CurlyDave
Elite Member
I have DirecTV and HD, but I find the 720p is actually a better picture than the 1080i. Try it.
HD TV-Love it, hate it!
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I have DirecTV and HD, but I find the 720p is actually a better picture than the 1080i. Try it.
I have a really hard time telling the difference between 720p and 1080i. Especially from my viewing distance. There's also alot of variables that play into it as well. Here's a wiki link that may be of interest that describes the two.
720p - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
marimus
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Just guessing, but mabey there is some scaling going on somewhere, either by DirecTV or even in your TV itself (many tv's don't have 1080 lines, and so scale down the signal to fit your screen. More expensive TVs do this better than cheaper ones).
This would definatley make 720p look better on your tv.
There is a quick article on the differences here 720p Vs 1080i HDTV
DocHeb
Veteran Member
Reading this reference leads me to a confusing conclusion: Your mind notices something as changing in 1/60th of a second (1080i) as being blurry, but does not notice that with 1/30th of a second (780p)? How does the fact that most movies are made at 24 frames per second (even slower) fit in?
kenstrac
Platinum Member, RIP
Exactly shows are broadcast in HIGH DEFINATION yet they what to charge you for it another SCAM from the cable and satellite companies
RonMar
Elite Member
Your not paying for the HD programming, you are paying for the HD delivery system. It is like the difference between dial-up and DSL internet service. That bigger pipe, particularly over a sattelite, costs more money...
If you are in range of over the air digital programming, then you can watch HD that way without paying for it. But if you are not, well that is probably why you have a sattelite in the first place
Airsafety
Member
We've tried digital cable and two different satellite providers, but I found that - with one exception - there wasn't much worth watching even with 300+ channels. Most of the time we just have the TV on for noise while we read or surf so the local channels were on 90% of the time.
It kind of irritated me to be paying $65/mo when the local channels were available with an antenna. The exception was my wife's Brit soaps which were only available as a PPV on one of the satellites - don't even think of pulling the plug on a woman's soaps.
I finally found that - with a few gyrations - I could download all of her Brit shows over the internet. Not only the soaps, but *everything* and the same day it was broadcast. So that justified a 52 incher for the living room with a media center PC next to it.
The off the air antenna gives me full 1080 resolution (the satellite HD option was only 720) and the cost was amortized in just two months without a satellite bill. The digital switchover has almost doubled the number of channels we get OTA and there are more to come.
The Brit networks have some fairly good shows and most of the US networks are going the same direction with hulu.com and others. Its kind of like having the worlds biggest Tivo as everything gets recorded and can be watched on your schedule. So the digital change has been a blessing to me, but YMMV. Check out the internet options, though. You may be pleasantly surprised at the viewing options.
Best,
John
It kind of irritated me to be paying $65/mo when the local channels were available with an antenna. The exception was my wife's Brit soaps which were only available as a PPV on one of the satellites - don't even think of pulling the plug on a woman's soaps.
I finally found that - with a few gyrations - I could download all of her Brit shows over the internet. Not only the soaps, but *everything* and the same day it was broadcast. So that justified a 52 incher for the living room with a media center PC next to it.
The off the air antenna gives me full 1080 resolution (the satellite HD option was only 720) and the cost was amortized in just two months without a satellite bill. The digital switchover has almost doubled the number of channels we get OTA and there are more to come.
The Brit networks have some fairly good shows and most of the US networks are going the same direction with hulu.com and others. Its kind of like having the worlds biggest Tivo as everything gets recorded and can be watched on your schedule. So the digital change has been a blessing to me, but YMMV. Check out the internet options, though. You may be pleasantly surprised at the viewing options.
Best,
John
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
This is so true. I have a DishNetwork HD DVR but don't subscribe to HD programming because 1. It's $20 more a month for something that they are already broadcasting and costs them no more content wise, and 2. Sat TV is already broadcast in Digital (non HD) and the picture is not all that much different, at least not for me to pay extra.
Eventually, Dish and Direct will eliminate all but HD because it makes no sense to be transmitting the same thing twice forever. SAT carriers are expensive. However, because they have and/or customers have so much invested in non HD compatible hardware, they have to do it gradually and charge the customers for the extra SAT carriers they need to broadcast in HD.
I got the HD DVR for the recording capability, not HD. It drives Dish nuts that I won't pay them extra for HD programming, but I can record hundreds of hours of SD on it. I just don't have an OTA DVR yet. BTW, my dish HD DVR will handle OTA HD and let you record it, but ONLY IF you pay them for the HD service. I've had Dish for 12 yrs now, but I am starting to get fed up with their cable nickle and dime attitude. Can you imagine your computer company making you pay to use your USB port like Dish makes you do....
As far as OTA HD, I've had it for at least 2 yrs already in my area, and it is great. I'm probably 50 - 60 miles away from the station and pull it in with no trouble from by old rooftop antenna. I like the Insignia boxes I bought for my non HD tv's, but I also have an HD tv. Remember the converters drop the output down to 480p analog output, but the output is still far better than the original analog signal. In my area you get both analog and digital, so I can switch for the analog to the HD, and it's night and day difference. Some areas of the country will be doing a cold switchover on the 17th, where the stations are not broadcasting both already.
Alan L.
Elite Member
Just to throw my 2 cents in. The programming is almost totally worthless, but I get the good out of HD when I watch sports (NFL especially) and HD movies. I have Dish HD and the difference between digital standard definition and HD is big. So much so that I don't much like watching anything thats not HD.
I have the HD DVR from dish and so the recorded HD programs are just like the original. I can get 35 hours of HD or 200 of regular.
I had a DVD recorder, which I suppose you can use to record the HD programming, but it is not going to record it in HD quality. To watch HD DVD nowadays you have to get a Blu-Ray player and rent or buy Blu-Ray movies.
I have a 720p TV and find that 720p looks better than 1080i. The 1080i is nothing like 1080p because only every other line refreshes at the same time. The 720p is not as many lines but all of them refresh together.
The local channels I get from Dish are not HD and are basically terrible. I put up a 50 foot tower and have an antenna and rotor and I can get most all of the "local" channels in HD/digital from about 75 miles away. Right now the only source of 1080p is the blu-ray, the OTA signals are 720p/1080i.
I have the HD DVR from dish and so the recorded HD programs are just like the original. I can get 35 hours of HD or 200 of regular.
I had a DVD recorder, which I suppose you can use to record the HD programming, but it is not going to record it in HD quality. To watch HD DVD nowadays you have to get a Blu-Ray player and rent or buy Blu-Ray movies.
I have a 720p TV and find that 720p looks better than 1080i. The 1080i is nothing like 1080p because only every other line refreshes at the same time. The 720p is not as many lines but all of them refresh together.
The local channels I get from Dish are not HD and are basically terrible. I put up a 50 foot tower and have an antenna and rotor and I can get most all of the "local" channels in HD/digital from about 75 miles away. Right now the only source of 1080p is the blu-ray, the OTA signals are 720p/1080i.
If your tv is a 720p tv then the 720p signal probably looks better due to the fact that your tv has to scale the 1080i signal to fit your screen. For regular movies I really don't think the progressive refresh rate is going to make a better picture, the 1080i signal if your tv is a 1080 television should be a little more crisp. Where the 720p signal may have an advantage though is sports where there are fast moving objects such as a 90mph fastball or a fast moving hockey puck.
CurlyDave
Elite Member
My TV is capable of 1080p and anything below that.
The DirecTV tuner can produce 1080i, 720p and anything below that. Note DirecTV does not yet broadcast in 1080p. When they do, that will be the best.
Sports always looks better on 720p. Other shows look about the same at either setting, but almost every show will have short amounts of relatively fast motion where the 720p is better.
Rather than jacking around with it, I just leave it at 720p.
The DirecTV tuner can produce 1080i, 720p and anything below that. Note DirecTV does not yet broadcast in 1080p. When they do, that will be the best.
Sports always looks better on 720p. Other shows look about the same at either setting, but almost every show will have short amounts of relatively fast motion where the 720p is better.
Rather than jacking around with it, I just leave it at 720p.
marimus
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NTSC is broadcast at 30 frames per second. In australia, we use PAL which is at 25 frames per second. In the days of VCR, movie runtimes for american movies released onto the australian market were longer.
IE, it took longer to watch the movie, because we playback at only 25 frames/second
Thankfully, things have changed since those days.
Philscbx
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I added the similar of the JVC MV 100B so that I can now take all the video VHS tapes
that were done over the years and copy them direct over to DVD's with out all the other nonsense of converting them through software.
It would be nice to get rid of that bulk.
Philscbx
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The link below is a handy site for selecting a antenna for HD and Digital.
Simply insert your zip code, and it gives you the channel list.
You then get a map showing the degrees and distance to the towers.
I mapped out all the locations, and it's pretty slick.
It's saves a huge problem of just guessing when you cannot be in 2 places at the same time adjusting antenna, and then view the TV for the results.
AntennaWeb
I also picked up a USB tuner for the laptop when at the cabin.
It's nice to get a weather radar view of what's coming when there is no internet service there. The device is Eye Tv for Mac.
Simply insert your zip code, and it gives you the channel list.
You then get a map showing the degrees and distance to the towers.
I mapped out all the locations, and it's pretty slick.
It's saves a huge problem of just guessing when you cannot be in 2 places at the same time adjusting antenna, and then view the TV for the results.
AntennaWeb
I also picked up a USB tuner for the laptop when at the cabin.
It's nice to get a weather radar view of what's coming when there is no internet service there. The device is Eye Tv for Mac.
czechsonofagun
Elite Member
This is somehow related. If you use Netflix, they sell receivers and Blue Ray players allowing to watch movies streamed from Netflix.
Netflix Instantly on TV
We watch instant movies for few month now - on a laptop only - and it is very convenient if you can live with the limited movie sortiment.
Netflix Instantly on TV
We watch instant movies for few month now - on a laptop only - and it is very convenient if you can live with the limited movie sortiment.
DANOCHEESE
Gold Member
To deliver HD programmign requires quite a bit of bandwidth. Thsi is why ( WE the cable company) charge more. In most caes we have to double up the receive equipment to make sure we are in complinace witht he FCC mandate that we keep certain cahnnels in Analog. You get CBS here in analog, digital and HD. Takes a bunch of equipment and network bandwidth to pull this off.
Actually we pull from three amrketes so you get CBS on 6 differnt stations. Still nothing to watch.
If you are using a OTA antennas try and lower the ant or raise the antenna. Being the highest is nto alwasy the best. ALso the cheaper the antenna the better. The broadcasters seem to have to widen out the carrier to stuff the HD feed. SO a antennas cut for a signal band will have issues. I have an old parabolic sitting at twenty foot that pulls in 4 digital PBS feeds. The new antennas at 160 feet severly tiles and goes into compression.
Actually we pull from three amrketes so you get CBS on 6 differnt stations. Still nothing to watch.
If you are using a OTA antennas try and lower the ant or raise the antenna. Being the highest is nto alwasy the best. ALso the cheaper the antenna the better. The broadcasters seem to have to widen out the carrier to stuff the HD feed. SO a antennas cut for a signal band will have issues. I have an old parabolic sitting at twenty foot that pulls in 4 digital PBS feeds. The new antennas at 160 feet severly tiles and goes into compression.
schmism
Super Member
i bought my dad a cheepy DTV converter box (with $40 coupon)for his CRT TV. reception was about 75-80% strenth on rabit ears sitting on top of the TV. The picture was about 50% better than what he was getting but most cannels dropped audio, and pixled a lot. Much more annoying to watch than fuz IMHO.
I went for a diffrent option of a samsung HDTV tunner. $180. This supplies a HD input into my DLP sharp Projector and surround sound (optical digital out) to my amp. The picture is AMAZING and sound is great. I watch st louis metro area channels and all broadcast in HD format. (720P or higher)
I have a roof mounted antenna at about 18' and recive 18 free channels in amazing quality. Very little pixilating and dropped audio. Signal streath will help determine some of it, but the tuner/reciver in your "converter box" will also play a significant roll in how the "output" looks/sounds
I refuse to pay for cable/sat when there are only 2-4 channels of it i would watch and the rest of it is Network TV, which is going to be downgraded from the OTA HDTV signal you could receive for free. Id sign up for al-cart priceing but the cable/sat companies are deathly afraid of such pricing.
I went for a diffrent option of a samsung HDTV tunner. $180. This supplies a HD input into my DLP sharp Projector and surround sound (optical digital out) to my amp. The picture is AMAZING and sound is great. I watch st louis metro area channels and all broadcast in HD format. (720P or higher)
I have a roof mounted antenna at about 18' and recive 18 free channels in amazing quality. Very little pixilating and dropped audio. Signal streath will help determine some of it, but the tuner/reciver in your "converter box" will also play a significant roll in how the "output" looks/sounds
I refuse to pay for cable/sat when there are only 2-4 channels of it i would watch and the rest of it is Network TV, which is going to be downgraded from the OTA HDTV signal you could receive for free. Id sign up for al-cart priceing but the cable/sat companies are deathly afraid of such pricing.
We also use Netflix with the stand alone player, $115 inc shipping, it works VERY well, and we only have 1.5 Mbps (all we can get).
They have tv programming, such as 30 Rock, Heroes, a day after they're on regular tv.
http://www.roku.com/netflixplayer/
NY_Yankees_Fan
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Senate voted yesterday to extend the date from February 17 to June 12, 2009 so we all can figure it out.
tommu56
Elite Member
Senate voted yesterday to extend the date from February 17 to June 12, 2009 so we all can figure it out.
still has to go to the house
"A vote to delay the digital conversion deadline still has to pass the House. "
House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has scheduled a committee vote Tuesday on his own proposal to delay the digital transition.
tom
