Satellite picture quality vs OTA SD

[rxnelson]

My analog cable quality leaves a lot to be desired. However, I haven't jumped to satellite because I don't want all that HD and not be able to record it on BTV. Now that the new Hauppauge HD recorder is on the horizon I feel the option for satellite is back on the table. My question is how do the regular (not HD) satellite digital channels look? It could only be better than my cable. How does it compare to OTA SD? I just can't see paying more money if the picture quality is only a little better for the non-HD shows. In my case OTA SD blows my cable away.

On a side note, while I am planning my upgrade, do the satellite HD tuners also tune the regular channels or do you get a separate box?

Thanks.

[rxnelson]

Anyone have both cable and satellite and could send some screen caps?

[merrypig]

I use directv and only capture SDTV. I've been doing this for 5 years or so (wow) and am very happy with the quality. I use a profile that's similar to a DVD (6-9Mbps vbr for movies).

On my Samsung CRT (that is a HDTV capable display) the picture is amazing. Not sure if the TV is doing some thing to the video but the color and sharpness is perfect. I've watched hd material on the screen and to be honest I haven't seen much difference between SDTV and 720p formats.

On my 800x600 DLP projector , I've also watched SD content (and dvds) for years and been happy with the picture. It doesn't look as sharp as the samsung by a long shot but I only notice quality issues with low capture rates that I use for cartoons etc. (when the commercials come on the bit rate is too low to keep up with the motion but works fine for the simple coloration of the cartoons).


That said, in theory directv satellite (non hd) shouldn' tbe any different to cable tv , especially if from a Set top box where you're capturing svideo or some such. But it would seem some broadcasters get their video in compressed formats from else where and then decompress before sending to you (analog cable) or recompress (digital formats). Satellite delivery isn't immune to the same trickery but seems to be pretty good on directv imho. never tried cable myself so I'm purely speculating here.

I do find the directv satellite costs somewhat heavy tho and they just went up again. I think though I'm in the same boat as you, when the HD capture cards take off I'll probably upgrade to HD satellite equipment but until then , I'm not bothering to upgrade my hardware/subscription just yet.

[Bigbird999]

merrypig
FWIW, I also have a HD CRT (32 in Toshiba 4:3 1080i) and I can't tell the difference between digital SD and HD. The picture is just so sharp and clear. My wife loves it so much that we just spent $300 to have the flyback transformer replaced in this hulking dinosaur. Big and ugly for sure but you can't beat the SD picture.

BB

[Rich A]

MerryPig,

Here is an interesting off topic note. I too have a DLP 800 x 600 PJ in the home theater. And my experience pretty much parallels yours. I found out last week that I hit the 4000 hour mark. The built in lamp timer popped up a "Warning" that I only had 3 hours left for bulb life. Then three hours later, the PJ just stopped working. The original Firmware with this Infocus X1 DLP PJ had bulb life set at 3000 hours, but new firmware came out extending it to 4000 hours. So I finally hit 4K hours. Luckily I was able to reset the bulb timer manually when starting the PJ, so I have another 4,000 hours. BUT ... I now risk the possibility of the lamp exploding (which is why the built in timer limit). So I just make sure that I don't sit under the PJ.

Meanwhile I'm looking for a new lamp for under 300 bucks. (just missed a couple Ebay deals recently too) Usually about 90 percent of my BTV viewing is in the home theater with the other 10 percent via one of my link machines.

Sorry for the off topic banter .. slow day at the shop ..

[rxnelson]

I have a 36 inch CRT that can display HD as well. Call me crazy but I think they look better than newer plasma/lcd screens. I don't see the pixelation/blur that I see now on the displays in the stores when I watch an OTA feed. Cable is another animal.

If satellite SD looks anything like OTA SD that would be something because that would probably make me switch from analog cable. Factor in the hauppauge hd pvr coming out and I don't know how I could resist.

[dgw80]

I have a Samsung 27" CRT HDTV in my bedroom. SD from my Dish satellite receiver (via HVR-1600/BTV Link) looks great. I'm pretty happy with the HD picture on it, too. My LCD computer monitor at 1680x1050 displays HD beautifully, but SD from the same satellite receiver looks pretty bad.

So, with this experience and, given our viewing habits (still watch a fair amount of SD material), I'm thinking a 720p Plasma HDTV might be a better choice for my family room than the 1080p LCD I had originally planned on.

Dennis

[merrypig]

Originally Posted by Rich A

MerryPig,

Here is an interesting off topic note. ... re dlp bulb life
Sorry for the off topic banter .. slow day at the shop ..

Yeah, know what you mean but I actually replaced my first bulb before it even hit 2000 hours. It was working ok, but I had noticed a slight difficulty viewing in daytime ambient light conditions so I just bought a new bulb anyway.

I've barely put 200 hours on the new bulb since I got the CRT and now just watch that from the bedroom. (lazy I know ya ya)

Even more off topic tho; I just got a wii last night and hooked it into the projector. Life size boxing for giggles