Question from a potential D* customer

[Jschmuck2]

Hi there,

Long time lurker, first (or second) time poster :) You have great forums here and I'll bet you can answer this question in a heartbeat.

I have Charter Cable right now in the LA area (Glendale, to be exact) and the HD channel selection is pretty sad. I think something like 11 or 12 channels, not counting locals. However, I do watch a lot of baseball on ESPN and ESPN2 and I've read that those two channels (for some reason) are still broadcast over D* in MPEG2.

Is the quality difference between what I have from cable right now and watching the game in MPEG2 going to be extremely noticeable?

[Michael D'Angelo]

:welcome_s to DBSTalk, Jschmuck2!

I can't answer the question about the difference in PQ since I have never seen the PQ of your cable but I can say that the MPEG2 HD channels will be moved over to MPEG4 soon.

[dmurphy]

Hi there,

Long time lurker, first (or second) time poster :) You have great forums here and I'll bet you can answer this question in a heartbeat.

I have Charter Cable right now in the LA area (Glendale, to be exact) and the HD channel selection is pretty sad. I think something like 11 or 12 channels, not counting locals. However, I do watch a lot of baseball on ESPN and ESPN2 and I've read that those two channels (for some reason) are still broadcast over D* in MPEG2.

Is the quality difference between what I have from cable right now and watching the game in MPEG2 going to be extremely noticeable?

While picture quality is somewhat subjective, I believe the answer will be "no".

It's really of no consequence; the HD MPEG2 channels will be shut down in a few months and it'll be a moot point at that time.

I'd say - convert away! You'll LOVE the HD choices here ...

[tcusta00]

Hi there,

Long time lurker, first (or second) time poster :) You have great forums here and I'll bet you can answer this question in a heartbeat.

I have Charter Cable right now in the LA area (Glendale, to be exact) and the HD channel selection is pretty sad. I think something like 11 or 12 channels, not counting locals. However, I do watch a lot of baseball on ESPN and ESPN2 and I've read that those two channels (for some reason) are still broadcast over D* in MPEG2.

Is the quality difference between what I have from cable right now and watching the game in MPEG2 going to be extremely noticeable?

Yeah, IMHO, there's a pretty noticeable difference between MPEG2 and 4 so if you're really that picky about it and want your baseball in the best HD you may want to wait until after baseball season or until the new satellite lights up, which is likely when the MPEG2s will convert over.

I don't know, maybe what you currently have is just as good (or bad) as MPEG2 so you may not notice a thing.

[Jschmuck2]

Yeah, IMHO, there's a pretty noticeable difference between MPEG2 and 4 so if you're really that picky about it and want your baseball in the best HD you may want to wait until after baseball season or until the new satellite lights up, which is likely when the MPEG2s will convert over.

I don't know, maybe what you currently have is just as good (or bad) as MPEG2 so you may not notice a thing.

Exactly - therein lies the problem. Maybe someone will chime in from my area who had charter and can comment.

[harsh]

Keeping in mind that the baseball season will be substantially over before the move to MPEG4 takes place.

It really isn't that bad to begin with. The only real way to find out is to visit a residence where they have DIRECTV with HD. The big box stores have their own loops that don't reflect the actual level of PQ.

[tcusta00]

Exactly - therein lies the problem. Maybe someone will chime in from my area who had charter and can comment.

Also, if you know anyone with DirecTV HD you can pop over to their house and check it out for yourself. Or a local DirecTV retailer.

[FHSPSU67]

And you can pick up a $50 referral fee for your friend and yourself:)
I'm pretty sure that option's still in play.

[spartanstew]

Also, if you know anyone with DirecTV HD you can pop over to their house and check it out for yourself. Or a local DirecTV retailer.

Just drive around the neighborhood looking for dishes and knocking on doors.

[BruceS]

I am not familiar with Charter Cable, but the MPEG2 signal for both ESPN and ESPN2 is better on my DirecTV HR20-700 and HR10-250 receivers, than over Time Warner Cable using either TW's SA8300HD receiver or my Tivo S3.

It all depends on how much your cable company compresses the signal from ESPN before sending it out over their cable.

Even though I mention the HR10-250, don't try to get one. It is only capable of receiving MPEG2, so you could only use it to receive SD after DirecTV switches all HD channels to MPEG4.

[carl6]

...ESPN and ESPN2 and I've read that those two channels (for some reason) are still broadcast over D* in MPEG2.

Is the quality difference between what I have from cable right now and watching the game in MPEG2 going to be extremely noticeable?

While they are broadcast in mpeg2, they are HD, not SD.

My guess is that they will look at least as good, if not better, than what you currently have on your cable service, and as the others have noted, they will all be mpeg4 by years end.

Carl

[Jschmuck2]

I am not familiar with Charter Cable, but the MPEG2 signal for both ESPN and ESPN2 is better on my DirecTV HR20-700 and HR10-250 receivers, than over Time Warner Cable using either TW's SA8300HD receiver or my Tivo S3.

It all depends on how much your cable company compresses the signal from ESPN before sending it out over their cable.

Even though I mention the HR10-250, don't try to get one. It is only capable of receiving MPEG2, so you could only use it to receive SD after DirecTV switches all HD channels to MPEG4.

Is there a way to see what type of signal I'm getting from my cable company?

[Jschmuck2]

Maybe?

[QuickDrop]

Is there a way to see what type of signal I'm getting from my cable company?

Not the best answer, but I'm almost certain that almost all cable companies (if not all) use MPEG-2, though in reality, that probably won't tell you how they compare to DirecTV. It depends on how much compression is used on those channels. Before switching to DirecTV last year, I too was concerned about picture quality. From my experience, I think the MPEG-2 channels on DirecTV were the same as cable and from what I hear compression on cable has gotten worse over the past year.

[ronrico51]

My dad has Charter Cable here in Upper Michigan, and I have D*. I can't say how Charter there compares, but here, D* just annihilates Charter for HD quality, even on ESPN. When you add in the vastly more HD choices on D*, it is really no contest, IMHO. D* wins hands down.

[MartyS]

I was in Chicago watching a compressed mpeg2 broadcast of the cubs game from Comcast cable at my brother in laws house. The picture quality on his cable signal was significantly worse than the mpeg4 ESPN and ESPN2 broadcasts that I get from DirecTV.

The cable cos are spending so much time compressing their signals to provide large numbers of HD channels, in my opinion, that they are really affecting the picture quality of their HD offerings.

[Michael D'Angelo]

I was in Chicago watching a compressed mpeg2 broadcast of the cubs game from Comcast cable at my brother in laws house. The picture quality on his cable signal was significantly worse than the mpeg4 ESPN and ESPN2 broadcasts that I get from DirecTV.

The cable cos are spending so much time compressing their signals to provide large numbers of HD channels, in my opinion, that they are really affecting the picture quality of their HD offerings.

I believe you mean MPEG2 ESPN HD and EPSN2 HD from DIRECTV. They have not been moved over to MPEG4 yet.

[MartyS]

I believe you mean MPEG2 ESPN HD and EPSN2 HD from DIRECTV. They have not been moved over to MPEG4 yet.

Hmmm... I thought that channels 72/73 were mpeg 2 and 206/207 were mpeg 4. I guess I was wrong in that thinking.

[Michael D'Angelo]

Hmmm... I thought that channels 72/73 were mpeg 2 and 206/207 were mpeg 4. I guess I was wrong in that thinking.

207 is MPEG4 but that is ESPNEWS.

206 and 209 is just mirrors of 72 and 73 right now.

But they will be MPEG4 soon (some time after D11 is turned on) and I believe the channels in the 70's will be removed from the guide.

I can't wait to see the difference in PQ.

[MartyS]

207 is MPEG4 but that is ESPNEWS.

206 and 209 is just mirrors of 72 and 73 right now.

But they will be MPEG4 soon (some time after D11 is turned on) and I believe the channels in the 70's will be removed from the guide.

I can't wait to see the difference in PQ.

THanks Michael... didn't remember all the exact channel numbers, but I had thought that when D10 went live, those were mpeg 4. I stand corrected. Thanks for the update!