DTV is a joke! Please tell me I'm wrong. (1 Viewer)

[PaulKH]

RodU - probably nothing wrong with your Dish box - over the air reception isn't compressed which is why it looks so great, and they compress the $#!+ out of satelite feeds.

Interesting feedback about the Samsung box's analog vs. digital outputs. I also have the Samsung box and have it connected via optical. I haven't tried the analog output but haven't noticed whether I get any rear channel output from the digital feed (I haven't noticed any). I'll have to play around.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Rod,
I'm using a Toshiba DST-3000 box, and I've also noticed the difference in color and black level between HD sat (HBO and HDNET) and ota digital vs regular ntsc satellite and ota or cable signals. You may also notice that the color controls on your tv act differently when watching HD vs ntsc, almost as if they're "geared down".
I suspect that color is processed differently for digital broadcasts.
In my experience, very few of the satellite HD channels broadcast in full 5.1. HBO does so only occasionally, HDNET never. ABC is broadcasting all HD material in 5.1, and my local affiliate passes this on, but yours may not.

 

[Nathan_R]

Speaking of hi-def content, are there any plans to put the Discovery Channel in hi-def on satellite in the near future? I think many of their programs would look really good in hi-def!

Unfortunately, it looks like Discovery Hi-Def is a pipe dream. The Directv demo used to show EcoChallenge and documentary clips (I remember a bit on the Dracula biography thing. People from various forums have emailed Discovery to find out what's up with their hi-def, but the usual canned response comes back. I for one would love to see Discovery's hi-def programming. I heard a while back that all their self-produced stuff IS filmed hi-def, but I wouldn't take that as gospel.

Hopefully, it will happen one day...and one day soon.

~~Nathan

 

[John Morris]

I was very sceptical about spending the money for a 64" HDTV but eventually did. I also picked up a Sony HD100 and OTA antenna and preamp all for only $416. Total spent, an outrageous $4000.

Since then, we've decided it is the best 4 grand we have ever spent. Every night, we are enthralled by the images we see. Some of these shows even broadcast in DD 5.1 audio. We now make our viewing decisions based on which shows are in HDTV. SD shows are time shifted via our ReplayTV units.

I could never, ever, ever go back to cruddy 480i broadcasts. Hopefully, we won't have to sue to keep our OTA HDTV broadcasts...

 

[Carlo_M]

ARGGH! Panasonic has dropped the price on their HD receiver to $499 (which means I can get it for considerably less) but now I read that future HD programming may render this box obsolete! Couple that with the fact that there's not too much true HD programming going around...
What's a guy got to do to spend his money this holiday season?