Very frustrated with Picture Quality (PQ) on Dish Network!

[tigerfan33]

do you experience mosquito noise then? Product Review

what problems are you having?

Sd has always been a problem. Compression makes it seem blury, not sharp. The bigger the hdtv the worse the picture in sd. Hd, I have no problems with except for the few hd that are still mpeg2.

 

[andyg]

Sd has always been a problem. Compression makes it seem blury, not sharp. The bigger the hdtv the worse the picture in sd. Hd, I have no problems with except for the few hd that are still mpeg2.

I see..so this article makes sense then? Product Review
However, how can you explain then that I had no problems with digital cable before? the picture was great. Is that because they don't use compression?

 

[Liquidforce88]

Without seeing it, I now can't say what would be causing the problem. There has to be something wrong with the system. There is no reason for the picture to be that bad. I have a 42" and a 50" that don't look that bad.

I would call Dish and have somebody come and look at the system.

 

[tigerfan33]

I see...how can you explain then that I had no problems with digital cable? they don't use compression?

I use to be with Charter. Yes Charter digital was a whole lot better than dish sd. Like I tell everyone, I switched because of hd, not sd. Charter fell too far behind in hd but it looks like they are picking up steam in that dept. I rarely watch sd. Almost all hd now.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Sd has always been a problem. Compression makes it seem blury, not sharp. The bigger the hdtv the worse the picture in sd. Hd, I have no problems with except for the few hd that are still mpeg2.

SD picture on 25" - 27" tv's is not going to be a problem. No cable company would have a better picture. Bigger HD displays will show problems but not the TV's that we are talking about here. His picture should look very good.

I have installed 1000's of systems like this and never seen the problem he is describing. There has to be some issue with the system. My first thought is cable connection problems from the receivers to the tv's.

 

[andyg]

Without seeing it, I now can't say what would be causing the problem. There has to be something wrong with the system. There is no reason for the picture to be that bad. I have a 42" and a 50" that don't look that bad.

I would call Dish and have somebody come and look at the system.

ok, I guess I'll have to call them. So you never experienced any distortion when watching any sports? Too bad if its just me, their cs reps would probably be clueless.

thanks a lot for all your help though.

 

[andyg]

here is the guys with the same problem on Dish Network:

Re: Picture Quality-DishNetwork - The Tennis Channel

 

[highdefjeff]

Hello folks,

I am very very frustrated with picture quality on my new Dish network system.

Here is what I have:
Dish 500 DPP twin LNBF
1 dual receiver 322 connected to 2 TVs
1 dual DVR receiver 625 connected to 2 TVs

Overall, I think the PQ is worse than cable tv. If it has any relation whatsoever my signal strength ranged from about 40 to 75 out of 125. 100 satellite is getting worse signal strength then 119. However, I;ve read that signal strength should not affect PQ at all, just the reliability of signal, which is a statement I really do not understand because I think I am getting not a reliable signal if my PQ is bad.

What specific PQ issues I have? The picture is not sharp or clear enough. It can be blotchy, hazy. Basically it is what I describe as degraded picture quality. There is a lot of fuzziness, noise, muddy or some other things what looks like grains especially when it is a moving picture, sometimes especially on the Tennis channel I see some small squares. When it is a steady shot focused on a person, then it is usually ok..but not perfect. Also, some channels appear to look a lot better then others, that's why I don't know if there is anything really wrong with my setup or not. But still even on half decent channels the quality is worse then cable TV.

I was especially frustrated with watching sports! I really love hockey. Occasionally I watch Tennis too. Well, it is frustrating to watch hockey because half the time you cannot even see the puck moving on the ice as it is so not clear. Especially when the camera is moving fast trying to follow the puck, anything in the background is really harsh looking..I do not know if that is pixelation or digitization or macro blocking or over compression, but it is totally horrible to watch.

Tennis channel is even worse. You cannot see the ball flying unless they replay in small motion. this is really upsetting. How are you supposed to watch any sports when you do not know what is going on in the field?

Other than sports, some channels have half decent PQ, like MSNBC for example..but still I think worse PQ then cable. Not crystal clear enough. Does dish network over compresses some channels or broadcasts some channels with reduced bandwidth? the point is it is impossible to watch sports.

Did anybody experience the same issues especially with sports programming? It is really frustrating to me since I just signed up with Dish Network on a 18 month contract. satellite companies are always bragging about how good they PQ is, but I am getting quality of worse than cable on both of my receivers and 4 TVs total.


I did try to realign the dish last night just to see if that helps. But it went dark fast, so I am going to try it again today. However, if I am getting a green signal with locked indication even if it is between 40-75 it should be the same PQ as if I had a signal strength of a 100 right?
Let me know what you all think cause I do not even know if has anything to do with the dish alignment.


P.S. SOMETIME AFTER POSTING THIS i came across this article - Video/Imaging DesignLine | Video compression artifacts and MPEG noise reduction
I think the most common effect I am experiencing in sports is the "mosquito nose" - http://i.cmpnet.com/videsignline/2006/02/algolith-fig2s.jpg

thanks,
andy

Andy,

No one will tell you that your picture quality could be affected by poor signal quality...except me. Your low signal could be the problem you are looking for. Marginal signal strength combined with system noise can degrade your picture.

Get your dish peaked and you will probably see a difference. It is at the very least the first thing that should be corrected.

Read more here:

HDTV Help!

 

[andyg]

Andy,

No one will tell you that your picture quality could be affected by poor signal quality...except me. Your low signal could be the problem you are looking for. Marginal signal strength combined with system noise can degrade your picture.

Get your dish peaked and you will probably see a difference. It is at the very least the first thing that should be corrected.

Read more here:

HDTV Help!

wow thanks..that's really helpful.
I don't have HD tv..but that sounds like it makes sense to make sure dish is right first.

thanks

 

[Liquidforce88]

andyg,

Your signals strength will not effect PQ. You either have picture, or you will have alot of pixelation and no picture. Even if the signal is right on the edge of dropping out it will work, you would see large areas of the screen freeze or block or skip, not what you describe. Your signals from what you have said are right in line with what they should be.

 

[primetimeguy]

Andy,

No one will tell you that your picture quality could be affected by poor signal quality...except me. Your low signal could be the problem you are looking for. Marginal signal strength combined with system noise can degrade your picture.

Get your dish peaked and you will probably see a difference. It is at the very least the first thing that should be corrected.

This advice is flat out wrong, a stronger signal will not give you better picture quality in the digital world.

 

[tigerfan33]

This advice is flat out wrong, a stronger signal will not give you better picture quality in the digital world.

True. You will have a picture or you will have no picture.

 

[JEFFinINDY]

Hello folks,

I am very very frustrated with picture quality on my new Dish network system.

[...]

Tennis channel is even worse. You cannot see the ball flying unless they replay in small motion. this is really upsetting. How are you supposed to watch any sports when you do not know what is going on in the field?

The picture quality of The Tennis Channel sucked on Comcast Digital Cable as well. Maybe the channels you are watching are just broadcasting a very poor picture. When I compare the channels I still get on Comcast basic cable to the picture quality on Dish, they are nearly identical with an edge going to Dish since there's no analog interference.

Some channels even vary day by day. Some days, the picture on MSNBC isn't as good as others, and on the days that it's worse it's also worse on Comcast.

Jeff

 

[andyg]

The picture quality of The Tennis Channel sucked on Comcast Digital Cable as well. Maybe the channels you are watching are just broadcasting a very poor picture. When I compare the channels I still get on Comcast basic cable to the picture quality on Dish, they are nearly identical with an edge going to Dish since there's no analog interference.

Some channels even vary day by day. Some days, the picture on MSNBC isn't as good as others, and on the days that it's worse it's also worse on Comcast.

Jeff

yeah who knows anymore really. However, I heard people from DirecTV who have Tennis channel..they say its perfect quality. Who knows! Maybe Dish Nwk on purpose over compresses some channels that they think not many people watch..like tennis channel. However, I am having similar problem with local RDS FSN Ohio. what gives?

 

[tigerfan33]

I am a regular watcher of the tennis channel. Sometime especially overseas tournaments are not good pq. Alot of the older matches such as old Davis Cup matches even from a few years ago are not good pq at all. The upside is that in Janurary on Direct,Tennis Channel hd will be launched. Hopefully it will not be long after it will be on Dish also.

 

[andyg]

ok guys...I think I have pinpointed what the problem is with my system. let me know your toughts.

here is the thing. I know that most of you say that signal strength does not affect picture quality at all. So, I just went and checked something.

I went to point dish screen on my receiver and checked the signal strength on all transponders for 119 and then 110 satellites (have dish 500).

Here is what I have found (min and max signal strength levels on both birds out of 125 max level):
119 bird: 62 min/76 max
110 bird: 21 min/68 max

As you can see the signal strength of 110 bird is lower.
Now, out of curiousity I went on dish network website and found out which satellite my "problem" channels are coming from. Surprisingly or not I found out that channels like Tennis Channel, Fox Soccer channel and other that are included in Top 250 package are broadcast from 110 bird with lower signal strength then 119.

Yes, I know that you are saying signal strenght does not matter for picture quality. However, nevertheless I wonder why 110 channels on my system have lower pq when they have lower signal strength????

One thing I found out that is not proving what I have found of course is that RDS FSN ohio where I watch hockey is coming from 119 bird (and I still have problems with that channel). However, FSN ohio on 119 is far much better pq then tennis channel or fox soccer channel on 110.

I am confused now..!

 

[tigerfan33]

ok guys...I think I have pinpointed what the problem is with my system. let me know your toughts.

here is the thing. I know that most of you say that signal strength does not affect picture quality at all. So, I just went and checked something.

I went to point dish screen on my receiver and checked the signal strength on all transponders for 119 and then 110 satellites (have dish 500).

Here is what I have found (min and max signal strength levels on both birds out of 125 max level):
119 bird: 62 min/76 max
110 bird: 21 min/68 max

As you can see the signal strength of 110 bird is lower.
Now, out of curiousity I went on dish network website and found out which satellite my "problem" channels are coming from. Surprisingly or not I found out that channels like Tennis Channel, Fox Soccer channel and other that are included in Top 250 package are broadcast from 110 bird with lower signal strength then 119.

Yes, I know that you are saying signal strenght does not matter for picture quality. However, nevertheless I wonder why 110 channels on my system have lower pq when they have lower signal strength????

One thing I found out that is not proving what I have found of course is that RDS FSN ohio where I watch hockey is coming from 119 bird (and I still have problems with that channel). However, FSN ohio on 119 is far much better pq then tennis channel or fox soccer channel on 110.

I am confused now..!

Doubtful. My signal strength on 129 is 14. Big Ten Network hd looks awesome. So does NBA hd.

 

[primetimeguy]

Yes, I know that you are saying signal strenght does not matter for picture quality. However, nevertheless I wonder why 110 channels on my system have lower pq when they have lower signal strength????

[\QUOTE]

Pure coincidence...signal strength does NOT affect PQ. The only thing that can happen is the signal gets so low you lose lock on the satellite and your picture drops out or starts breaking up.

 

[osu1991]

Do the 322 and 625 have the newer signal meter software? Signal doesn't affect picture quality. Signal affects reliability. Whether your signal is 68 or 99 the picture will be the same as long as the signal is steady and locked. If the signal is jumping then you will see the picture breaking up. Your strengths could be higher usually I get 90 to 100 on the 110 sat and 105 to 115 on the 119 sat using the old sat meter. The newer software signal strength I have 65 to 75 range on 110 and 119 and anywhere from 25 to 57 on the 129 sat.

 

[andyg]

I am a regular watcher of the tennis channel. Sometime especially overseas tournaments are not good pq. Alot of the older matches such as old Davis Cup matches even from a few years ago are not good pq at all. The upside is that in Janurary on Direct,Tennis Channel hd will be launched. Hopefully it will not be long after it will be on Dish also.

have you experienced the ball disappearing over the court when the tennis player hits it. You can't like track the ball a lot of times as it just blends in, fades because of such poor pq.