OTA vs. Dish format differences

[jayhawk999]

I see that some OTA stations broadcast 1080i but dish broadcasts 720p. Just how is this done and is it 720p and not downscaled 1080i? More curious than not but it seems the Dish pix is better than the OTA pix. I have a 720p Sony 37M4000 TV. I am new to HD and see a lot of things that are puzzling.

jayhawk999

 

[lakebum431]

The E* receivers do not have native passthrough. So you have to select either 720p OR 1080i from the setup menu. Then channels are converted from their format to the set resolution in your receiver and sent to your TV.

 

[KAB]

Since your set is 720p, either setting will yield about the same result. I have 720 but set the receiver to 1080i.

 

[tnsprin]

I see that some OTA stations broadcast 1080i but dish broadcasts 720p. Just how is this done and is it 720p and not downscaled 1080i? More curious than not but it seems the Dish pix is better than the OTA pix. I have a 720p Sony 37M4000 TV. I am new to HD and see a lot of things that are puzzling.

jayhawk999

Dish sends 1080i for 1080i HD stations and 720P for 720P stations. However they do convert from MPEG2 to MPEG4 and usually reduce 1080i stations from 1920x1080 to 1440x1080. The bitrate is typically also reduced.

The receivers convert as you set them to 1080i, 720P, 480P or 480i. (Some vod can be 1080P24). Try 720P and 1080I (using both a 720p source such as ESPN and a 1080i source) and decide what looks best for your set. Talked about for several years, but not yet available, is the option to pass-thru multiple output resolutions rather than just one output resolution.

 

[lakebum431]

I still can't believe that we don't have native passthrough.