[Blumoon]

Ok - strange issue here.


I use XBMC for standard def and light HD. (Just an Xbox modded with a media center)


I also use an A2 on the same TV, running through component cables. (same as XBMC)


The issue I am having is that a DIVX re-encode (720p, 3mbps) of planet earth episodes 7 - 10 look completely stellar on the Xbox at 720p compared to my BR PE disks at 1080p/i.


I dont know how to explain it, but a great deal sharpness and clarity is lost when I do A/B comparisons of the two. DivX should kill the HD look compared to full 15 mbps VC1 encode.


Any ideas? The ps3 does connect to the HDMI. I also did pull up the sony test patterns a while ago, but I didnt know how to use em, and I kind of just improvised on messing with the settings. SO maybe I screwed something up, but wouldnt the XBMC be affected as well? Or maybe settings only effect the specific input?


Im kind of lost. I compared some mpeg 2 caps (high BR, 18 - 22 MBPS) but they can only play off of the PS3 and not the Xbox. The MP2 caps were episodes 1-3, and they looked identical to the BR disks, banding and all. So maybe its a ps3 thing? I dont know. But the XBMC PQ on a divx re-encode of a MP2 cap just kills the HQ MP2 caps and BR disks.


I guess, since I messed with the calibration, could that do it? Other movies such as underworld and all look awsome. So part of me says it isnt the PS3 or tv, but the quality of the BBC VC1 encodes...


Any ideas?

 

[TauRus]

I do not think this is a calibration issue. More than likely the video processing your TV does kills the resolution.

What is your TV? What signal it accepts from PS3? What video signal your PS3 is set to output via HDMI?

 

[Blumoon]

The ps3 outputs 1080i to a sony 46" tv. Its an LCD rear projection, ummm, the TV says sony 3lcd Grand Wega. I tried comparing it on a 32" Sharp 1080p, but its so much smaller its sharp wether its 1080p or 720p.


I did not think about the 1080i processing on the 46". Can it degrade PQ that much? Thats a pisser.

 

[TauRus]

Interesting. I do not believe that 1080i => 1080p should degrade the signal to that extent. What is the actual native resolution of your display? Is it 1080 or 720?

 

[Blumoon]

 http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/2%20...tion_42to51TVs


Thats the TV mainly used for movies at night, for the wife and I. While I admit, Im not an educated videophile, I bought a samsung DLP first. But I returned it for this because of the rainbow effect ruining movies for me.


Maybe this is a budget tv with a crappy pic? I dunno. The quality is simply stunning on the Divx PE episodes @ 720p. Just not so with MPEG 1080i caps or BR playback. It just seems like a slightly unsharp pic, thats why maybe I was thinking it may be the ps3? I dont know. Maybe the calibration thing? But I find it hard to believe a 2.2g Divx HD encode @ 720p should be sharper and crisper than an MP2 8 gig cap or a VC1 BBC release.


Im no videophile, but I can see divx even at high bit rates just doesnt compare to AVC or VC1. So that led me thinking it was def the ps3 playback, but I really just dont know. If I could play the divx file through the XMB on the PS3 to compare I would, but I cant.

 

[Blumoon]

Bare in mind, it was the fungi scenes on the Xbox media center @ 720p that made me seek out hidef. Before coming here, I was a typical J6P. HTIB, 32 flat screen SDTV, etc. But after seeing the jungles episode, I went out after the PS3 for blu ray, and bought an a2 on ebay refurbed.


Since then, I bought the set of PE disks. And I simply have failed to be wowed. Not like I was on the XBMC showing of it in Divx, on the same TV. Even watching them now, they are just simply stunning on the xbox at 720p. I didnt bother renting the HD DVD version to try on the a2 at 720p, cuz I heard 720p playback on it was borked.


edit - Maybe I should try that now, and give that a shot. Then I might know better. Ill hit up netflix. More and more its looking like 1080i on that tv isnt so hot.


Edit2 - Just fired up troy @ 720p... Either I ****ed the settings or 1080i on this tv if fubarred.

 

[cawgijoe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Blumoon /forum/post/0


The ps3 outputs 1080i to a sony 46" tv. Its an LCD rear projection, ummm, the TV says sony 3lcd Grand Wega. I tried comparing it on a 32" Sharp 1080p, but its so much smaller its sharp wether its 1080p or 720p.


I did not think about the 1080i processing on the 46". Can it degrade PQ that much? Thats a pisser.

I believe the set you are referring to is native 720p. A friend of mine has the 42" version of this set and it's 720p.

 

[TauRus]

If cawgijoe is correct and the native resolution of yout TV is actually 720 lines, then the most likely culprit is the video scaler you have in your TV - it degrades the signal when scaling is from 1080i to 720p.

 

[cawgijoe]

Provide a model number for your TV. That will help in resolving this.

 

[Blumoon]

KDF-46E2000 - thats def 720p native. I was under the impression 1080i was the same thing cept interlaced... I had no idea it actually scaled the video down, I thought it was just 1/2 frame at a time.

 

[cawgijoe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Blumoon /forum/post/0


KDF-46E2000 - thats def 720p native. I was under the impression 1080i was the same thing cept interlaced... I had no idea it actually scaled the video down, I thought it was just 1/2 frame at a time.

Can you set the output to match 720p?

 

[eddy_winds]

Good Luck

 

[TauRus]

Time to upgrade your TV, my friend