Improved picture quality?

[redelephants]

So I guess I'm not the only person that has noticed a variation in PQ? I thought the new MPEG4 compression was going to fix alot of these issues.

 

[TigerpounceTN]

So I guess I'm not the only person that has noticed a variation in PQ? I thought the new MPEG4 compression was going to fix alot of these issues.

MPEG4 just makes bandwidth squeezing not look quite as horrible as MPEG2. It allows for lower bitrates at the same quality or much better quality at the same bitrates. Unsurprisingly, service providers choose to add more channels at the expense of quality. I don't want to imagine how ugly the picture would get if Dish still used MPEG2 and tried to carry this many channels. MPEG4 H.264 is still relatively new compared to MPEG2 and sometimes the hardware encoders can vary greatly in quality. I'm not surprised at some of the technical issues I have seen since I got Dish, but DirecTV also uses MPEG4 and I saw fewer of them... Maybe the new Dish encoders will make things better after they work out the kinks in their system.

 

[DishSubLA]

They might be testing how much they can get away with to give more room for more channels?

Exactly. It is an art. With all the analytical equipment, you would be surprised at how often, what the final sound or video is put-out or laid-down is SUBJECTIVE. Meaning it has to sound or look good to the tech/engineer, the final link in the chain. The best analytical tool in sound is your ears, and the best such tool in video is your eyes. Yes, tweaking the most expensive processing equipment in professional sound and video can get you close, but in the end, it is the subjective judgment or perception of the tweaker that determines how it will go out.

 

[DishSubLA]

MPEG4 just makes bandwidth squeezing not look quite as horrible as MPEG2. It allows for lower bitrates at the same quality or much better quality at the same bitrates. Unsurprisingly, service providers choose to add more channels at the expense of quality. I don't want to imagine how ugly the picture would get if Dish still used MPEG2 and tried to carry this many channels. MPEG4 H.264 is still relatively new compared to MPEG2 and sometimes the hardware encoders can vary greatly in quality. I'm not surprised at some of the technical issues I have seen since I got Dish, but DirecTV also uses MPEG4 and I saw fewer of them... Maybe the new Dish encoders will make things better after they work out the kinks in their system.

Both Dish and Direc TV get the best encoders out there. Neither skimps on this. However, Dish and Direc TV have different operating issues and they will set the encoders for the best possible PQ relative to their own set of operational limitations or requirements.

 

[2D Bob]

Maybe I'm imagining this, but it seems that the Dish HD picture quality has improved. Picture seems clearly, sharper and much nicer overall. Am I imagining this or did something change? Oh and nothing changed on my end, same TV, receiver, etc.

You are confirming what I thought I saw - that 'some' HD channels are looking better on Dish lately. It's hard to believe isn't it? We must be imagining it.