Voom vs. Direct sucks!

[lostcause]

no its 4 lol

hdnet
hdnetmovies
espnhd
discoveryhd

I know this but I didn't include espn(hd). I don't consider a channel that just upconverts 480i to 720p and stretches it to be a real HD channel.

My tv can upconvert 480i to 1080i just fine by itself. This doesn't make all my SD channels suddenly HD.

 

[jwaltz666]

I don't consider a channel that just upconverts 480i to 720p and stretches it to be a real HD channel.

ESPN is no longer Stretch-O-Vision. Now all the SD content is framed.

The set is HDCP enabled and it has 1080i native and is set that way.

You might want to check that.. I don't believe that any plasma set is 1080i native. What's the model #?

 

[vurbano]

I know this but I didn't include espn(hd). I don't consider a channel that just upconverts 480i to 720p and stretches it to be a real HD channel.


My tv can upconvert 480i to 1080i just fine by itself. This doesn't make all my SD channels suddenly HD.

espnhd doesnt stretch anymore, but i am not a fan of espnhd either. Dont get me started on a sermon.

 

[jose44]

Pq

I watched a movie last night, something about My Giant, where PQ deteriorated throughout the movie. By the end it was like watching through the bottom of pop bottles.

I looked at the movie Phone Booth, and I couldn't get the color right--a not uncommon problem with my Voom. The picture looks washed out, or like some no-talent college kid was trying to film it artsy-fartsy.

InSync, sorry your box doesn't work well. But, as I sit here at my $700 computer, wearing my $29.95 Tar-jay trousers, sitting in my $80 chair, I don't know what to tell you. I've got to go get my $150/year paper now, but I'll keep thinking about it.

 

[lostcause]

Ah...ok. I had seen a couple of things on espnhd with the frames. I just assumed it was only those particular shows. Anyways, still pretty crappy if you ask me. Most everything on it is still upconverted. Like I said, my tv can upconvert a 480i SD feed to 1080i just fine. This doesn't make all my SD channels suddenly turn into HD channels.

 

[jwaltz666]

The reason I asked is that I suspect that the native resolution of your set is 720p not 1080i

yes espn is lacking in hd content, but at least they aren't ruining the aspect on their SD stuff anymore.

the one you should be dissing though is TNT.. they are the current upconvert and stretch champions.

 

[vurbano]

Ah...ok. I had seen a couple of things on espnhd with the frames. I just assumed it was only those particular shows. Anyways, still pretty crappy if you ask me. Most everything on it is still upconverted. Like I said, my tv can upconvert a 480i SD feed to 1080i just fine. This doesn't make all my SD channels suddenly turn into HD channels.

Well not true grasshopper. You see since they built their fancy schmancy complex they can now do sportcenter in HD and fill up most of their air time with pretty red and blue colors as well as worthless HD of Dan Patrick. LMAO. I wonder just how many live HD events they could have done if they had spent all of that cash on renting more trucks? Ah but that wouldnt have upped their HD percentages as much would it?
And since FOX is making a real HD effort they can scrape up leftover 720p truck time from the ones being built to accomodate FOX.

 

[InSync]

OK here is a real loop for you. I have been concentrating on the PQ of HDTV because thats what I bought my tv for and have finally compared the PQ of non-HD with D* to V* and V* is better. Everyone here is complaining of the PQ in this realm. Go figure!

 

[InSync]

I didn't go with Plasma. I checked them out but there was flickering or artifacting in the skin tones. I went with the Pioneer Elite 530 rear projection. The technology was perfected and I didn't mind the size of the box. I chose this set vs. the larger 630 because they use the same guns and the 630 didn't have the resolution or brightness. I didn't choose the 730 even though it has higher resolution because my eyes to set distance is exactly 11 feet and that is to close for the 730 without "head turning" It took me three years to make the decision and it was purely based on picture quality in my given environment. Once my set was tweeked in my humble opinion I have never seen a picture as good as mine. Now the HD with V* is frustrating.
For anyone interested in my electronics I am using Quad ESL57's front speakers, Macintosh tube amps, MK subwoofer, Final rear speakers, Martin Logan center channel, and the weakest part of the link a Pioneer pre-amp used as a switching unit. I change the Pioneer over to a David Hafler when listening to music.

 

[jwaltz666]

oops.. I think I saw pioneer elite and filled in the blank with plasma
sounds like a killer setup btw

 

[InSync]

There have been some references on this forum that some of the older movies suffer because they are, well "old". However, when I was watching HDNET on D* and viewing the old sitcoms of Hogan's Heroes I was absolutely amazed at the clarity. I openly commented how the threads fraying on their uniforms was perfectly clear and that the makeup applied scars were now so visibly "just makeup". If anything I thought the older movies were clearer than todays because they used so much more care in the lighting and filming process. Has anyone else on this forum actually done a in home comparison on a good large screen (50"or greater)between V* and D*? I believe the set would have to be at least 50" because fine resolution issues would begin to show up at that juncture. I suspect there are people viewing V* that are not aware that they may not be experiencing all that their tv is capable of delivering.

 

[gutter]

Do you have any idea what bitrate a non multicasting OTA HD uses? The only station I would ever compare to CBS HD OTA is HDnet and even that falls short. Its usually 16mbps on most sat services. OTA HD can be over 19mbps. Of course their is no comparison. When a sat service can do that , Im there.

I agree and that is what VOOM should strive for or the equal of it in WM9. Why shoudl we accept less? I put back my old STB for OTA instead of viewing the same digital local on VOOM. Why should I accept less? And yes, I do know the bitmap bandwith. Now you see my point.

 

[Sean Mota]

There have been some references on this forum that some of the older movies suffer because they are, well "old". However, when I was watching HDNET on D* and viewing the old sitcoms of Hogan's Heroes I was absolutely amazed at the clarity. I openly commented how the threads fraying on their uniforms was perfectly clear and that the makeup applied scars were now so visibly "just makeup". If anything I thought the older movies were clearer than todays because they used so much more care in the lighting and filming process. Has anyone else on this forum actually done a in home comparison on a good large screen (50"or greater)between V* and D*? I believe the set would have to be at least 50" because fine resolution issues would begin to show up at that juncture. I suspect there are people viewing V* that are not aware that they may not be experiencing all that their tv is capable of delivering.

Just because a movie is old is not the only criteria for an HD transfer to either look great or horrendous. Two points about this will be the conservation and preservation of the original master is essential. Look at the transfer of Easy Money. A film of the 80's but horrible HD transfer yet a film like "The First Time" (1969) looks great. Also the OAR when kept, prevents the zooming and tend to give much better resolution to the film. HDnet movies showed most of these movies in its OAR if I am not mistaken.

 

[barth2k]

I mentioned the same thing about older movies before. Don't blame mediocre PQ on the age of the movies -- blame poor print, lousy HD transfer, and insufficicent bandwidth. When I had D*, I saw old movies on hdnet that regularly trounced new releases on HBO for PQ. My theory is a lot of older movies are more brightly lit and look better just for that. This is true with TV shows too. Ever watch Joan of Arcadia? All the indoor scenes look like they're having a permanent blackout. It's like every cinematographer/videographer out there thinks he's shooting Godfather.

 

[gutter]

Just because a movie is old is not the only criteria for an HD transfer to either look great or horrendous. Two points about this will be the conservation and preservation of the original master is essential. Look at the transfer of Easy Money. A film of the 80's but horrible HD transfer yet a film like "The First Time" (1969) looks great. Also the OAR when kept, prevents the zooming and tend to give much better resolution to the film. HDnet movies showed most of these movies in its OAR if I am not mistaken.

That is dead on correct...especially regarding the zoom in to artificially fit the 16X9 screen. I don't mind the top and bottom bars. I would prefer to see the original aspect ratio of the director. VOOM even uses that in their on-air promos. Wish they would follow that to the letter

Also has anybody noticed that it appears that VOOM is accepting advertising on Monster channel? Saw a promo for a movie yet to be released. I assume it was a paid add but I could be wrong. I have no problem with that at all.

 

[Sean Mota]

Not every movie on VOOM's Cinema 10 is from the 1960's and looked bad. There has been quite a lot that looked excellent. Here's a few titles of top of my head that I have seen and HD transfer has looked excellent.

Dream Lover (1994)
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Platoon (1986)
The Locusts (1997)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Europa Europa (1991)
In the Time of the Butterflies (2001)
Oh, God (1977)
South Central (1992)
The Leather Boys (1963)
The Woman in Red (1984)
Where Eagles Dare (1969)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Innocent Blood (1992)
Live Flesh (1997)
Molly (1999)
Species II (1998)
The Man with Two Brains (1983)
The Terminator (1984)
The Vanishing (1988)
The Sheltering Sky (1990)

 

[InSync]

Thelma and Louise on my set didn't look as good as it should.
I have to go shoot a video gig. I hope everyone has a safe and happy fourth. Remember what this day is all about and our people in the armed forces putting themselves in harms way to protect and preserve the ideals that this day commemorates.

 

[TechCop]

Some movies are not supposed to look "lifelike"

I looked at the movie Phone Booth, and I couldn't get the color right--a not uncommon problem with my Voom. The picture looks washed out, or like some no-talent college kid was trying to film it artsy-fartsy.

I think Phone Booth is supposed to have that washed-out bluish tint to it. My DVD does. Kinda like "Three Kings', where it all looks gold. The DVD talks about the filtering used and the "artsy-fartsy" effect they were after. I saw some of the promos (for Three Kings) on TNT that looked like the color had been "corrected"...

 

[slacker9876]

why dont you compare StarzHD on voom vs directv's version?

LOL, you smart-ass! This was the exact reason I tried Voom! As you probably read I am back in bed with D* and their limited HD offering, PQ is those most important thing to lots of us.

In reality if you compare interesting content I have just as much HD with D* as I did with V*, it's called OTA and the occasional Discovery Theatre show.

Still wish D* would get on the stick ... I don't need E&W feeds just a friggin HD for the main movie channels.

 

[riffjim4069]

Also has anybody noticed that it appears that VOOM is accepting advertising on Monster channel? Saw a promo for a movie yet to be released. I assume it was a paid add but I could be wrong. I have no problem with that at all.

Yep, I too noticed the movie trailer and don't mind if they sneak in a couple during Intermission. More trailers = less Voom Guide Guy