[TelstraClear] will digital make the TV reception better??

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › [TelstraClear] will digital make the TV reception better??

jamus

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#12455 18-Mar-2007 16:49

Hi guys,The wife believe it or not encouraged me to go ad get a 32 inch lcd(just had a baby and she at home all day!!!)
and we are currently on teltra clear cable.
The cable runs from the pole about 50 meters to our upstairs lounge and goes to the box and into the TV.The reception is really bad.I knew there would be some issues but didnt think it would be so noticable.
We use e to notice some lines etc on some of the channels before on the old telly but this is really pretty bad.
Question is if I change to digital will it get much better???We are not big DVD or vid people just want some good tv if there is such a thing.Im in newtown wellington.
Suggestions greatly accepted. am i better to try the other pay tv network instead?

1 | 2

2358 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#64173 18-Mar-2007 16:58

jamus: Hi guys,The wife believe it or not encouraged me to go ad get a 32 inch lcd(just had a baby and she at home all day!!!)
and we are currently on teltra clear cable.
The cable runs from the pole about 50 meters to our upstairs lounge and goes to the box and into the TV.The reception is really bad.I knew there would be some issues but didnt think it would be so noticable.
We use e to notice some lines etc on some of the channels before on the old telly but this is really pretty bad.
Question is if I change to digital will it get much better???We are not big DVD or vid people just want some good tv if there is such a thing.Im in newtown wellington.
Suggestions greatly accepted. am i better to try the other pay tv network instead?

The reception should not be bad at all - in fact it should be great, without lines or ghosting like poorly tuned terrestrial.

I think you have a fault and should call TelstraClear for help.

The picture from TCL isn't the best these days, but it is clear and watchable.

________

Antoniosk

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#64174 18-Mar-2007 17:07

I am assuming you have an old analogue cable TV box?

The quality of these is only pretty average, you'll certainly notice a big difference switching to digital cable.

Having said that you shouldn't have lines across the picture, I'd definately be calling TCL to complain.

lillow

107 posts

Master Geek

#64178 18-Mar-2007 17:14

yup sure will! we changed a few months back improves it heaps :)

jamus

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#64180 18-Mar-2007 17:34

thanks heaps.Will call and order digital now.The cablebox is very old,had it about 6 years now I think.
Your replys were all excellent , quick and helpful.Cheers

cyril7

9061 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#64245 19-Mar-2007 08:11

Be warned that TCL's digital service is pretty shoddy aswell. It would seem that the Sky channels are not transcoded but decoded and then re encoded, thus contatenation errors are pretty rife. A mate recently upgraded to a plasma panel (Panasonic PA60) and TCL digital after years of TCL analog. He was pretty disappointed in the quality of various channels, he was not expecting too much but the sports channels in particular disappointed him.

As he had a sky dish from a previous owner on the side of the house I dragged my Sky box around, it was like night and day, especially the sports and movie channels. Most if not all of the motion related pixilisation disappeared on the Sat feed. The stocking filler channels like Living, Food are pretty average on Sky as it is, but hey they are just stocking fillers, after TCL had recoded them they were pretty shabby.

Cyril

chiefie

I iz your trusted friend
5877 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#64249 19-Mar-2007 08:50

Just over the weekend, I noticed that on TCL Digital Saturn, there are quite a few channels kept getting interruption and breakage in the signal, which causes a surge of audio artefact and badly pixelated video. And in some case, it torn the video image up and causes abruption on audio... :-/

Internet is my backyard...

«Geekzone blog: Tech 'n Chips Takeaway» «Personal blog: And then...»

Please read the Geekzone's FUG

lurker

831 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#64259 19-Mar-2007 10:25

cyril7: Be warned that TCL's digital service is pretty shoddy aswell.

I concur with this, I was not prepared for the amount of artifacting on some of the channels. I'm disappointed really, I thought with Digital there was an opportunity to get a constant clear picture, instead some channels look like a poor quality streaming video. I only have a 32" screen and it is very noticeable, I can only imagine what it would be like on a larger screen.

chiefie: Just over the weekend, I noticed that on TCL Digital Saturn, there are quite a few channels kept getting interruption and breakage in the signal, which causes a surge of audio artefact and badly pixelated video. And in some case, it torn the video image up and causes abruption on audio... :-/

I've noticed this too, especially TV2. It was quite bad last night and I thought it might have had something to do with the Christchurch weather. Obviously not...

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

lchiu7

6479 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#64333 19-Mar-2007 20:43

cyril7: Be warned that TCL's digital service is pretty shoddy aswell. It would seem that the Sky channels are not transcoded but decoded and then re encoded, thus contatenation errors are pretty rife. A mate recently upgraded to a plasma panel (Panasonic PA60) and TCL digital after years of TCL analog. He was pretty disappointed in the quality of various channels, he was not expecting too much but the sports channels in particular disappointed him.

As he had a sky dish from a previous owner on the side of the house I dragged my Sky box around, it was like night and day, especially the sports and movie channels. Most if not all of the motion related pixilisation disappeared on the Sat feed. The stocking filler channels like Living, Food are pretty average on Sky as it is, but hey they are just stocking fillers, after TCL had recoded them they were pretty shabby.

Cyril

Some points. For some users Living and Food are not stocking fillers! My wife really enjoys Food. But I would agree, the PQ is pretty terrible on TCL for them (and E! also). What makes it worse that much of the content now on Food which comes from Food Network in the US in in HD there!

Don't need to bring in a Sky dish to show the difference between TCL digital's service and Sky's. Just comparing TV1 or TV2 from D1 directly versus what TCL provides illustrates the degradation the signal takes coming down the cable.

Interestingly there is a raging debate going on in the US about the main satellite providers as well as cable TV operators degrading HD transmissions they get, either from a network (like ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox) or a pay channel like HBO by compressing the signal to get more channels in the same bandwidth. It's been called HD Lite by some and I did read of one person who has taken out a lawsuit against Direct TV for doing just that! I guess we can't sue TCL! But perhaps they can retire their analogue service and free up some of the bandwidth for higher bitrate digital signals

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

cyril7

9061 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#64339 19-Mar-2007 21:37

Some points. For some users Living and Food are not stocking fillers! My wife really enjoys Food. But I would agree, the PQ is pretty terrible on TCL for them (and E! also).

True, our Sky box often could be blamed for not knowing how to find anyother channel than the Living Ch............till I get home!!!!.

Cyril

antoniosk

2358 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#64357 20-Mar-2007 06:17

chiefie: Just over the weekend, I noticed that on TCL Digital Saturn, there are quite a few channels kept getting interruption and breakage in the signal, which causes a surge of audio artefact and badly pixelated video. And in some case, it torn the video image up and causes abruption on audio... :-/

Minor issues going on in CHCH Kelvin, which affected the coding rate and picture quality.

________

Antoniosk

compost

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#64469 20-Mar-2007 21:12

Isn't Freeview just around the corner? About the only thing it offers is better reception, but that might be just what you're after. Might save a few bucks too.

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all

cyril7

9061 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#64482 21-Mar-2007 06:44

FreeView will infact offer better reception. We currently use the service in its current limited form and can say that the pics for TV1/2 are the best you will find in NZ anywhere.

However compared to the 50odd channels Sky/TCL cable offer just getting the four FTA networks does not compare. Technical Quality and quantity (but not nessecarily quality) of content are not the same.

Cyril

raytaylor

4017 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#64852 23-Mar-2007 16:44

The most common misconception that my customers have is that digital tv IS high definition tv. When you go out and buy a new LCD tv, you will find that the picture quality is worse than your CRT / tube tv.
I install about 3 lcd / plasmas a day so I can testify to this.
I say to customers that the picture coming down the radio waves or out of the sky box is designed for the older analog TV's. When they go and buy a new LCD or plasma, its like holding a magnifying glass up to a news paper, the image is stretched in ways its not designed for and therefore looks worse.

The new system (freeview) will be delivered in 2 ways
- Dish. You will be able to unplug your sky decoder, and plug in a freeview approved decoder. You will get the same picture quality as you do for freeview now or sky as you do now. This is standard definition. This is for people who have to subscribe to the basic sky package because they are in a rural area and cannot get 1, 2 or tv3 with a vhf aerial. This service is currently avaliable but costs about $700 to get it installed. In the next couple of months, there will be alot of publicity and if you have a sky dish, you only need the decoder and can install it yourself, bringing the cost down to $250.

- UHF. In the major centres, if you can get a good picture with prime at the moment, you will be able to purchase a uhf digital decoder. This decoder will output a -High definition- signal and will look awesome on your new lcd or plasma, but will look the same on a tube tv. The content or show being broadcase must have been filmed in high definition for this to work though. Basically most modern content will look better. The UHF system will be launched next year and should also cost about $250. Your appliance retailer will be able to programme / tune it for you and you can take it home and plug it in yourself.

Basically you purchase your decoder and have it installed, then pay no more fees.

The other system is Sky.
I dont yet know how they will distribute their high definition signal, but they have to get on to it before feb otherwise they may loose a few customers. They also stand to loose alot of rural customers in the next couple of months to the standard def, dish based freeview.

Hope this provides a bit more info

Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here

raytaylor

4017 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#64853 23-Mar-2007 16:48

If you have a sky decoder and wish to get a better signal quality on an lcd screen, you can purchase a component cable.

Some decoders now have a component output in the scart tv plug so you can get a scart (in) - component (out) lead, and it has to be a high quality one ($100+) and rather than looking like its out of focus, it will look more like a compressed jpeg image. Many of my customers seem to be happy with this for now, well those that can shell out $150 for a cable for a minor improvment do anyway.

Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#64855 23-Mar-2007 17:26

raytaylor:

- UHF. In the major centres, if you can get a good picture with prime at the moment, you will be able to purchase a uhf digital decoder. This decoder will output a -High definition- signal and will look awesome on your new lcd or plasma, but will look the same on a tube tv. The content or show being broadcase must have been filmed in high definition for this to work though. Basically most modern content will look better. The UHF system will be launched next year and should also cost about $250. Your appliance retailer will be able to programme / tune it for you and you can take it home and plug it in yourself.

Not all stuff will be HD on DVB-T though. I would expect to see similair rates of HD programming here as to what is available FTA in Australia. In a nutshell live stuff is HD, newer locally produced stuff is HD and foreign shows are HD. There will still be a substancial % of programming that will still be SD.

Sky are in a similair situation in that apart from movies they can only broadcast programming in HD that they receive in HD or film themselves such as rugby.

1 | 2