PBS HD is Horrible.

[Bebop]

I still believe that you cannot compare either pictures.  They are not the same.  I do believe that you can get better quality from and internet file vs OTA.  As was posted, the OTA file was 3x larger than the internet file.  That means the the internet file was most likely MPEG 4 encoded.  Also do we know what the source of the internet file?  For all we know it was created from a master copy when encoded as MPEG 4.  


Dave

This is not about H.264 vs. MPEG2. I don't know why you still fixated on that point? It is about local PBS' reduced bit-rate/compression on the HD channel. How else can one see how bad the PBS picture is without reference?

The source file is probably an OTA file from ITV and then further compressed. If the torrent file is compressed even further. The picture quality will be just as bad.

[jjallou]

When MPTV switched 10-1 from 1080i at full bitrate to 720p at 10Mbps there was a definitive degradation to the picture quality. I watched Austin City Limits last Saturday night and, yes the picture quality is poor. On a 60" screen the difference between 10-1 & 36-2 is negligible. 10Mbps makes for excellent SD - not HD. When 8Mbps is missing from the HD stream I can tell.

10-1 use to be the premiere station to use to show off your HD set. Not anymore.

[wxndave]

All I'm trying to say is you cannot compare the two pictures.  They are not the same.  I would rather see you compare two OTA recorded files from different stations.  Yes the version recorded from MPTV is soft.  However you can only guess why.  Is it Bit-rate, PBS satellite, 720p, the playback server, the 1080i - 720p converter or the HD encoder?  Maybe it is a combination of all of these things.  I agree it could be better.

[Xizer]

All I'm trying to say is you cannot compare the two pictures.  They are not the same.  I would rather see you compare two OTA recorded files from different stations.  Yes the version recorded from MPTV is soft.  However you can only guess why.  Is it Bit-rate, PBS satellite, 720p, the playback server, the 1080i - 720p converter or the HD encoder?  Maybe it is a combination of all of these things.  I agree it could be better.

http://binsearch.info/?q=PBS+NOVA+S38E03&max=250&adv_age=&server=

Top one labeled "RECAP" is a raw transport stream from New Jersey affiliate WNJN (1080i, 14 Mbps.) Bottom one is a raw transport stream from Chicago affiliate WTTW (1080i, 10 Mbps)

Have fun.

[ArgMeMatey]

All I'm trying to say is you cannot compare the two pictures.  They are not the same.  I would rather see you compare two OTA recorded files from different stations.

Would it be reasonable to say that all other thing remaining equal, if we could see a screen cap from before the subchannels were added, and one from after the subchannels were added, the one after the change would look worse?  

We don't have that in this thread, but my sense is that if we did, we would see a difference.