Are non HD tv channels being intentionally degraded in picture quality?

A few weeks ago RonManager started a thread about SSN moving off of freeview and going HD.

In that thread Pat from Poole made a comment which backed up thoughts that I’d been having over recent months about a decline in picture quality on non HD channels. Just watching sky sports news now on non HD and the picture quality is truly awful on my tv (which I will admit is getting on a bit now!!)

So was thinking this subject was worthy of a thread of its own! Does anyone else think that the quality of non HD tv channels has been intentionally degraded to try and increase sales of HD boxes and tvs?

OR do Pat & I just need to get better tvs?

I'm convinced that SKY are reducing the quality of their standard definition picture to encourage people to spend an extra £10 a month on HD. Turned SKY on this morning, SSN HD was a great picture, Millie Clode looking more fantastic as ever, then turn over to the non-HD version of SSN and it looks really blurred in comparison. Well, that was on my telly anyway, don't know what other people are finding.

I am with you on this! I've thought about 3 or 4 months ago that there had been a drop in picture quality on sky.

Havent heard that. I do know they are degrading the HD signal though, going for a cheaper lower spectrum width option than before.

Not directly related, but I did a tour of the NBC studios in the Rockefeller Center recently (in New York, America which is where I live). They said that since they switched their main news program to HD it transpired that people were able to read the subject lines of the computers behind the anchor. So they intentionally put some blurring sheets in the window behind him to make it look more fuzzy. Could be something similar at play here, feeding through to the non-HD.

Reminds me of this old classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1m8a4Jl4ZI&feature=related

don't have a TV so wouldn't know. what is HD anyway?

i have noticed on non HD channels how bad it is. My friends, who dont have HD, when visiting me often comment on how bad the non HD looks

I think they've made the font smaller on the text elements of the new service, as HD allows it be be clearer in a smaller font - and they can display more information.

The result is that this SD version has 'blurred' text as it cannot display the finer lines of the smaller font.

I'm not sure they could/would intentionally 'dumb down' the SD quality, but the font change is a clever way to demonstrate the extra detail possible on HD.

On a slightly different tack, I reckon that some so-called "HD" channels, especially from overseas, are just standard definition broadcast at higher contrast, and not HD at all.

Have just been watching SSN I'm normal def and thought my eyes were going but then switched to hi-def and it's so so much clearer its unreal.

I can't change my aspect ratio of my TV to be full widescreen or whatever.

Whenever i watch SSN i can't see any of the leagues to the right of the screen.

I can't change my aspect ratio of my TV to be full widescreen or whatever.

 

Whenever i watch SSN i can't see any of the leagues to the right of the screen.

Goto services> picture>scart/RF 1/2 picture format and change to 16:9

If that doesn't work, I'm out!

F8cking legend, never thought about changing the bloody sky settings lol

I know feel a complete tool

maybe its not bieng done deliberatly, I would guess Sky pay X amount for X amount of bandwidth so to cut costs they compress the crap out of the SD signal to get more out of there HD signal. it would also make the HD signal appear even better, they certainly wont scrimp as much on the HD IMO. I work for a multi channel shopping telly company and the more channels we run the crapper the overall quality is as we dont necessarily pay the premium for bandwidth.

F8cking legend, never thought about changing the bloody sky settings lol

 

I know feel a complete tool

**** me! I answered a technical question!!

don't have a TV so wouldn't know. what is HD anyway?

what is all your furniture pointed at?

what is all your furniture pointed at?

The naked wife by the beer fridge ?

They probably are decreasing the bit rate on SD channels to acommodate HD and 3D channels without increasing the bandwidth.

maybe its not bieng done deliberatly, I would guess Sky pay X amount for X amount of bandwidth so to cut costs they compress the crap out of the SD signal to get more out of there HD signal. it would also make the HD signal appear even better, they certainly wont scrimp as much on the HD IMO. I work for a multi channel shopping telly company and the more channels we run the crapper the overall quality is as we dont necessarily pay the premium for bandwidth.

missed this. yep agreed. though i've heard the HD channels look like **** too.

Bridgey

Signed

A Luddite

They probably are decreasing the bit rate on SD channels to acommodate HD and 3D channels without increasing the bandwidth.

This, I imagine.

It's clearly in Sky's interests to get as many customers switched over to their HD packages as quickly as possible, for most customers that means an extra tenner a month. If they can convert all of their 10m subscribers to HD, that's a scary amount of extra revenue, even if half of them are on promotional deals for the HD part of the subscription.

"It's that simple...."

Some yes some no. But basically it could just be your TV

Some yes some no. But basically it could just be your TV

If you go online there are a lot of comments to the effect that the SKY HD boxes deliberately make the non HD channels blurry in order to emphasise the 'need' for the HD package.

If you go online there are a lot of comments to the effect that the SKY HD boxes deliberately make the non HD channels blurry in order to emphasise the 'need' for the HD package.

oh yes Sky are terible for it however BBC have actually "Dumb Downed" their HD Quality so there is not much difference in some of the programming between the HD and the Freeview Signal.

Personally just ditched Sky as I see no real need to spend the money but I have noticed that watching football on say ITV normal on Sky is worse than through my freeview signal.

F8cking legend, never thought about changing the bloody sky settings lol

 

I know feel a complete tool

Had the same problem and followed the instructions, (see Bridgeys posting, above).

My considered opinion is that the whole HD lark is a big scam by Sky to squeeze more cash out of Joe Public. I real can't see any difference from a well tuned digital TV so why pay through the nose for something that gives little or no improvement for picture quality, especially when all they show is 'Premier' League garbage. You may safely assume I have no intention of becoming a subscriber

in regards to HD quality on some channels first thing to consider is the source material HD, a lot of channels will simply upscale much like some dvd players do SD footage so that it looks better on HD channels, it still wont compare however to stuff thats been shot in HD natively.

to the OP are you watching on the same TV that you always have or have you upgraded size of your TV? the larger your screen in a lot of cases the worse SD footage begins to look. one of the key points of HD is to keep the quality of the image on much larger screen. But like I said earlier its probably a cost cutting device for bandwith.

My cheap old Beko CRT TV when bang the other day so I replaced it with mid market 'HD Ready' Hitachi 32in LCD. I can't comment on Sky as I don't believe in pay TV, but the normal Freeview picture quality is appalling on my flash new telly I have to say.

Not impressed.