[Paul E]

Hi all, I recently joined this board and have learned a LOT from reading your posts, thanks for all the info!

I am currently a cable subscriber, but my D* system will be delivered early next week.

I purchased a 55" 16:9 HDTV about 10 days ago, and now realize how BAD cable TV picture quality (PQ) is. I have a OTA antenna in the attic to pick up the local HD stations, and they are awesome! But... the PQ of regular cable channels is far, far inferior to the SD broadcast of the HD stations.

My question is... does D* have superior PQ compared to cable? I have read some related threads on this board where some people feel that WB digital cable is as good or better than D*. I am in a Cox cable area, and don't know if my signal quality is similar to or worse than WB cable. I know that D* signals are all digital which *should* provide superior quality, but I have read some messages about the signal compression that concern me. :shrug:

I know that the quality of the D* receiver and my equipment makes a difference. I am getting a Sony T-60 DIRECTV/TIVO receiver with a multi-sat dish. I will be connecting the receiver to the digital optical input of my surround sound system, and connecting the receiver via s-video to the HDTV set. (I plan to purchase a HD receiver when D* offers more HD channels.)

I had ordered the D* system before discovering this awesome message board. Reading some of the messages is making me wonder if my PQ will be better than I currently experience with cable.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

-Paul :hi:

 

[Karl Foster]

PQ is very subjective. In my area, DBS blows cable away. I don't have a big-screen tv like you, so I can't give an honest comparison for you. You'll love the Directivo.

 

[catman]

I webtv plus . With the webtv plus , I can veiw mpeg , hear real audio , veiw swf , print . With tivio you can not do all that .

 

[Paul E]

Thanks for the input Karl. I'm sure that the PQ of cable in different areas of the country vary, as well as quality standards of each particular cable company. I think that here in southern CA, the cable PQ is "less than great".

My DirecTivo hardware will be arriving early next week, so I'll be able to do my own comparison.

 

[Neil Derryberry]

Paul -
Welcome to DBSTalk!
Is your system being professionally installed, or are you doing the DIY thing? In either case, we are here to help if you need us!

 

[Snopple]

As Karl pointed out, PQ is very subjective. My picture from Adelphia cable is terrible. On both my 27" Sony and the 20" RCA. However, my wife's mother lives just a couple blocks away. Her cable PQ is pretty good. But it still not nearly as good as I get from D* over their satellite.

Plus there is no recording device available for use with cable and over the air broadcasts that can compare with Directivo and UTV. I could purchase a stand alone Tivo or a Replay TV unit. But both are rather expensive. Neither has a duel tuner or the ability to improve the poor cable PQ.

 

[Paul E]

Thanks for the comments and info, Neil and Snopple.

Neil... I am doing a self-install. I am an automotive tech and a computer junkie (built 4 PC's so far). I *think* I am capable of installing a DirecTivo system.

Snopple, thanks for the PQ info. I agree that PQ is subjective, and I'm sure that cable PQ in some areas is much better than others. (I think it's pretty bad in my area)

I should be receiving my DirecTivo system on Monday, and will report here regarding my thoughts on D* Vs Cable PQ.

 

[Lew Stead]

I hate to say this, but with a 55" TV, I think you're going to be disappointed. That's just, well, huge. And the compression is set up for normal size TVs, not monsters like that. You'll probably see a lot of compression artifacts etc.

I don't think I've ever seen a really big screen owner happy with PQ from any DBS service.

 

[Paul E]

Update: I received my DirecTivo system today, and installed everything. The oval dish was a bit of a challenge to get "dialed in" but nothing I couldn't handle. I am quite happy with the PQ of DirecTv, as compared to my local cable. Even on the 55" 16:9 Mitsubishi, the picture is noticably clearer with DirecTv than it is on cable. I can't wait to call Cox Cable tomorrow and cancel my service!!

Thanks again for everyone's input.

 

[Karl Foster]

How are enjoying your Directivo?

 

[Paul E]

I haven't had much time to play with the Tivo part of the whole DirecTivo system yet, Karl. I did set it up to record two shows tonight. I will look into the season passes and other options in the next few days. Tivo certainly looks and operates MUCH better than the old clunky VHS recorder! :lol: