DirecTV HDTV - Page 464

So ... it looks like we're back to the old "crank up the compression" method? Cook them froggies ...

They say that it's new tech that is allowing one more channel per transponder and not additional compression.

Rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiihhhhhhttttt.

Have you noticed a reduction in quality in the last month or so? The channels have likely been on the birds at least that long for testing, so any reduction in quality should have been visible by now.

I know I haven't noticed any differences.

Frogs ... pots ...

Then again, my local ABC station is down to ~6.5Mbps on their primary OTA HD sub-channel, so it could be that I no longer have any valid, so-called "HD" references.

You have two choices, make the "pipe" bigger or reduce the "flow" rate. I don't see how they can make the pipe any bigger unless they're "stealing" it from the FEC.

PS: I threw in the towel on "broadcast/satellite HDTV" 1.5 years ago and downsized to a 42" display. Thus, it's unlikely that I would notice any day-to-day changes ... on purpose.

Well, that's not D*'s fault since the best they can do is send on what they get. Even if they didn't transcode the signal to MPEG4, it still would look like crap.
There are other choices, one being dynamic bandwidth allocation. In other words, channels that need more, get more. Channels that don't, get less.

There's also equipment upgrades that than can be made to replace outdated encoders that aren't as efficient. It means the old one and the new one are doing the same thing, except the new one does it better.

They can also move channels to different slots to allow a better mix of low bit rate, high bit rate and part time channels.
Then I would say that pretty much negates whatever assessment you have of things.

Horrible stuttering on WCBS.

Didn't say it was D* fault. I was just pointing out the sorry state to which so-called "HDTV" has devolved as of 2012.

So ... in other words ... more compression.

Keep hearing about these mythic beasts ... haven't seen any evidence of them in the wild.

It's merely recognition of my first point above and my unwillingness to continue to drop ridiculous amounts of $$$ on a lost cause. We've seen all of this before ...

PS: For the record, I don't have an assessment either way ... perhaps because I no longer really care or expect better from broadcast a/o satellite a/o cable. The horses are long gone.

One more reason I am just "this" close to canceling DirecTV after 18 years and going OTA!

I am real tired of having to pay for expensive sports channels that I do not watch and local channels that I already receive for free! Did I mention that Los Angeles has NO professional football team to be carried OTA on CBS or FOX or NBC?

The alternatives are almost 100% there for my programming needs:

OTA

Internet; including a subscription to Netflix streaming;

Pay-per-View streaming/dowloading; primarily from iTunes and Amazon;

and I enjoy the "retro-style" digital channel offerings here in Los Angeles; such as Antenna TV, This TV, MeTV, Bounce TV and now the new Cozi TV; plus all the digital subchannel offerings from three local PBS channels (yes, I am lucky enough to receive San Bernadino's PBS OTA offerings from 65 miles away!)

Once Aereo expands into the other major TV markets (beyond New York City) later this year, I expect to see those households without OTA capability to start "cutting the wire" as well!
Edited by MichaelLAX - 1/13/13 at 4:55am

Didn't notice any change yesterday and we know for sure that they're running the tests now.

In 2008 there was zero macroblocking, even on fast sport scenes.

Now only a few channels are macroblocking free.

About a year and a half ago...the PQ dropped slightly on select channels.

Still great overall...just not what it used to be.

DBA and compression are two vastly different things, so no.

To free up channel space I am all for them cramming the HD feed down peoples throats now and cutting off the SD feeds instead of waiting years and years from now to do it.

Yes and No, they are both MPEG clamping and this what Direct uses, I used the same units prior with TWC but now that I am FTTH I am not compressing or rate shifting a thing...

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/video/ps9159/ps9195/ps9230/7004373.pdf

Anyone in Atlanta (or anywhere else) notice that for a little less than a week that recorded ABC programs have not been "timed" correctly? What I mean is that we've recorded numerous shows that have started before the recording and end before its designated time. I know this can happen if there's a game that runs over or something but it's been happening for a few days. Come to think of it, it happened during Animation Domination (Simpsons, etc on Fox) last Sunday. Anyone else experience this?
Edited by ambesolman - 1/13/13 at 2:15pm

We would all like to see that but it would mean replacing millions of SD receivers and DVRs with HD units at the company's expense and the cost is prohibitive. It will happen naturally over time as more and more people switch to HD until at some point it will become feasible to trade out the remaining boxes.

Awesome news, particularly for TV Land HD!

Until a few years ago, some here may have wondered why a channel that broadcasts only old TV shows filmed in 4:3 SD anyway needs to be upgraded to HD, but two things in recent years have changed that:

1) Shows from the first generation of HD shows in the mid-late 1990's such as Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens are now part of the TV Land classic lineup.

2) All of the recent original programming airing on TV Land is in HD.


Not to mention that even the older SD shows will look somewhat crisper on TV Land HD.

All in all, very exciting news.

Does TV Land HD keep 4:3 programming pillarboxed or do they dreadfully stretch mode it?

The one hang up for me to move to DirecTV is the state I live in is notorious for bad weather; wind, rain, clouds, and TORNADOS. I hear from lots of users they love DirecTV but it does go out with these elements of nature. So one question I have is how does OAT antennas do with weather? I have a $50 amplified antennas, wondering how it would be as a back up if the weather got bad and DirecTV went out as expected and this was for back up? Of course unless power went out, I'm talking just storm back up?

I have this one:

A couple of years back DirecTV could go out for 30 minutes to hours.

Now-a-days 5 minutes tops in severe weather, and I live in Hurricane central South Florida.

The key is a good install and there is a protection service fee, if you believe Dish re-alignment will be needed.

I don't think you will need the antenna.

Hummm, because I posted on my FB a question to all my friends who have DTV and what they think of it and most loved it EXCEPT when it went out in the weather...but maybe they have older installs or don't have the "dish re-alignment", whatever that is? Is that on the fly during a storm?

The protection service is a yearly fee for unlimited service, like multiple re-alignments if necessary.

Its not during a storm, only after.

A DirecTV technician comes out and make sure you are getting the strongest possible signal.

Ahh ok, definitely worth the fees? I'd think so. What is that fee?

It varies.. the lowest is currently an extra $6 a month.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/support/protection_plan

lol, it varies $6 or $20...hummm...I see. Ok, well thats good info to have.

Is there a trail basis, like if I don't like the service in a certain amount of days, get it removed and refunded etc...?
I need to see if there is a local showroom with this setup on a LED TV to see if it meets my expectations.

Honestly, I don't think so.

Each service call could cost around $80 without the plan.

DirecTV usually has represenatives at local Best Buys.

Once again the key is a good install, PQ on channels like CNN and HBO should rival (some) blu-rays.

Some AT&T stores have DirecTV set up for comparison with Uverse. You can put the DVR through it's paces and judge PQ at least, even during a thunderstorm if you like.

SD receivers should have been stopped being installed, and slowly swapped out, after the first HD satellite was launched in 2007. They could have been all MPEG4 by now.

Many of them probably are in markets with the wave of locals that were added in the last several years.

Unless I'm mistaken, those markets receive downconversions of the MPEG4 HD local channels. Anyone in those markets that wanted those channels added, would need a new box.

It's only those SD customers in the markets that existed in the MPEG2 days that would need swapping out - a population that likely has been reduced by attrition over the years as boxes failed or people upgraded to HD after getting new TVs.

At this point, it probably wouldn't be much more than what needed to be swapped in the HD conversion from MPEG2 to MPEG4.