Dish Quality

[avp]

I don't see many bringing up the issue of picture quality on HD. Is it because we have given up or we are becoming desensitized to it.
Here is what I sent to Dish. If you feel the same way please let them know and maybe they will improve it.

Email to Dish:
What is going on with the HD on dish?
It is so over compressed! The picture is grainy with a lot of color banding. Problems with motion.
The signal is starving for more bandwidth. This has gotten worse since moving to Mpeg 4. The Hd picture looks like standard def looks without all the compression. My guess is the HD picture is about 3 to 7 Mbps which makes a standard def DVD's look better. This is crazy taking into consideration what we are paying for the service. It seems like as long as we see a picture thats quality enough.

What has happened to DD 5.1 audio? It is missing from programing that was previously shown with DD 5.1 sound,
not to mention the audio dropouts on my 2 622 units.

Please fix this.
You are negating the reason for HD.
Dish was once a leader now bringing up the rear.

 

[KAB]

My picture looks better than ever and DD 5.1 didn't go anywhere. Sounds more like a problem with your TV or your connections. You are using component or HDMI aren't you? Do you have your HD output set to 720p or 1080i? Don't expect an answer to a message like that.

 

[avp]

I have the 622's connected both ways. It is still the same.
The compression issue keeps changing because they compress on the fly. I have movies and concerts recorded in mpeg2 and now mpeg4 what a difference.
As for the DD 5.1 I have a previous recording from the same station with DD 5.1 and when they were just aired again same station no DD 5.1. One example was James Brown at the House of Blues.
My name may say freshman but i have been involved with with Tv production for 15 years. My problem is I am used to looking at multiple monitors and finding all the picture quality issues. I've been trained to see details most people
would never see. It is a curse.

 

[KAB]

My name may say freshman but i have been involved with with Tv production for 15 years. My problem is I am used to looking at multiple monitors and finding all the picture quality issues. I've been trained to see details most people
would never see. It is a curse.

25 years here. Don't have your problem. And with just 15 years, you should at least know that most problems start with the originator.

 

[nyvram]

I agree with avp. I still have my QAM tuner pulling in comcast locals in HD and I switch back & forth. The difference is striking. Comcast HD is much 'crisper' and the colors are much more vibrant.

DISH, otoh, is washed out and muddy. Doesn't look nearly as nice and I know comcast is already compressing the signal themselves.

I am staying optimistic and hoping compression rates and bandwidth continues to improve with time and hopefully the picture gets better. Ironically, I never thought VOOM looked bad so I don't quite understand why my locals look better on comcast..maybe DISH is simply compressing the hell out of the local market HD channels in favor of better-looking "mainstream" channels like ESPN & Discovery HD?

 

[avp]

25 years here. Don't have your problem. And with just 15 years, you should at least know that most problems start with the originator.

Look no reason to become condescending and just dismiss what I say because the ten year difference is supposed to mean something. I know what the original looks like because maybe I was involved with it.
This forum is for the open exchange of ideas.
If you are really in the industry for 25 years you would know how much Dish is compressing vs the original signal.
I'm not looking to get personal, that is a waste of everyone's time. Some people come here to learn so let people discuss the issue.
And by the way the top Dish tech people acknowledge it. They are just squeezing as many channels in the available bandwidth as the can.
Also try to tell me that the originators are sending dish a reduced resolution picture and I mean the major providers not the Fishing Channel.

 

[KAB]

Look no reason to become condescending and just dismiss what I say because the ten year difference is supposed to mean something. I know what the original looks like because maybe I was involved with it.
This forum is for the open exchange of ideas.
If you are really in the industry for 25 years you would know how much Dish is compressing vs the original signal.
I'm not looking to get personal, that is a waste of everyone's time. Some people come here to learn so let people discuss the issue.
And by the way the top Dish tech people acknowledge it. They are just squeezing as many channels in the available bandwidth as the can.
Also try to tell me that the originators are sending dish a reduced resolution picture and I mean the major providers not the Fishing Channel.

I am saying I do not see the compression problems you are seeing. Actually, I counted...it's 28.

 

[primetimeguy]

I am saying I do not see the compression problems you are seeing. Actually, I counted...it's 28.

What size display do you have and what is your viewing distance?

Sitting 10-11ft from my 57" the compression is obvious and I can see a difference between OTA and Dish Locals.

On my 32" at 10-11ft everything is stunning!

To be honest, my thought is many of us have given up on complaining. Right now more channels gets more subscribers. And more and more of those new subscribers have 37-42" TVs and are sitting so far away they think all HD is perfect.

 

[sremick]

I recently upgraded to HD. I have a 92" screen that runs at 720p. I find it's all over the place.

Some "HD" channels broadcast upscaled SD content most of the time *cough*SciFi*cough*.

Some HD channels' HD content is more-compressed than others. I find that HD Theater and sports channels are a good reference point for "as good as Dish is willing to have it get", then seeing how the other HD channels compare.

I mourn the loss of Voom... which I was interested in but jumped on HD too late to ever experience.

 

[primetimeguy]

I find that HD Theater and sports channels are a good reference point for "as good as Dish is willing to have it get", then seeing how the other HD channels compare.

In my book ESPN is the worst. Granted it is MPEG2, but ESPN2 is only marginally better, if that, on MPEG4. To me, this is where the compression shows with all of the action in sports.

I don't recall the last time I watched any Dish HD and went WOW, that is good PQ....other then 1080p VOD.

 

[kvnfl]

Yes, HD-lite does not look like HD. And is just as bad as the MPEG4 24fps rate. Every now and again I notice the frame rate. I notice it on PAL and DIVX DVDs, too. Only solution is to reboot visually acuity by leaving the room and then returning. VOOM looked better than my upconverting DVD player. Most Dish channels look pale in comparison.

Wifey, who is less critical than I, complains about the picture and has said we should switch to FIOS. FIOS delivers uncompressed video with telephone and Internet for $10 more than Dish charges every month. Plus they have more HD content. The DVR is the only saving grace for DISH.

 

[Ronnie-]

FIOS delivers uncompressed video .

Just a slight clarification. FIOS, at this point, doesnt RECOMPRESS (or so they say), what they get though is compressed at some point.