Question About Voom HD Picture Quality

[Hoopnoop]

I have been a happy voomer for about 6 months and recently also added cable hd for the hd dvr (Adelphia cable - the Motorola 6412). One of the expectations that I had in adding cable hd was that it would have noticeably inferior picture quality. But I was surprised to find that a number of my cable company's HD channels looked noticeably superior to Voom in terms of picture quality. These cable hd channels were noticeably more detailed while the Voom picture seemed rather soft. This is especially noticeable for Discovery HD and the premium channels like HBO.

Now, the SD channels for Voom are significantly better in terms of picture quality. But I watch mostly all HD.

So, how is it that the cable company could have superior hd picture quality compared with Voom, the HD specialist?

 

[who_the]

Are you evaluating the PQ hooked in to the same inputs, or are you running through different ones?

 

[Hoopnoop]

These are the same inputs -- monster component cables. I've also tried Voom over DVI and not much of a difference. I'm not complaining about Voom's pq but the cable picture for the mentioned channels is noticeably sharper. Perhaps my local cable company simply allocates a lot of bandwidth for its HD channels.

 

[sprintcarcrazy]

I tried cable last week, a HD Motorola DVR, Had it on for 6 hours, their HD was in 720P. It did not look bad but was very soft, even against Dish Networks HD.

I took it off and am taking the box back. I just called and ordered Voom, but if their HD is soft as well, I don't want it. I am surprised, I have heard nothing but praise on Voom's HD stuff.

 

[Hoopnoop]

I would still try Voom. I don't mean to be knocking Voom as I really enjoy the service. But my own experience is that Discovery HD and HBO HD are noticeably soft. But others have certainly praised the picture quality.

 

[calikarim]

Not true Voom better that Adelphia HD

I have Voom , and Adelphia HD. Voom is significantly better picture quaility over Adelphia. I compare all the locals in Adelphia HD, and even Showtime and HBO, when free previews on Adelphia. Voom is sharper, better resolution and more vivid colors. Voom is amazing on digital displays, and really brings out HD like nothing else. Watch Rave,Ultra, or Equator and compare to anything on cable, even the best networks in HD, voom is the best in terms of pic quailty.

 

[riffjim4069]

I have Voom , and Adelphia HD. Voom is significantly better picture quaility over Adelphia. I compare all the locals in Adelphia HD, and even Showtime and HBO, when free previews on Adelphia. Voom is sharper, better resolution and more vivid colors. Voom is amazing on digital displays, and really brings out HD like nothing else. Watch Rave,Ultra, or Equator and compare to anything on cable, even the best networks in HD, voom is the best in terms of pic quailty.

I guess it depends on your local cable office. I had Adelphia HD for a while and the PQ of their limited HD offering was comparable to VOOM. I was able to directly compare ESPNHD, Starz HD and one other channel that I don't recall. Also, the HD locals were being sent through full bit rate.

 

[Hoopnoop]

Thanks for the feedback! As I said, I don't mean to be knocking on Voom as I have really enjoyed their service. Perhaps my local Adelphia happens to be allocating a lot of bandwidth towards their HD channels. And I agree, Rave and other channels are great. This comment was mostly limited to the Discovery HD and the premiums which for me were a bit soft on Voom.

 

[DarrellP]

No big surprise, I've been telling everyone here for almost a year that Voom PQ is not up to par, I'm glad someone finally agrees with me. Dish HD is the same way, it is a much cleaner, crisper picture.

 

[Hoopnoop]

I would assume that the Voom picture quality is the same for everyone as long as you have correctly set it up and had your tv calibrated. So, as Riff says, I guess it depends on the quality of your alternative provider. For some reason, my local cable happens to have a very high level of pq. I just hope that Voom can allocate sufficient bandwidth in the future to its HD channels so that you have the wow factor for all of its channels!