I've noticed that all of the video-based content I've seen on download services is deinterlaced to 30p rather than 60p, so it all looks stuttery compared to the broadcast version. Just wondering if anyone knows why this is and if this is something that will change in the short term, or if it only bothers me :).

ATSC broadcast at 1280x720p (Fox & ABC) is at 60 fps, but ATSC broadcast at 1920x1080i (CBS, NBC, PBS) is at 30 fps (two 60 Hz fields interlaced). That is IIRC.

I've noticed that all of the video-based content I've seen on download services is deinterlaced to 30p rather than 60p, so it all looks stuttery compared to the broadcast version. Just wondering if anyone knows why this is and if this is something that will change in the short term, or if it only bothers me :).
Probably because there isn't much downloadable sports stuff so far. That really needs to have 60 Hz sampling in my sampling, be it via 1080i30 or 720p60.

I've noticed that all of the video-based content I've seen on download services is deinterlaced to 30p rather than 60p, so it all looks stuttery compared to the broadcast version. Just wondering if anyone knows why this is and if this is something that will change in the short term, or if it only bothers me :).

60p material not only takes more bit rate (but not twice as much) but at HD resolutions is still hard to play smoothly on many machines when using anything but MPEG-2.

So I'd guess that would change as more bandwidth and processing power become cheaply available.

- Tom

60p material not only takes more bit rate (but not twice as much) but at HD resolutions is still hard to play smoothly on many machines when using anything but MPEG-2.

So I'd guess that would change as more bandwidth and processing power become cheaply available.

Oh, I think 720p60 isn't that bad with VC-1, particularly if DXVA is capable. I was doing it ~4 years or so ago.

For downloading or streaming movies, wouldn't it make sense to use 24fps? Couldn't that help reduce the necessary bandwidth? Don't 30 and 60fps just include redundant information?

Scott

For downloading or streaming movies, wouldn't it make sense to use 24fps? Couldn't that help reduce the necessary bandwidth? Don't 30 and 60fps just include redundant information?

You want to encode at the same frame rate as the source. Rate conversion is painful to do even with mediocrity; doing it well is often impossible.

Oh, I think 720p60 isn't that bad with VC-1, particularly if DXVA is capable. I was doing it ~4 years or so ago.

Ben -

I obviously need a new computer. :(

Given DXVA, what do you personally think is the minimum computer to play high quality VC-1 720p60 these days? Or even 1080p60?

- Tom

I obviously need a new computer. :(

Given DXVA, what do you personally think is the minimum computer to play high quality VC-1 720p60 these days? Or even 1080p60?

I'd think any Core 2 Duo with a PureVideo capable GPU should be fine. All my current machines can do this, so I can't say what the min bar is. Vista might have better perf than XP in this regard.

I'd think any Core 2 Duo with a PureVideo capable GPU should be fine. All my current machines can do this, so I can't say what the min bar is. Vista might have better perf than XP in this regard.

All your machines like this can smoothly play high bit rate 1080p/60 VC1? Or just 720p/60?

- Tom

All your machines like this can smoothly play high bit rate 1080p/60 VC1? Or just 720p/60?

I honestly haven't tried 1080p60. Sounds like a good topic for an experiment :).