MPEG4 LOCAL HD horrible

[fmarullo]

I Have both a DST 3000 HD reciever and a new HR20 (and an HD Samsung and a hughes and a Tivo and a...). The local HDs from ABC and CBS suffer from the interlace frame coding issues. Cant comment on NBC as D* does not offer it yet. THe HD OTA is pefect there ;) Fox, which broadcasts 720p, looks just as good as the OTA / National HD broadcasts. If this is the future, I dont want it! The same HD locals over OTA look perect:D , but the MPEG4 version stinks. Earl - this is my first post - thanks for all your hard work - I manage a SW dev team - I can understand and appreciate what D* is doing, but right now system is too flakey to rely on.

Now back to my post ----
Please tell me they will fix the local HDs in native interlaced format so they dont look like internet broadcasts!:mad: This is a major step backwars in qualtiy and technolgy. I can only pray that once OTA is enabled I can recieve those indefinatley - AND - that the national HD cahnnels remian in their current format. I cant watch the local HDs are they are, I get a head ache.

[KungFool]

I think it all depends on the local markets...

I am in STL, and the MPEG 4 broadcasts look just as good as the OTA broadcasts (with the exception of NBC SOMETIMES).

[Earl Bonovich]

There have been other's reporting specifically about Austin (and compared to Chicago)... There is something "different" about the Austion locals.

My guess is they haven't been updated yet to the latest software/hardware on the encoding side.

[WANDERER]

I Have both a DST 3000 HD reciever and a new HR20 (and an HD Samsung and a hughes and a Tivo and a...). The local HDs from ABC and CBS suffer from the interlace frame coding issues. Cant comment on NBC as D* does not offer it yet. THe HD OTA is pefect there ;) Fox, which broadcasts 720p, looks just as good as the OTA / National HD broadcasts. If this is the future, I dont want it! The same HD locals over OTA look perect:D , but the MPEG4 version stinks. Earl - this is my first post - thanks for all your hard work - I manage a SW dev team - I can understand and appreciate what D* is doing, but right now system is too flakey to rely on.

Now back to my post ----
Please tell me they will fix the local HDs in native interlaced format so they dont look like internet broadcasts!:mad: This is a major step backwars in qualtiy and technolgy. I can only pray that once OTA is enabled I can recieve those indefinatley - AND - that the national HD cahnnels remian in their current format. I cant watch the local HDs are they are, I get a head ache.


I've had them for over a year now - they are getting better!

[pattcap]

There have been other's reporting specifically about Austin (and compared to Chicago)... There is something "different" about the Austion locals.

My guess is they haven't been updated yet to the latest software/hardware on the encoding side.

Hate to ask a complicated question, but.....

D* collects the local programing signals from all over the country,
They "encode them" and then "send-em up" to the birds in the sky, which then send them right back down to us.

Where would the "issue" be?

Is it possible it is a low quality signal that D* starts with?
All encoding is not created equal?
Sometimes the locals simulcast, resulting in a lower quality feed from the start?
1080i doesn't look good when my HR20/TV display them in the TV's native 720p resolution?
All of the above?

Thanks

[Earl Bonovich]

Where would the "issue" be?

Is it possible it is a low quality signal that D* starts with? Partially, as they receive the signal via different methods
All encoding is not created equal? Primary reason
Sometimes the locals simulcast, resulting in a lower quality feed from the start? Partially, tied directly to how they receive the signal
1080i doesn't look good when my HR20/TV display them in the TV's native 720p resolution? That is probably more to do with your TV scallers, and downrezing the 1080i... try the HR20 in 720p
All of the above?

Thanks

Inline answers

[CorkyMuldoon]

Boston MPEG4 locals broadcast in 1080i (CBS, NBC and NESN) are of poor quality (IMHO) and is readily apparently when broadcasting live (e.g. sporting events).

I'm thankful that I can grab these OTA - with the obvious exception of NESN.

[RAD]

There have been other's reporting specifically about Austin (and compared to Chicago)... There is something "different" about the Austion locals.

My guess is they haven't been updated yet to the latest software/hardware on the encoding side.

See the thread at http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=67622 and add your city to the list. As you can see it's happening in a number of different cities.

Earl, have you heard anything from your contacts on when this problem will b corrected? The last word that D* told me was that their broadcast center said the problem in Austin specifically had been corrected, which it hasn't. It would be nice if D* was more upfront about issue like this vs. just telling their customers that there is no problem.

[soccercoach61]

Hate to ask a complicated question, but.....
Is it possible it is a low quality signal that D* starts with?


In Memphis, there are three ways the MPEG-4 1080i station signal can be received: OTA, Time Warner, and D*. The TW and OTA signals are comparable and look fairly good; the D* PQ is crap; jerky movements, film-like quality, some lip synch issues. For us, it looks like an encoding problem at the source station.

-Chuck

[shendley]

Just to chime in from Birmingham, Alabama, our mpeg4 hd locals all look good with the glaring exception of CBS which looks like . . . it's hard to describe. It's like there's a thin granular film over the image. The OTA broadcast doesn't suffer from this problem.

[jayvista]

San Diego, CA - locals are TERRIBLE! The quality is bad, usaully out of sync, and the FF and REW are completly useless. I am thinking that these issues may never be fixed.

BTW - other DirecTV HD channels actually look pretty good (and FF and REW work OK although slow).

[Jeremy W]

Here in Detroit, the only problem we have with the locals is audio stuttering.