Really getting HD from HD satellite?

[IoneKatz]

I had HD satellite dish and HD DVR set up this week for a Samsung HD TV (1080p). I was watching 'Planet Earth' on a HD channel, but it did not look right. So I popped my 'Planet Earth' HD DVD into my Blu-Ray. I did side by side compare of same footage on TV from satellite to the Blu-Ray and the Blu-Ray was WAY crisper. Should they be equal? I feel like I might not be getting HD from my new HD DVR and new HD dish. TV displays in 16:9 on HD channels as I expected, but picture just does not look great. Any suggestions?

 

[GlocksRock]

Blu ray should always look better, HD signals from tv providers will always be compressed.

 

[Phil Taylor]

You're comparing Blu-ray's 1080p to either 1080i or 720p (depending on your provider) - as stated above Blu-ray will win every time.

 

[mr-ben]

All HD video is compressed to fit into a Disc, satellite feed, cable feed, etc. Some are compressed more than others, with Satellite compressing more than a disc. Think of it like a 256kb/s vs 128kb/s MP3.

 

[lsiberian]

You're comparing Blu-ray's 1080p to either 1080i or 720p (depending on your provider) - as stated above Blu-ray will win every time.

Not always. Sometimes the differences are indiscernible. This is the question to answer. For a small tv I think you'd not gain much, but for a projector based setup you can really see the difference.

 

[highfigh]

I had HD satellite dish and HD DVR set up this week for a Samsung HD TV (1080p). I was watching 'Planet Earth' on a HD channel, but it did not look right. So I popped my 'Planet Earth' HD DVD into my Blu-Ray. I did side by side compare of same footage on TV from satellite to the Blu-Ray and the Blu-Ray was WAY crisper. Should they be equal? I feel like I might not be getting HD from my new HD DVR and new HD dish. TV displays in 16:9 on HD channels as I expected, but picture just does not look great. Any suggestions?

What is the sat receiver's resolution set to vs the native resolution of the display? If the TV is 1080p, set the say receiver to the same and only that one. See if setting it to Native-ON makes a difference, too.

BluRay should look better- the signal is only going a few feet and the sat signal is going close to 45,000 miles.

 

[GlocksRock]

All HD video is compressed to fit into a Disc, satellite feed, cable feed, etc. Some are compressed more than others, with Satellite compressing more than a disc. Think of it like a 256kb/s vs 128kb/s MP3.

Are you sure? I've seen both 25 and 50 gig blu ray discs that haven't been completely filled up, so there would be no need to compress the image when you have room left on the disc.

 

[Highbar]

What is the sat receiver's resolution set to vs the native resolution of the display? If the TV is 1080p, set the say receiver to the same and only that one. See if setting it to Native-ON makes a difference, too.

BluRay should look better- the signal is only going a few feet and the sat signal is going close to 45,000 miles.

I was thinking the same thing. I know when I got my HD Sat box it was set to 480i. The installer didn't even change it, I realized it later that night. Looks much better after setting it to output 1080i (all my tv can handle)

 

[highfigh]

I was thinking the same thing. I know when I got my HD Sat box it was set to 480i. The installer didn't even change it, I realized it later that night. Looks much better after setting it to output 1080i (all my tv can handle)

I have a HD sat receiver connected to the composite input of a 27" Sony and it looks great, even up close. I just installed two Dynex 32" LCD TVs in a bar with standard def sat receivers and it looks like crap. OTOH, it looks like crap on the other TVs, too.

 

[mr-ben]

Are you sure? I've seen both 25 and 50 gig blu ray discs that haven't been completely filled up, so there would be no need to compress the image when you have room left on the disc.

Yes, BluRay is compressed, in MPEG or VC-1 compression codecs.

 

[MatthewB.]

I have a HD sat receiver connected to the composite input of a 27" Sony and it looks great, even up close. I just installed two Dynex 32" LCD TVs in a bar with standard def sat receivers and it looks like crap. OTOH, it looks like crap on the other TVs, too.

Highfigh, hate to tell you, but if you have a HD box connected via "composite" your not getting HD at all. there is now way possible that the bandwidth needed to support HD can be output via composite.

And almost all flat panel TV's look horrible with standard definition, they were made for HD content, i would go back that bar and either hook up a HD box to get the most out of those TV's are replace the TV's with a CRT.

 

[highfigh]

Highfigh, hate to tell you, but if you have a HD box connected via "composite" your not getting HD at all. there is now way possible that the bandwidth needed to support HD can be output via composite.

And almost all flat panel TV's look horrible with standard definition, they were made for HD content, i would go back that bar and either hook up a HD box to get the most out of those TV's are replace the TV's with a CRT.

Where did I post that I was getting HD? I said I have it connected via the composite video out to the composite in on the TV and the picture quality is great. I posted that to describe the difference. Been selling and installing this stuff since long before component video existed so you don't need to post down to me.

If you want to teach someone about this stuff, call Time Warner in Milwaukee. I've given up on them.

They should have put a cheap up-converter in these TVs for people who need to use the composite in for one reason or another. Personally, if someone buys a TV, it should look at least decent on all inputs, although what the broadcaster is shoving down the pipe will make or break the picture quality anyway.

 

[MatthewB.]

highfigh, I was commenting on the fact that you said you hooked up a HD box to a TV via compsite. I was merely suggesting that you don't need a HD box if hooking up this way, a standard box would work just as well, i wasnt trying to talk down to you, I just wasnt sure if you were aware of the difference, there are alot of people who arent. My folks for example, they got HD service from Dish and the person who came out hooked it up via S-video and said it was HD, my father calls me and says it's not that impressive, so I travel the 100 miles to his house, to discover the snafu. Nothing personal, I just wasn't sure of your expertise and if you knew that HD wouldnt go through compsite. That's all and yes I'm quite aware of how F'ed up cable companies are. today my new neighbor just got Cox installed (appropriate name BTW) and I had to laugh to myself.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Are you sure? I've seen both 25 and 50 gig blu ray discs that haven't been completely filled up, so there would be no need to compress the image when you have room left on the disc.

As Mr Ben said. An uncompressed 1080p would approach way too many gigs if not approaching the Terra bites. Oh, they also have other compression algorithms, like MPEG 4. Some compress more and less smartly

 

[highfigh]

highfigh, I was commenting on the fact that you said you hooked up a HD box to a TV via compsite. I was merely suggesting that you don't need a HD box if hooking up this way, a standard box would work just as well, i wasnt trying to talk down to you, I just wasnt sure if you were aware of the difference, there are alot of people who arent. My folks for example, they got HD service from Dish and the person who came out hooked it up via S-video and said it was HD, my father calls me and says it's not that impressive, so I travel the 100 miles to his house, to discover the snafu. Nothing personal, I just wasn't sure of your expertise and if you knew that HD wouldnt go through compsite. That's all and yes I'm quite aware of how F'ed up cable companies are. today my new neighbor just got Cox installed (appropriate name BTW) and I had to laugh to myself.

When HD first came out through Time Warner, I could hear that the audio was better on the HD channels than the SD channels, so I went to the local office and asked if the composite output on the HD box was enabled. I called their tech department and they weren't sure. When I went in with my SD box, a tech happened to walk into the back, so the girl at the counter asked him. He didn't know, either, so I figured, "What have I got to lose?" I thought that, if it didn't work, it doesn't change anything else and doesn't need to go back. As I suspected, it worked great and not only was the audio better, the video was, too.

I really have a problem with TV manufacturers making these with only decent picture when HDMI or component inputs are used. I have 4 sat receivers (three boxes with one being a DVR, so it counts as two) and the one I use most is a SD DVR, using the composite feed. I had planned to replace the TV sooner but haven't gotten around to it, partially because of the furniture aspect of the job.

 

[MatthewB.]

Hmmm never thought of it that way, glad to hear it worked and for the better.