Posted on 04/21/2008 8:09:46 PM PDT by george76
As cable TV companies pack ever more HD channels into limited bandwidth, some owners of pricey plasma, projector and LCD TVs are complaining that they're not getting the high-def quality they paid for. They blame the increased signal compression being used to squeeze three digital HD signals into the bandwidth of one analog station.
The problem is viewers want more HD channels at a time when many cable and satellite providers are at the limits of their capacity...
"They have to figure out a way to deliver more HD content through their distribution networks," ...
Compressing the signal is cheaper than costly infrastructure upgrades to increase capacity. Satellite TV providers ... also have the option of launching satellites to boost the number of HD channels on their systems.
While information is nearly always lost when signals are compressed and then uncompressed, the process can theoretically be made unnoticeable to eyes and ears — and Comcast says it should be.
But some viewers say they can see it. Willcox said complaints about compression have been showing up on Web forums, including the AV Science Forum
Philadelphia-based Comcast wouldn't identify specific signals that are 3-to-1 compressed...
And there are other reasons a high-definition picture can appear subpar...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I was called about an new 1 1/2 x high speed Internet package, good for 1 year, 42 bucks a month. I asked the guy ,"What happens after a year?", "Oh " he says "It will go up a few dollars". I told him I wanted it in writing. LOL Nothin yet, probably can't find a pen. Lately Comcast has been dropping channels rather than increase prices, I noticed about half a dozen since I signed on.
Let me ask Freepers this, do you think Cable companies should charge wild west prices, like the airlines do, or should it have some sort of regulation? They are a monopoly you know.
There's lots of bandwidth available, but just like old TV broadcast all channels along the allotted frequency, digital cable broadcasts all digital channels on the available bandwidth. More channels equals less quality. Now if they could just switch it so that you actually only get the one channel you've selected with all the bandwidth you'd have just about Blu-Ray quality with current infrastructure.
The internet is getting as bad,audio pop-ups, and ‘watch this ad’ cra@p, before you can see what you came for.
...The ad people...
Really? Mine is spectacular.
I saw somewhere that admen were trying a campaign where they could actually target passerby’s on the street with an audio campaign.You would hear the ad as you walked by. It’s creepy.
I wish I were in a location that got broadcast digital. I bought my mother-in-law a set that has a digital tuner, the picture is beautiful with all the networks having 3 or 4 channels.
The DishNet-HD receiver provides good 1080i to the TV. Dolby surround sound (5.1) is often available on the over the air signal. I notice big differences in audio levels between DishNet and OTA TV.
I'm having a bitch of a time tonight with my regular e-mail address. Some spammer has appropriated it as the "legal" address on every outbound message. My mailbox is getting loaded with "undeliverable" messages. Damn annoying given the kind of money I pay for that account.
I applied for one of the ghetto $40 off coupons for a DTV converter, and bought one at Best Buy....works very good.
I get 20 HDTV channels over the air for free using a $80 bow-tie UHF antenna on the roof. My location is 1800 feet MSL in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California. No more pay tv for me.
I’m thinking of switching to DirecTV from Brighthouse cable (used to be TWC in Central Florida).
They are very slow in bringing in HD content and the DVR they give us is 3yo technology with a 160gb hard drive, which records about 20hrs of HD programming. The box even has an expansion port on the back for an external drive but it is not activated. A call or email to Brighthouse gets a reply that they have no intention in the near future to support that external port or ship the DVRs with larger hard drives.
They’ve just gotten too cocky. For what I pay per month for their crappy cable and 10Mb broadband I should have access to, or be able to supply my own, bleeding edge stuff.
Would you expand on that? What was it that you didn’t like? What did you get instead? Without side by side comparison, how noticeable is it?
Time for satellite TV to start using fiber optics !
Geez, what do you expect. Absolutely nothing is now, or ever likely will be, broadcast in 1080p.
Do "math for pirates".
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