Mpeg 4?

[igator99]

What are the advantages of mpeg 4? I assume better picture quality and more channels. I understand HDTV so how close would mpeg 4 be or I could be totally wrong about everything.

 

[Jimbo]

What are the advantages of mpeg 4? I assume better picture quality and more channels. I understand HDTV so how close would mpeg 4 be or I could be totally wrong about everything.

There is a long answer to your question and a short one.
If you want to know how theMPEG4 works try putting MPEG4 in the search button.
theres a lot of info about MPEG4 in the threads

Short answer,
MPEG4 talke up half of the bandwidth that MPEG 2 does....
I theory, (D* has not said this is what they are going to do)
D* should be able to put all the current channels in MPEG4 format, have plenty of room, (the other half) for future HD channels, and still have the ability to use some bandwidth to allocate to the SD channels, this should allow them to drastically improve the SD channels as well.

None of this will happen till the sats are up and funtional, and that does not happen over night, once they get up in the air the company that sends it into orbit has to do thier own testing, once that is done, it is turned over to D* and they do thier testing, then when it's all funtioning the way it should, D* will start placing channels on it.

Not all the sats have to be up for MPEG 4, as some are working now, but I would think D* would like tohave everything in place before wholesale changes are made.

Jimbo

 

[ebonovic]

MPEG-4 is a compression standard.. It is just one of the many ways to take the 1's and 0's that make up the digital HD image, and transmit it from source to destination to your TV.

"Picture Quality" is in the eye of the beholder... and depends on what you are comparing it to. There is a lot more too it then just how compressed things are.

But in general....
"Yes" picture quality should improve... As you should be able to fit more data in the same pipe stream.
"Yes" to more channels, but in actuallity, the more channels has to do with the fact that DirecTV is launching more Sats

MPEG-4 is just a method to get "HDTV" from the provider to your TV.

 

[igator99]

MPEG-4 is a compression standard.. It is just one of the many ways to take the 1's and 0's that make up the digital HD image, and transmit it from source to destination to your TV.

"Picture Quality" is in the eye of the beholder... and depends on what you are comparing it to. There is a lot more too it then just how compressed things are.

But in general....
"Yes" picture quality should improve... As you should be able to fit more data in the same pipe stream.
"Yes" to more channels, but in actuallity, the more channels has to do with the fact that DirecTV is launching more Sats

MPEG-4 is just a method to get "HDTV" from the provider to your TV.

Thanks to both you guys for the information. Sorry that this has been hashed over a bunch. DirecTV is suppose to come out tomorrow and replace my dish to the A-9 which I assume will allow me to hit the sats and get mpeg4 channels. I guess to my old recievers will need to replaced and it is up to speculation how DirecTV will handle this.

 

[dfergie]

If you have ever messed with Divx you have seen what mpeg4 can do...

 

[mjones1973]

Only the HD channels will be moving to MPEG4 so only HD receivers in the house will need to be upgraded, the SD channels will remain MPEG2 and their will be nothing on the new sats you need to pick up for SD only so that equipment will continue to function as is.