Popular Mechanics gets wise to HD compression
Around Engadget, we're all too familiar with the evil bit starving ways of some content providers and local affiliates in the name of the bottom line. But it's always good to see the more mainstream press get wise as Popular Mechanics has a good article on the why and why not, our HD signal is over compressed. The most interesting new piece of information is something we've heard of in the past, but it's good to get additional details, which is HBO's requirements in regards to what a provider can do with its signal. We assumed the requirements would specify a minimum bit rate, but in reality it is a limitation of what other content can be carried on the same QAM channel. So that means no sports, animated content, or any other bit hungry content for that matter. Ultimately, all this talk just makes us enjoy our Blu-ray Discs that much more.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Miggity @ Jul 28th 2008 2:48AM
And what about the douchebags over at History Channel HD who see fit to f*ck up half their broadcasts by sending out SRETCHED 16:9. I don't even watch the History Channel anymore because you never know if that new episode is going be correct or all f*cked up beyond all recognition.
HEY HISTORY CHANNEL! GET YOUR HEAD OUT YOUR ASS! ASPECT RATIOS! FIGURE IT OUT!
Britboyj27 @ Jul 28th 2008 11:22AM
All A&E Networks do it, not just History.
I once sent them an email about it and they said they surveyed their viewers and they said that's what they wanted. *shrug*
Miggity @ Jul 28th 2008 11:31AM
I've received that same email a few times. But it doesn't address the problem! Nobody, NOBODY, is wanting a 16:9 image letterboxed and stretched horizontally. That doesn't make any sense. No excuse for that. I just plain won't watch it.
As for compression. Here in Portland, OR our PBS station has 1 HD channel and then 3 SD substations. Needless to say this makes the HD by far the worst looking OTA station I receive.
Glenn Gore @ Jul 28th 2008 6:43AM
This practice is common among programmers, dictating channel position (low or high resulting in discounts in the price), who they must be next to (Discovery HD Theater must be positioned next to National Geographic HD, ESPN must be next to ESPN2 and ESPN Classic), and other requirements.
GhostDoggy @ Jul 28th 2008 8:06AM
This is nothing more than a continuation of the fleecing of cowsumers. Stop complaining and eat your grass, moo occasionally, and forget you can ever do something about it. :)
Mooooo
Rob @ Jul 28th 2008 8:52AM
Engadget has a major issue with their comments.
I'd post it again, OTA HD is the best. No compression other than the one applied by the networks. It's disappointing to think of all the amount of compression every program out there is subjected to; after editing, encoding for disc, compressed by network according to their equipments' limitations, cable/satellite provider. Four stages that come to mind right away. At least with an antenna, you skip one.
andyg8180 @ Jul 28th 2008 9:12AM
I'm with you there... OTA HD, Netflix Blu, hulu.com, and netflix watch instantly, xbox marketplace... All in HD, or upconverted HD at least lol...
All that with a bad ass internet connection is STILL cheaper than what most people are paying for cableTV...
Cactus @ Aug 1st 2008 8:06PM
Like Miggity said, this isn't necessarily true... all OTA HD stations here have crammed their signals with subchannels. The ABC station (supposedly HD) here runs an all-weather local channel, FOX (480p widescreen), CW, and Telemundo...
I didn't even know you could physically cram 5 stations onto one signal, but apparently you can. And they all look terrible.
Allen @ Aug 4th 2008 3:55PM
Yes, it's sad. No simple way to determine picture quality. Dish companies say "100% Digital" -- well so is a crappy cell phone video! :-) So tell me another frigging story. Blu-Ray? Probably good. But HD over cable or a dish? It has 1080 lines. So? Because of compression, that says NOTHING about the picture quality of the movie you're thinking of buying? I won't spend the cash on upgrading my DISH Network equipment to get their HD. Why? They won't define it in any meaningful terms. So it is 1080 lines? So it is 100% digital. So? I already have reason not to trust them in the least: I was getting HBO in supposedly DVD-like quality -- ended my subscription. They compressed the hell out of it -- image artifacts, weak color. You could tell simply by watching the first run (Saturday night) to the same movie on HBO2, later. One had a lot of bandwidth and an OK picture and the rebroadcast was CRAP!
Is the answer some simple "bandwidth" meter? What if the product had an image that said something like "HD, 1080P, n.nn bps" or "HD 720P, high/med/low bps" Would that cover it? They need to do something. I'm not buying products based on "Trust Me!" from any modern corporation -- they simply do not seem to have any pride in their own products.