[morgt0]

Has anyone compared Cablevision's digital serve for the quality of the local channels compared to DTV heavily distored locals? I am in Northern NJ and considering Digital to complement my DTV service (for better quality locals).

 

[raj2001]

Quote:

Originally posted by morgt0 Has anyone compared Cablevision's digital serve for the quality of the local channels compared to DTV heavily distored locals? I am in Northern NJ and considering Digital to complement my DTV service (for better quality locals).

What are you talking about? NYC locals look great on DirecTV. Which channels are you not getting properly? Or are you looking to get the HD locals?

 

[PeterMR]

I have compared cablevision I/O digital to DirecTV in split screen on my Mits. The picture quality is comparable if cable tuned to a digital channel. In fact, some of the channels on the higher spectrum appear to be slightly better than DirecTV. However, there is no contest with cable analog - it is fuzzy at best. I also noticed when DirecTV had three months free local channels that in the first several weeks the locals were not of the same picture quality as the other DTV channels. That cleared up after a while and quality of picture was uniform over the entire DTV spectrum.

 

[RichYak]

To my knowledge, the locals are still analog--NOT DIGITAL-- in iO. Only the "new" channels are digital. Ones like MTV2 for instance, that were not previously offered by cablevision, are digital whereas MTV is still analog.


Rich

 

[morgt0]

Raj2001: Comparing the NYC locals to other DTV channels (HBO, SHO, CNN, etc..) I think they look terrible-especially on a 65 MIts. On a 20" they look okay-it is hard to make out all of the motion artificats.


HDTV locals would be nice but I know they are not yet avaiable on DTV or Cablevision Digital service.

 

[raj2001]

Quote:

Raj2001: Comparing the NYC locals to other DTV channels (HBO, SHO, CNN, etc..) I think they look terrible-especially on a 65 MIts.

most channels would look worse than HBO and SHO. They deliberately have a higher bitrate and better resolution for the premium channels.

 

[cuervo-tv]

I have a 50" Toshiba hd-ready tv and have Cablevision iO. Until last week the analog channels (most under channel 100 except for HBO and some premiums I believe) were decent but with 2-7 always looking bad.


Then my iO box stopped working and it required a tech to come out. Apparently the box stops functioning when the signal is weak. Because I have Optimum Online which requires that it be split to first (any more splits before the cable modem and the service doesn't work) by the time the signal got to my big screen it was split like 3 times and then I split it so I could hook up my VCR and PIP.


Well, the tech, added a four way splitter at the source to help the signal and ran that first split off to my Toshiba. Well, now the pictures look great. I can still tell that they are not digital, but I am MORE then happy with how they look. (Apparently a booster won't work with the cable box.)


Now the only thing that may cause me to switch to DirecTV is the dual tuner TIVO. Unless, of course, they move to HD quicker then Cablevision...the tech said 2006!!! I hope he was misinterpreting because I believe that is the federal deadline for all channels offering digital service (which we all know will be extended). Then again, I think I could form a cable company today and get HD up and running before Cablevision does!


Good luck!


Joe