, I had problems understsanding "pixelization", "macro-blocking", and "mosquito noise" when I first started watching, too!

Maybe I'm just a slow-learner, but it sure seems to me that the most educational and productive comparisons might be had if we were all watching the same thing and the same time. PQ judgement will always be subjective, but at least limiting the judgements to the same subject viewed at the same time, would help rule in or rule out a small degree of the subjectivity.

I, for one, would surely appreciate assistance from the more sophisticated and experienced viewers. I'd like to join your ranks someday, but right now I'm just still trying to understand what they are!

Just my 2 cents

 

[jgantert]

I'm watching on a 52" 16:9 with DVI and about 10' away.

Watch some Beowolf last night, and it looked pretty good. But then I watched some Monsters HD, and during the promo there was a LOT of pixelation in the Monsters HD flapping logo (the bat wings). So I don't know. Seems like PQ is all over the place. Normally I can just blame the PQ on poor source. But the source for the Monsters HD promo stuff should be as good as it is going to get... Oh well...

-John

 

[DarrellP]

So we are all in the same ballpark here, here's a rule of thumb for HD watching: 1.5 to 2 times screen width back. If we all test our sets at this ratio, we should have the same relative screen size to view.

If your TV is 3' wide, view it from 4.5 - 6 feet back and you will be at the proper THX recommended viewing distance. If we all do this, we should all see the same picture.

 

[txdude]

So we are all in the same ballpark here, here's a rule of thumb for HD watching: 1.5 to 2 times screen width back. If we all test our sets at this ratio, we should have the same relative screen size to view.

If your TV is 3' wide, view it from 4.5 - 6 feet back and you will be at the proper THX recommended viewing distance. If we all do this, we should all see the same picture.

This is true, but there could be other factors too. It seems like there are a lot of people using DVI. The DVI connection on my TV has a tendency to Pixelate where as component video does not, forcing me to abandon the DVI connection altogether. This could be an issue for others as well. I've connected my computer to the DVI connection and played a DVD with no trouble, so I'm assuming that this is a conflict between my TV and the voOm Motorola receiver. How do we know that some of these complaints about pixelation/PQ are not a result of DVI conflict with a particular model of TV?

 

[Vicki]

So we are all in the same ballpark here, here's a rule of thumb for HD watching: 1.5 to 2 times screen width back. If we all test our sets at this ratio, we should have the same relative screen size to view.

If your TV is 3' wide, view it from 4.5 - 6 feet back and you will be at the proper THX recommended viewing distance. If we all do this, we should all see the same picture.

Well, DarrellP, maybe you've hit on a major issue here...based on my screen size, I'm a lot further back than recommended (and please forgive me for going all "Martha Stewart" on you here), but if my room was set up to those standards (48" diagonal, but only 42" wide), I would find it terribly unattractive as well as uninviting (cramped) to be sitting so close.

Is the only solution to have a gigantic screen? If that's the case, I may have to wait a long time to join the ranks of the sophisticated. If that makes me an HD philistine, I guess I'll just have to live with that, but I hope that's not the case.

Having said that, I'm still game to sit on the floor at the designated position and offer my input if anyone else is willing to participate in such an experiment. That may change my mind about the PQ, but unfortunately, it won't do much to change my ability to get a gigantic screen ...but at least it will tell me if I should start trying to save for it. Vicki

 

[Shawn95GT]

People, all you have to do is watch an OTA HD channel then switch back to a Voom HD channel and the difference should bite your nose off. If you don't see the difference, Guido should come steal your TV in the night. ;-)

OTA HD can suck too. 'Medium' on NBC looks horrible on any given night while Leno looks amazing.

I have a 50" DLP and I sit about 7'-8' back. I'm currently connected by both DVI and components so that I can compare but 99.9% of the time I watch on DVI.

I bought this TV (my 1st HD set) on Jan 31st. I had it about a month with just OTA and the on-board ATSC tuner when I got Voom.

To me, Voom's PQ is the best I've seen of it right now.

Shawn

 

[DarrellP]

I use component because I don't like the look I get with DVI. Voom is the only source I have to feed my pj DVI and I just can't seem to get the calibration correct. I really need an upconverting player that I can feed a setup disc to the DVI. The component has much more contrast and "snap" than the DVI, while the DVI appears to be sharper.

It's Friday so I'll have a chance to finally sit down and browse some Voom channels, something I haven't had a chance to do much of the past 2 weeks. I'll raise some suds in hopes of better PQ tonight, anyone want to join in? Cheers. @party

 

[gutter]

I watch on a 46" Sammy DLP from about 5 feet away. (sorry that is the distance of my couch). I also see the putty like faces the DarrellP talks about and softness. was not that way before. I use DVI. I have been critical in the past of PQ as VOOM never matched up to OTA but it was a lot better than current. DiscoveryHD, which was a joy, is not so great now. Some channels look better sometimes than others. SD looks decent.

 

[Vicki]

I use component because I don't like the look I get with DVI. Voom is the only source I have to feed my pj DVI and I just can't seem to get the calibration correct. I really need an upconverting player that I can feed a setup disc to the DVI. The component has much more contrast and "snap" than the DVI, while the DVI appears to be sharper.

It's Friday so I'll have a chance to finally sit down and browse some Voom channels, something I haven't had a chance to do much of the past 2 weeks. I'll raise some suds in hopes of better PQ tonight, anyone want to join in? Cheers. @party

I'd love to join in...just tell me what channel and what time! Vicki

 

[Vicki]

I watch on a 46" Sammy DLP from about 5 feet away. (sorry that is the distance of my couch). I also see the putty like faces the DarrellP talks about and softness. was not that way before. I use DVI. I have been critical in the past of PQ as VOOM never matched up to OTA but it was a lot better than current. DiscoveryHD, which was a joy, is not so great now. Some channels look better sometimes than others. SD looks decent.

gutter...I really wish I could "associate" with what you and DarrellP are saying about the putty-like faces.

Remember what I said...I may be a slow learner, so are there any other descriptive terms you can think of that I might be able to associate with? I'd really like to try....But I'll admit that it took some detailed written info plus a link to a screen of what I think was a spaceshot picture from DeeAnn before I understood Macro-blocking and Pixelation...so do your best to spell it out for those of us who are "slow". Patience and effort of the experienced at this time could well go on to benefit us all...Thanks, Vicki