Nice to see the new HD channels are on

bowens

SatelliteGuys Pro
Mar 30, 2005
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Has anyone had any luck with the program guide containing programming information (the new HD channels of course)? Some on mine still say No program guide data or something. Just wondering.

Mine all have programming data. They did first thing yesterday morning when I got up.
 

nazz

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Feb 4, 2006
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I'd really like to see people advising which shows on all of the new channels are real HD and look good to them. With the guide showing (HD) for everything, it's difficult to know what shows to record and admire.
 

8bitbytes

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Sep 8, 2003
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NoVA
I'd really like to see people advising which shows on all of the new channels are real HD and look good to them. With the guide showing (HD) for everything, it's difficult to know what shows to record and admire.


I set mine to record Deadliest Catch (HD) today. I'm anxious to see how good it looks. I heard they went through several HD cameras when filming the show.
 

tigerfan33

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Jul 12, 2007
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Has anyone had any luck with the program guide containing programming information (the new HD channels of course)? Some on mine still say No program guide data or something. Just wondering.


I wish the guide would do a better job to let us know if we are watching true hd not just streched. The new discovery hd had a couple of true ones and so did Science and tlc. I didnt see anything on Animal Planet that was true hd.
 

8bitbytes

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Sep 8, 2003
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I wish the guide would do a better job to let us know if we are watching true hd not just streched. The new discovery hd had a couple of true ones and so did Science and tlc. I didnt see anything on Animal Planet that was true hd.


Actually, I don't think anything on Dish is "True" HD, but I understand your point. I don't think that is going to happen though. Those who know it is not really HD are the minority in the viewing world.
 

kstuart

SatelliteGuys Master
Nov 5, 2006
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Northern California
Actually, I don't think anything on Dish is "True" HD, but I understand your point. I don't think that is going to happen though. Those who know it is not really HD are the minority in the viewing world.
What you are calling True HD has never been broadcast and never will.
That's because MPEG2 and MPEG4 throw out various parts of the picture in order to compress the signal. All digital TV broadcasts do that.
In reality, the PQ difference between any two different HD broadcasts is quantitative, not qualitative.
(BTW, "True HD" is a term used in the industry to indicate video that is not upconverted.)
 

TheForce

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Oct 13, 2003
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Kstuart- Thanks. It about time others besides me start educating the parrots who really don't know the difference. Unfortunately, so many still don't get it and really do think all HDTV has to be the big number.
I'm happy with qualitative, and complain about HD lite when the image is said to be HD but looks worse than DVD. As it was on DirecTV's channels a year ago. They have since improved last I checked.

I got home yesterday so all I could do was look at them with sling box. Even on it I was quite impressed and immediately took a liking to the science HD channel. When I got home last night, I saw many issues with these channels as were described in this threads with the frame area. I trust these new guys to HDTV will get it right.

Scott- There are specific broadcast standards (SMPTE) for placement of static graphics on a frame structure. It is true that if an SD commercial were to be "upconverted / stretched using several of the methods built into equipment these SMPTE standards would now be in violation. Again as time passes these issues will work themselves out.
 

skyviewmark

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Sep 29, 2006
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I'm happy with qualitative, and complain about HD lite when the image is said to be HD but looks worse than DVD.

Personally, I have not seen any HD programming that looks worse than DVD. I am not talking about stretched or upconverted.. But anything that I get that was produced as HD looks a heck of a lot better than DVD.. I don't even like watching DVD's any more because they just don't look as good as my HD..
I sure as heck don't look forward to replaceing my 500 DVD's with HD-DVD's but I can't stand to watch any of them.
 

allargon

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Aug 2, 2007
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Personally, I have not seen any HD programming that looks worse than DVD. I am not talking about stretched or upconverted.. But anything that I get that was produced as HD looks a heck of a lot better than DVD.. I don't even like watching DVD's any more because they just don't look as good as my HD..
I sure as heck don't look forward to replaceing my 500 DVD's with HD-DVD's but I can't stand to watch any of them.
You need a decent upconverting DVD player. All of the high def standalone players (Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) upconvert relatively well. So does the PS3. Standard def DVD's on my Toshiba A20 often look as good or better than HD-lite moves on HDnet, Monsters, HBO, Showtime, etc.
 

kstuart

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Nov 5, 2006
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Northern California
I have the Toshiba SD4990 upconverting SD DVD player and the PQ is excellent (around ~$80).

Also plays Divx and Xvid files.

(The firmware is glitchy, you need to plug it into a power strip and then turn off the power to it each time you use it in order to clear the memory.)
 

SarKen

SatelliteGuys Pro
Oct 3, 2006
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I have a Samsung upconverting DVD player and the PQ and Sound are much better then then any of the HD movie channels.

The HD movies channels on E* are still 100% better then SD versions.
 

nazz

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Feb 4, 2006
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HD-Lite or not, I don't see how an upconverted 480p picture can possibly be superior to 1080i. Upconversion cannot create information that does not exist. I guess it's just perception and personal opinion.
 

ggw2000

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Sep 20, 2004
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Dirty Jobs- Discovery

Obviously this show is upconverted 480. PQ is poor and blurry. Commercials that are actually HD look good- whoopy:(. The games we play I guess. Disappointing. Gerry
 

drdroo

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Sep 20, 2005
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Bangor, ME USA
It's possible that show is not in HD on anyone else's service either.

Our local ABC HD affiliate on the other hand, will send us ESPN SD feeds of Nascar while the other ABC affiliates in other markets are getting it in HD. Drives me nuts.
 

8bitbytes

SatelliteGuys Pro
Sep 8, 2003
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NoVA
Kstuart- Thanks. It about time others besides me start educating the parrots who really don't know the difference...


blah blah blah

Go listen to your AM radio with the one speaker in the dash.

I'm the last person to complain about any HD channel we get even if the res is 1440x1080 vs 1920x1080. But, if you check the standard, 1440x1080 is not HD. Just because you can throw out mpeg2 mpeg4 like you even know how broadcasting works doesn't mean there isn't a difference.

You really don't want to start up the folks here who really have an issue with down-rezzing and PQ.

In this context, true HD vs HD-Lite is 1920x1080 vs 1440 or 1280x1080.
 

kstuart

SatelliteGuys Master
Nov 5, 2006
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Northern California
But, if you check the standard, 1440x1080 is not HD.
Actually you clearly have never done so, because it certainly is.
You really don't want to start up the folks here who really have an issue with down-rezzing and PQ.
I get the impression that the first time around (a couple of years ago), the discussion was dominated by the "slightly technically knowlegeable" people. These are the same people who argued in the 1990's on the Internet that "bits are bits" and so "all CD players must sound the same". Of course, once jitter was discovered, those people vanished into the woodwork, only to reappear recently with new gibberish.
It's understandable, given that the media and the schools are filled with the post-modern concept that everyone should have an opinion about everything - no matter how little they understand about the situation...
 

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