DStv High-Definition broadcast details

Satellite TV is reaching it's own bottleneck quickly.
 
So if you need two feeds for existing HD channels, you most probably will need three or four for 1080p? :sick:

And how about HD for my Drifta? :D
 
I hope this info from the spokesperson isn't a pre-emptive excuse as to why they can't reduce compression on their channels. It's sometimes very obvious and irritating.
 
HD only for premium AFAIK. I would rather they make the current HD channels actually look like HD first.
 
I would rather they make the current HD channels actually look like HD first.
Mostly looks pretty full HD to me, esp sport. Obviously not perfect, some lower grade stuff does creep in occasionally.
 
Interlaced is so... 80's. Really, it's just been a copout for most television/video/camera manufacturers at reducing bandwidth and processing requirements. This is 2012. 2012! Progressive is everywhere, don't become a dinosaur DStv.
 
Progressive is everywhere
Not in HDTV broadcasting, there are very few that don't use the 1080i format. 1080p broadcasting is virtually non-existant due to the higher costs with minimal benefit.
 
So 720p is the best quality they are going to broadcast in for the foreseeable future.
1080i is mostly regarded as the best quality (on balance), thats why virtually all broadcasters globally use it and almost all TV content is shot in this format.
 
Not in HDTV broadcasting, there are very few that don't use the 1080i format. 1080p broadcasting is virtually non-existant due to the higher costs with minimal benefit.

I've been to the US recently. I noticed that their (DirecTV) HD channels are 1080p...
 
1080i is mostly regarded as the best quality (on balance), thats why virtually all broadcasters globally use it and almost all TV content is shot in this format.

Content is shot progressive (natively so, if done with super 35mm film), and compressed with interlaced options for delivery.
 
How is the current, full resolution HD not HD?

Picture quality is also affected by bitrate. Although their resolution is HD, they opt for lower bitrates which translates to a poorer picture quality. I could be wrong but this is my understanding.
 
I've been to the US recently. I noticed that their (DirecTV) HD channels are 1080p...
Certainly not the norm, and from what I can see its only for select content e.g. on demand movies ...

*Limited PPV titles available in 1080p. To view programs in 1080p, the following are required: a DIRECTV Plus HD DVR Receiver (model HR20 or later), an HDMI cable connecting the receiver and the television, and a high-definition 1080p24 television. Not all models are compatible.

The real innovation here seems to be transmission format switching, which most broadcasters like DSTV dont have the capability to do. So its basically on-the-fly transmission optimisation based on content type.

A 1080p movie at 24 fps should use more or less the same bandwidth as say sport at 1080i 60fps (in the US), but you wouldn't want to watch sport at 24 fps even if its progressive. To do sport at 1080p60 would incur the broadcaster more than double the capacity costs.
 
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