TV/HD/Sky Qs

[thescullster]

Hi all

I have a Sony Bravia 32" TV and have been watching the Free-to-View standard Sky channels. The DIY bit is that I set the dish and cabling up having inherited it from emigrating friends!

The TV specifications state that the HDMI input supports 1080i and 720p. The following link suggests that 1080i is more relevant to TV viewing than 1080p

I have just come by a more up-to-date Sky box which offers some free HD channels.

Given the spec of the TV in terms of supported HDMI input, will I notice a big difference moving from scart to HDMI cable between the Sky box and TV?

Thanks

Phil

[Lee]

Simply, yes. At least for the HD channels. Unless you are like my SWMBO who refuses to wear her glasses indoors and claims to see no difference :) :)

[Bill Wright]

thescullster wrote: will I notice

Assuming you can see, and assuming you are watching a genuine HD source, not an upscaled programme, yes.

Bill

[thescullster]

Thanks Lee

The annoying bit is that you only get free HD on some channels not all. On the new Sky box, the HD channels have moved to the previous standard channel numbers, so we have to learn a whole new set of channel numbers to navigate to the non-HD versions for the paid HD channels, ITV etc. Maybe we'll be so impressed with HD that we ditch Sky and go Humax and FreeSAT. I think there's a greater HD range on there!

Phil

[thescullster]

Hi Bill

Are general TV broadcasts viewed through a Sky box "upscaled programmes"? Are Sky boxes considered a genuine HD source?

Can I see? - Need glasses for close screen work and reading, so probably losing some detail at TV viewing range if truth be told.

Phil

[Martin Bonner]

How far is the Sky Box from the TV? Given that you can buy 1m HDMI cables from Poundland, you might as well give it a try.

Note: The joy of digital signalling, is that if a cheap cable works at all, it works perfectly. (A cheap cable may not survive many insertion/removals, but presumably you will leave the two permanently connected.)

[Lee]

I've been quite impressed with the picture quality of the HD channels on FreeviewHD, though I suppose that's a bit of a postcode lottery compared to satellite.

[thescullster]

Yes 1m cables will be fine - I'll give it a go.

Phil

[Dave Liquorice]

You are over thinking it. HDMI devices chat with each other and find the "best" common standard.

On HD channels if you don't, go an book an appointment with an Optician. B-)

Almost everything these days is orginated in HD. Only old material and some regional news would require upscaling for HD channels.

[whisky-dave]

I see quite a differnce between HD channels the ITV ones seem quite bad compared to BBC, Sky ones are OK. Maybe it's what they are transmitting but I've seen jaggies on HD channels.

Talking of which did anyone see Jessi Jay being interviewed for teh MOJOs about 6:45pm last night, complain that it's a cold night, as she stood their almost topless.

[Richard Tobin]

Even an SD source, upscaled before transmission, should look better than the same source transmitted as SD, because at the bitrates used on Freeview you don't get the full original quality.

-- Richard

[Brian Gaff]

I just wish she could sing in tune for a change. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

I've also noticed that sound on freeview sd is beginning to suffer of late, with that horrible swizzling effect on the sound when the complexity hits the resolution buffer of the compression used. Its phase jitter that makes stuff sound like grotty worn out cassette tape. Brian

[thescullster]

Yes we fell foul of the regional news issue last night. When "Look North" came on, the display cleared to be replaced by a message telling us it wasn't available in the current format. Had to revert to SD channel.

Phil

[Dave Plowman (News)]

SCART doesn't support HD.

However, it depends on how good the programme material is as to the difference.

[Bill Wright]

Only if they were originally made in SD. For instance the Community Channel HD hasn't shown an HD programme yet, to my knowledge!

Of course, as long as you use an HDMI lead.

Bill

[Dave Liquorice]

The only way to get an HD signal between (domestic) devices. Sky HD is pretty good but some of the HD channels not in the Sky EPG are better as they run higher bit rates. I believe Sky run at about 10 Mbps, bluray is just under 50 Mbps, what comes out the back of an HD broadcast camera is over 1 Gbps...

[Dave Liquorice]

That's a distribution system problem not really an SD/HD one. In the old days the regional opt out done by effectively just a switch in the feed to local transmitter(s). This simple operation doesn't work with digital statisical multiplexes.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think you can get HD over components too. I used it with the old TV and the satellite box - as it only had the one digital input.

I'm not really sure just why Scart won't do HD - after all it's RGB. So similar to components.

[dennis]

Some of the sky channels are in the 30-50 Mbit range. Some are 2-3 Mbit.

1 Gbps SDI isn't really a broadcast signal.