The ANSWER to last night's HD Poll

[mike123abc]

The RSN HD's they have up there now are in MPEG2 not MPEG4.

I have no way of telling if there is any programming on those channels or not airing now or just Dish Logo's filling in the space.

They could now make them MPEG4 and have all the sames on at the same time from the RSN's they carry at the same time.

That would be a real test... can 6 action packed HD channels share one TP at the same time? Of course at first it probably would not be too hard since only a couple at any given time would be doing HD. On the current test StarzHD is probably running 24fps most of the time that is why it can get such a low bit rate.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I doubt point 2 is valid anymore. Most TV sold in the last year alone (ruf. 3 million) were all 1080p.

Beep wrong.

They are capable of handling 1080p programming but most still do not actually display the full resolution.

 

[Peter Parker]

I doubt point 2 is valid anymore. Most TV sold in the last year alone (ruf. 3 million) were all 1080p.

thatis i a n interesting statistic. I had not seen that before.

 

[GaryPen]

This a boon for ALL service providers. It's doubtful this is a proprietary Dish-developed technology. So, we should see many providers using it soon.

This may be just the thing ATT needs for its U-Verse service, improving quality and enabling multiple HD streams.

This could improve the HD PQ on D*, even if they won't be having a bandwidth problem later this year.

Can cable use it? I don't know if it's compatible with QAM. Probably not. (They just need to remove most analog channels. That'll do it.)

IPTV providers will love this. OTOH, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Internet IPTV indusytry that came up with this in the first place, and Dish merely took advantage of it.

 

[Bscolvin]

Scott how many channels could dish add now?

 

[ItsMyLife]

I doubt point 2 is valid anymore. Most TV sold in the last year alone (ruf. 3 million) were all 1080p.

Have you shopped for one recently? Because if so, you'd find that many of the affordable sets in stores that people are buying are 1080i but not 1080p.

 

[AdamGott]

I still think that we (consumers and providers) are missing the boat here. I would much rather see a national network HD feed for each network (only one for each network, or at the most one for each time zone) in 1920x1080 and then have it interspersed with local SD commercials and programming. This would save large ammounts of bandwidth and give us full hd resolution at the same time. Using today's technology it wouldn't be that hard to accomplish such a feat but it would take some cooperation, something that seems to be more of the issue.

This same tactic could be carried over to the RSN's. Being that most of them probably only offer a few hours of HD per day it seems ridiculous to devote twenty transponders to a 24x7 HD bandwidth. I would much prefer them to put the HD on separate transponders as needed (kind of like they do for the season ticket packages) and then only one feed when both teams are broadcasting in HD. Once again I know that this would take some planning and cooperation so this option is pretty much out as well.

Maybe VOIP will help the first one become a reality. At some point the networks may decide that they don't NEED the locals and can start their own national broadcasts. This would force the locals to offer some sort of compelling content (HD from my local CBS and FOX would be compelling to me).

 

[RandallA]

Gary,

Take a look at this thread for the MPEG4 encoders. Yes, the enconders can be used with IPTV.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=76587&highlight=Tandberg

More on them:

http://www.iptv-industry.com/ar/7n.htm

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I wish AT&T would use these encoders for their U-VERSE service.

 

[Bear Paws]

There are two reasons I can think of.

1) The encoders are still not up to snuff of 1920 x 1080 yet.

2) The majority of HDTV's out there in the field today can NOT display resolutions about 1440 x 1080

However I feel over time both of these will change, and I am "optimitic" we will see this change for both reasons.

"OPTIMITIC" ? A new Scottism?

I can grudgingly live with 1440 on my 62" Mits 1080p [true 1920] but I long ago disconnected E* from my 120" pull down . I may try it again.

Even though the rates are concidered HD by "some" standards {not mine} The PQ appears to have improived Esp. Food /HG and maybe NG.

If we see more HD lite programming at the sacrifice of less "real" HD I would not be too dispondant. What would make me really happy would be along with more HD programming, is better SD since most of the decent[?] [my op] programming is on SD. THe larger screens are becomeing more common and the pressure to clean up SD has to be mounting.> I think I'll ask the Easter Bunny for this.

I suppose why I have a problem with "lite" is that the expectations of the hype we have been sold by the display manufactures, broadcast and sat companies.
The fact, And I never disagree with Scott , that most or not all displays can display 1920 is a pure BS and a cop out by the broadcast/sat/cable industries to justify their renderings to the "less informed", AKA non-SAT-GUYS members.
Maybe my expections are too high to think that when a ad says "true HD" and the generally accepted format is 1920 for true HD, true by definition , by most, being the "highest and best" [let disregard the even higher ones for dicussion sake} to think thats what I should be getting.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Just getting my local FOX station in HD would be compelling to me...

 

[GaryPen]

Gary,

Take a look at this thread for the MPEG4 encoders. Yes, the enconders can be used with IPTV.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=76587&highlight=Tandberg

More on them:

http://www.iptv-industry.com/ar/7n.htm

I love being right.

I wish AT&T would use these encoders for their U-VERSE service.

It may not be far off. They certainly must realize that FTTN has serious bandwidth limitations compared to FTTP. They are no doubt always searching for ways to either increase actual bandwidth, or decrease needed bandwidth. This technology certainly helps with the latter. (There is very little they can do with the former, other than bond copper or run FTTP.)

 

[Paradox-SJ]

Beep wrong.

They are capable of handling 1080p programming but most still do not actually display the full resolution.

We will just have to agree to disagree....but the sales figure say other wise.

From Sony A2000 to XBR1&2 to Samsung HLS line and many of the LCD panels...They are ALL Full 1080p displays and of the afore mentioned sets only the XBR1 dont take a 1080p input but still display a FULL 1080p picture.

 

[cebbigh]

Just getting my local FOX station in HD would be compelling to me...

That was one of the first thoughts I had yesterday too. :

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

We will just have to agree to disagree....but the sales figure say other wise.

Again a 1080p Compatable set does not mean that it displays the full 1080p resolution. MOST DO NOT.

 

[Hall]

We will just have to agree to disagree....but the sales figure say other wise.

Post a reference to this supposed sales figures.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The sales figures I dont think show 1080p sales, nor do they show if they are 1080p set sold actually DISPLAY the full resolution of 1080p.

 

[goaliebob99]

Again a 1080p Compatable set does not mean that it displays the full 1080p resolution. MOST DO NOT.

Mine does (just kidding around scott) I wish I could be home to see this I do think i see dish testing a few mpg4 1920x1080I channels in the future. What comes of this no one knows yet. I know some of the Crazy stuff im picking up over here in the middle east makes these encoders look crazy! On skyHD They was runnning an hd demo channel in mpg4 at 5mps and it looked fantastic, running in full rez. So I dont think were far off from mpg 4 surpassing mpg 2. I would expect a shift in the next few years to all mpg 4 recivers. The quicker the shift the better for dish.

 

[Kirby Baker]

You would think Dish would want to do some sort of systematic receiver swap out over a period of time to get better utilization of their transponders. Example: they take a DMA and get everyone MPEG-4 / 8PSK compatible receivers, then as soon as they are done with that DMA's swap, convert all locals for that DMA into MPEG-4 and use mixed transponders of HD and SD for best bandwidth utilization.

 

[jahlight]

This technology is great and E* stating they want to stay ahead in the HD game is great BUT what about D* having NFL, MLB, March Madness, and NASCAR packages? Having the best HD is great but you need also to offer the programming people want. I understand not everyone is a sports nut but seriously D* has made a coup with having rights to all of this programming(STD/HD).