Directv hd gui

[kevbeck122]

The new GUI just got released to the CE beta testers.  It should be released in the next couple of months to the public.  

Looks pretty good compared to what we have now:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/03/directvs-new-hd-ui-revealed-to-testers-is-prettier-and-faster/

[Steve Mann]

Thanks for that... Can't wait for the HD interface.

But what is even better news in that link is that D* will be adding AMC-HD next week! I'll not have to wait on the BluRays of The Walking Dead this year to watch the show. Fantabulous!

[PONIES]

Ugh. Why? AMC HD's distribution feed is dreadful.

Here's MPEG2Repair logs of the same show from Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS I tested today.

Sequence Frame 32362(10-B) / Time 0:27:12 :
Info: End of MPEG2 sequence

Sequence Summary:

File Size Processed: 1.88 GB, Play Time: 00h:27m:13s
1920 x 1080, 29.97 fps, 38.81 Mbps (9.18 Mbps Average).
Average Video Quality: 56.58 KB/Frame, 0.22 Bits/Pixel.
AC3 Audio: 3/2 Channels (L, C, R, SL, SR) + LFE, 48.0 kHz, 384 kbps.
Dialog Normalization: -27.0 dB, Center Mix Level: -3.0 dB, Surround Mix Level: -3.0 dB
0 of 32362 video frames found with errors.
0 of 51036 audio frames found with errors.
0 corrupted video bytes in file.
0.000000 seconds of video timestamp gaps.
0.000000 seconds of audio timestamp gaps.

End of Log

Sequence Frame 19777(1-B) / Time 0:22:08 :
Info: End of MPEG2 sequence

Sequence Summary:

File Size Processed: 1.53 GB, Play Time: 00h:22m:08s
1920 x 1080, 29.97 fps, 18.00 Mbps (9.17 Mbps Average).
Average Video Quality: 75.22 KB/Frame, 0.30 Bits/Pixel.
AC3 Audio: 3/2 Channels (L, C, R, SL, SR) + LFE, 48.0 kHz, 384 kbps.
Dialog Normalization: -27.0 dB, Center Mix Level: -3.0 dB, Surround Mix Level: -3.0 dB
0 of 19777 video frames found with errors.
1 of 41509 audio frames found with errors.
0 corrupted video bytes in file.
0.000000 seconds of video timestamp gaps.
0.096000 seconds of audio timestamp gaps.

Look at that 9 Mbps bitrate. It's pitiful. I've seen it drop as low as 7 Mbps average during Breaking Bad episodes. The only cable channel I know of with a lower bitrate than AMC HD is Biography. Everything else is 12-18 Mbps at least.

Verizon and TWC don't seem to be re-encoding it, but DirecTV does re-encode everything to H.264. Every time you re-encode, you lose quality. I anticipate that AMC HD is going to look even worse for DirecTV subscribers. That is unless Rainbow Media hooks them up with some kind of exclusive distribution feed that they're not giving all the other providers in the nation.

AMC HD already looks worse on every provider than the 720p downloads on iTunes:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/67771
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/67772
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/67773
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/67774

I'd rather just wait for the Blu-rays. Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead deserve better than this.

[kevbeck122]

Well at least it's better than SD.  DIRECTV SD is terrible compared to the other providers.

While they do re-encode, D* still has the best HD quality IMO, 2nd to the cable companies that don't lower the bit rate.

[PONIES]

Time Warner Cable doesn't seem to be re-encoding in this market.

I've checked AMC HD and A&E HD feeds and they're the identical 8 Mbps and 17 Mbps they are on Verizon FiOS, respectively.

They may be re-encoding some channels and leaving others alone. I've noticed a suspicious number of channels have a bitrate around 14 Mbps.

I will have to conduct further tests.