[Mudfrog]

Hello, I tried searching but couldn't find anything that pertained to my questions.

I was a C band subscriber for several years and really enjoyed the picture quality that i received. Channels started disappearing so we switched over to cable and it didn't take long to see that the picture quality was lacking on some of the channels. Anyways, cost was up on the cable so i recently decided to go with the Dish Network service.

I'm using the 322 receiver with the dbs twin lnbf. Have a clear line of sight with a great signal on both satellites, no sparklies or picture loss. But that pixelation in the action sequences is something that i don't think i can deal with. I've noticed that just about any movement, panning, etc,,, on the screen is not as clear until the movement stops.

Questions:
I know the signal is compressed so i expected to see some of this but how much of this is this normal? Is there a way to get rid of it? If not, what steps are there to help alleviate the pixelation? Any suggestions or advice would be helpful.

By the way, the tv is a Toshiba 35" crt type that is about 12 years old. I'm using the Svideo connection. Thanks in advance!

 

[Jack White]

You should seach google groups and especially alt.dbs.echostar as there are hundreds of Dish picture quality posts on there.

The picture quality on Dish used to be reasonable before they started adding tons of local channels and they also had the must carry laws where they had to carry all locals from a market if they carried 1 local from that market.
Dish basically chose to OVERcompress the hell out of all the channels to make room for the thousands upon thousands of locals and even with newer spotbeam satellites there simply is not enough room for good picture quality.
I predict the exact same thing will happen to all HD channels on Dish in the future.
In my opinion, Dish will OVERcompress the hell out of all HD channels to make room for THOUSANDS UPON THOUSAND of OVERCOMPRESSED HD Locals.
I plan to get 4DTV when I graduate in 2009 GODwilling.
The unfortunate answer is that Dish hasn't cared about picture quality in more than half a decade in my opinion.
The channels simply don't have enough bandwidth to look even acceptable on a moderately sized screen. A good clean signal from OTA will knock the socks off the best picture quality on any standard definition channel on Dish.
My family has analog cable as well as Dish an it's been all of our experience that analog cable has far better picture quality especially on sports compared to Dish.
Digital cable is worse than analog cable but still better than Dish in our side by side comparisons. Unfortunately 4DTV C-Band, DVD, and OTA ae the only sources of good NTSC programming.

Hello, I tried searching but couldn't find anything that pertained to my questions.

I was a C band subscriber for several years and really enjoyed the picture quality that i received. Channels started disappearing so we switched over to cable and it didn't take long to see that the picture quality was lacking on some of the channels. Anyways, cost was up on the cable so i recently decided to go with the Dish Network service.

I'm using the 322 receiver with the dbs twin lnbf. Have a clear line of sight with a great signal on both satellites, no sparklies or picture loss. But that pixelation in the action sequences is something that i don't think i can deal with. I've noticed that just about any movement, panning, etc,,, on the screen is not as clear until the movement stops.

Questions:
I know the signal is compressed so i expected to see some of this but how much of this is this normal? Is there a way to get rid of it? If not, what steps are there to help alleviate the pixelation? Any suggestions or advice would be helpful.

By the way, the tv is a Toshiba 35" crt type that is about 12 years old. I'm using the Svideo connection. Thanks in advance!

 

[bderouen]

Hello, I tried searching but couldn't find anything that pertained to my questions.

I was a C band subscriber for several years and really enjoyed the picture quality that i received. Channels started disappearing so we switched over to cable and it didn't take long to see that the picture quality was lacking on some of the channels. Anyways, cost was up on the cable so i recently decided to go with the Dish Network service.

I'm using the 322 receiver with the dbs twin lnbf. Have a clear line of sight with a great signal on both satellites, no sparklies or picture loss. But that pixelation in the action sequences is something that i don't think i can deal with. I've noticed that just about any movement, panning, etc,,, on the screen is not as clear until the movement stops.

Questions:
I know the signal is compressed so i expected to see some of this but how much of this is this normal? Is there a way to get rid of it? If not, what steps are there to help alleviate the pixelation? Any suggestions or advice would be helpful.

By the way, the tv is a Toshiba 35" crt type that is about 12 years old. I'm using the Svideo connection. Thanks in advance!

Hi!
First, let me say hello to a near neighbor and used to be neighbor! I live in Baton Rouge, but a few years ago, lived in Beaumont, but went to church in Lumberton! That caught my eye on your post!!

If you're having a lot of pixelation, you may want to speak to either Dish themselves or maybe a local retailer and get someone to check your dish or the aim of your dish. I have a wonderful picture qualty and I have trees around, so I don't necessarily have the BEST signal strength. I used to be on digital cable in my area...HD cable in fact, but when I saw what satellite brings, I'll never go back, that's for sure! I'd suggest you read others opinions on that here too.

Maybe some of the other members can give you some suggestion on some specific technical things to look for to maybe help clean up the signal yourself somewhat. I'd be tempted to say it may be the older set, but I have a Zenith CRT SD set in my bedroom that I'm watching with just a coax connection (when I'm not watching my HD set downstairs) and I have nothing of what you're seeing.

Sorry I can't be of more specific help, but it does sound to me like you may have some kind of problem there, as what you're describing is not normal, IMO.

Bruce

 

[Mudfrog]

Unfortunately 4DTV C-Band, DVD, and OTA ae the only sources of good NTSC programming.

I actually still have my 4dtv receiver sitting here still hooked up. It did provide better picture quality than what i have now but i still noticed the pixelation at times.

It's funny to me how everyone raves about digital being the way to go. I can see it being that way for broadcasters who need to cram channels on satellite transponders but as far as video quality goes, i've never seen digital come close to that of an analog signal.

 

[Mudfrog]

I have been seeing a variance in picture quality. Weather certainly seems to have an affect. Even being cloudy outside tends to make the pixelation, motion bluriness worse.

But i'm also noticing that some channels just look better than others. For instance, the Starz movie channels seem to do better than TVland and the Gameshow network. Would this be due to the more popular channels being less compressed? Maybe on less crowded transponders? Or maybe one satellite works better than the other? I'm guessing of course as i certainly don't have an idea of how this all works.

 

[Mike D-CO5]

Heres how Dish gives more bandwith or better picture quality to the channels:

1. Hd channels - the best pq you can get with Dish.
2. Pay per view- very good.
3. Premium movie channels- good
4. National channels - fair to good, depending on what you are watching.
5. Local channels in sd- the worst.

They also grab bandwith from other channels when they have a show on that needs more bandwith. THey do this on the fly and so as a result the pq will vary on all the above I mentioned as it is done.

 

[Jack White]

I do agree that analog usually has much better picture quality, as analog C-band has the best picture quality ever for standard def programming.
I think digital is not inherently inferior, it's just that Digital can be used for GOOD(lossless transmission) or Evil (adding tons more channels).
I think that with digital the craving for OVERCOMPRESSION is just too great and the greed of the content providers inevitably leads to HORRIBLE picture quality.
Digital can be done right though, for instance, look at Blue Ray, there's digital done right. I prefer analog because it makes Overcompression much tougher if not impossible to do.

I actually still have my 4dtv receiver sitting here still hooked up. It did provide better picture quality than what i have now but i still noticed the pixelation at times.

It's funny to me how everyone raves about digital being the way to go. I can see it being that way for broadcasters who need to cram channels on satellite transponders but as far as video quality goes, i've never seen digital come close to that of an analog signal.

 

[Mudfrog]

Heres how Dish gives more bandwith or better picture quality to the channels:

1. Hd channels - the best pq you can get with Dish.
2. Pay per view- very good.
3. Premium movie channels- good
4. National channels - fair to good, depending on what you are watching.
5. Local channels in sd- the worst.

They also grab bandwith from other channels when they have a show on that needs more bandwith. THey do this on the fly and so as a result the pq will vary on all the above I mentioned as it is done.

Thanks for the information. I had a feeling that this might be what was happening.

Btw, we just had our first signal outage because of rain and it was very frustrating to say the least. I guess i am naive but i really thought that some of these issues would have been addressed by now. What's bad is that there doesn't seem to be a system (cable, satellite, ota) that provides the quality and/or programming that some of us desire!

 

[richbogrow]

Heres how Dish gives more bandwith or better picture quality to the channels:

1. Hd channels - the best pq you can get with Dish.
2. Pay per view- very good.
3. Premium movie channels- good
4. National channels - fair to good, depending on what you are watching.
5. Local channels in sd- the worst.

They also grab bandwith from other channels when they have a show on that needs more bandwith. THey do this on the fly and so as a result the pq will vary on all the above I mentioned as it is done.

I find this to be true. Local channels suck and HBO is good.

 

[audrab]

I just wanted to weigh in here that we have never had anything but superior pics on all channels except for the locals sometimes(except for today-see previous thread). Seems like unless it is snowing or raining to the point of not being able to see your hand in front of your face, we have excellent quality on ALL channels usually. You might have some issue with your LNB or some type of obstruction(tree limb?) that you may not be aware of. We've had nothing but success with our 510 receiver and Superdish since Feb '05.

 

[richiephx]

I just wanted to weigh in here that we have never had anything but superior pics on all channels except for the locals sometimes(except for today-see previous thread). Seems like unless it is snowing or raining to the point of not being able to see your hand in front of your face, we have excellent quality on ALL channels usually. You might have some issue with your LNB or some type of obstruction(tree limb?) that you may not be aware of. We've had nothing but success with our 510 receiver and Superdish since Feb '05.

What size tv(s) are you viewing your standard definition programming on?

 

[audrab]

What size tv(s) are you viewing your standard definition programming on?

36" Philips TV, 510 receiver, Superdish

 

[richiephx]

Your tv is probably an analog tv. You won't see the overcompression and artifacting issues on your tv that you would see on a much larger screen HD digital tv.

 

[bderouen]

I know mine is a digital set and I don't see any problems at all with my picture! It's a 34" Sony HD set with a 622 receiver.

 

[HuggieBear]

I have nothing but great picture quality since I have had dish. The picture is even better since I got HD in Aug. Sure there is the rain fade but that does not last but a minute or two. When we had cable the picture was crap and some time it would be out for days after a major rain storm

 

[Mudfrog]

I have nothing but great picture quality since I have had dish. The picture is even better since I got HD in Aug. Sure there is the rain fade but that does not last but a minute or two. When we had cable the picture was crap and some time it would be out for days after a major rain storm

The "rain fade" that i had the other night was off and on for a few hours. Picture didn't get any worse, it was either on or out completely. I have a clear line of sight with no obstructions whatsoever and a signal strength indication of around 100 on both satellites when it's not raining. I'm really seeing a variation of picture quality from channel to channel. Starz and a couple of other channels look better than the others. Was watching the CMT channel tonight and it was horrible, pixelation and just downright blurry.

On equipment,,, Receiver is a 322 and it was new out of the box, LNB is DPP Twin, and the dish is the 500. RG6 was installed as well. Anything bad to report on any of these and if so, what would be a recommended upgrade?

I see most who have posted are in agreement that their picture quality is good so i'm beginning to think that something isn't right with my setup. Guess i just need to call for service.

Thanks!

 

[P Smith]

Call Dish Quality Signal Dept. Your setup is OK for all parts.

 

[sharklover]

I'm a dishnetwork customer.I have a 301 and 510 both of which gives great picture quality.I rarely ever have pixilation if I do it's usually when a heavy thunderstorm is to my south or overhead.I use to have cable.Dish is a big improvement.

 

[idlehands]

I'm a dishnetwork customer.I have a 301 and 510 both of which gives great picture quality.I rarely ever have pixilation if I do it's usually when a heavy thunderstorm is to my south or overhead.I use to have cable.Dish is a big improvement.

Dishnet has horrible picture quality. It doesn't matter what receiver you have, or what your signal strength is. In digital world, all that means nothing. Low signal strength just means, if you're low, chances are during a rainstorm, you're going to go out, or heavy pixelation and freezing. As far as the picture quality goes, whether you're in Los Angeles, Chicago, or Hawaii, every subscriber gets exactly the same picture quality(except locals). Some people are just more tolerant or don't know any better. Thats why they're happy with the disgusting overcompressed, low res standard Dishnet puts out, and this is why these big companies keep doing what they do, because the masses don't care or don't know about quality. Same thing with Directv. I have been a customer of both, and both are equally trash. Certain digital cable companies depending on the neighborhood you're in can look very clean or crappy just like the ku sats. If you want the absolute best SD picture, then you have to get C-Band.

 

[bderouen]

Dishnet has horrible picture quality. It doesn't matter what receiver you have, or what your signal strength is. In digital world, all that means nothing. Low signal strength just means, if you're low, chances are during a rainstorm, you're going to go out, or heavy pixelation and freezing. As far as the picture quality goes, whether you're in Los Angeles, Chicago, or Hawaii, every subscriber gets exactly the same picture quality(except locals). Some people are just more tolerant or don't know any better. Thats why they're happy with the disgusting overcompressed, low res standard Dishnet puts out, and this is why these big companies keep doing what they do, because the masses don't care or don't know about quality. Same thing with Directv. I have been a customer of both, and both are equally trash. Certain digital cable companies depending on the neighborhood you're in can look very clean or crappy just like the ku sats. If you want the absolute best SD picture, then you have to get C-Band.

"Don't know any better"???? Puh-leaz! HAHAHA!