Input for Dish on possible VOOM Changes Being Made

[Hall]

So 1280x1080i equals 720x480 ??

 

[jsb_hburg]

So 1280x1080i equals 720x480 ??

What is your opinion then?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Technically, 1280x1080 can be worse than 720x480, if the 1280 image is very compressed and choked on its bitrate. Resolution does not always equate to quality. Just like some DVDs are superb and others are mediocre, despite all of them being 720x480.

 

[BrettTRay]

Just like Tom said, all SD that is from Dish is 720x480i and so is a DVD. The DVD will always look better even if not in progressive mode because it isn't compressed near as much.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Is anyone else having problems with VOOM channels tonight. I was checking out three of them for image quality and all three were intermittently freezing. However I saw no problems on ESPN-HD or TNT-HD.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Okay, I just received my third message from Dish. This follows my response to their request that I provide additional feedback.

"Thank you for expressing your concerns and interest in DISH Network.
Customer input is an important tool in our efforts to continuously
improve the quality of the DISH Network service.

We have confirmed the VOOM issue. We have had meetings over the last
few days regarding this topic. Another one is scheduled tomorrow to
finalize our solution. The coordination involved in achieving these
changes may take awhile. It is our policy not to give out the technical
aspect of our operations, but rest assured we will be working as fast as
possible to resolve it. We thank you for your continued patience and
for pointing out this situation to us. Our HD customers are valuable,
and we hope you are pleased with the result! This is exactly the type of
information we are looking for, we will keep your email address and
might have you look again in the near future. Thank you for your help.

At DISH Network we appreciate the time customers take to email their
audio/video quality concerns. Thank you for your patience, information,
and for being a valued customer."

 

[Hall]

... and choked on its bitrate.

According to Gary's measurements, the bitrate has not been affected that much. I've seen him post numbers in the 13-15 range all along.... Was Dish running these same channels at 19.4 before ?? Well, actually no one can say. Bitrates are *averages* (variable), not full or constant.

Resolution does not always equate to quality. Just like some DVDs are superb and others are mediocre, despite all of them being 720x480.

DVDs aren't choked on the bitrate side. The difference between a "good" DVD and a "bad" DVD can vary from the source material, the method of transfer, the skill of the people doing the transfer, etc, etc.

 

[jsb_hburg]

Is anyone else having problems with VOOM channels tonight. I was checking out three of them for image quality and all three were intermittently freezing. However I saw no problems on ESPN-HD or TNT-HD.

I tried watching but it was a bit frustrating. So, I flipped the DVI switch back to Comcast. I have Dish for the HDNets and Voom.

 

[DWS44]

Okay, I just received my third message from Dish.

I got a very similar response that that one as well! Hopefully something decent will come out of the meetings!

 

[rdinkel]

I got a very similar response as well! Hopefully something decent will come out of the meetings!

I received a similar response. How about a moderator closing this thread, since Dish has all the input they want from us for now.
The other related thread should remain open until HD quality is restored. Bob

 

[rdinkel]

Please don't post on this thread. Use the thread started by Gary for discussion about VOOM quality changes. Thanks!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

DVDs aren't choked on the bitrate side.

Oh yes they are. Bitrates vary wildly on DVDs. My DVD player displays the bitrate.

A SuperBit DVD can be over 7.5 mbs, while I have others that only measure around 3 mbs.

 

[SimpleSimon]

... One thing Dish (or Direct) could do to meet the (slowly) increasing HD demand is to make an HD receiver that will display HD programming on non-HD tv's (this is what Voom did). If they started swapping receivers over time, eventually they could discontinue the SD version of channels that are also offered in HD (e.g. -- ESPN/2, TNT, HBO, etc.) At least this would provide some bandwidth to add new HD channels. ...

Well, they already do - they're just not the "standard" boxes used in a non-HD install.

However, I expect to see the 211 or 411 replace the 311 in addition to replacing the 811, and the 962 (rumored model #) to replace the 625 in addition to replacing the 942. All that's missing is a 222 or 422 to replace the 322.

Oh - and these replacements are ALL MPEG-4 capable, too.

 

[Hall]

I meant that DVDs aren't choked by the DVD player hardware or your TV or anything else. DVDs are in MPEG-2 format and have variable bitrates. This is completely normal. If the one DVD you're referring to stayed in the 3 range, it was likely a "slow" movie, like a drama or something. It simply doesn't need anything higher.