DIY freesat Installation....A Big Thank you and a small Q

[andystar351]

Many many thanks to all the folks that gave thier help and advice for my DIY Freesat installation last weekend.
I found out several things during the install, mainly my bedroom ceiling will not support a mans weight, scraped knuckles hurt twice as much the day after you have scraped them and as soon as you turn 40 you become very very scared of heights (but was not at 38).

Overall everything went quite well, but i do have a question to ask. My signal strength is 10, signal quality is 6, i have a good HD picture (BBC HD Preview) sharp edges, clear sound no blocking or freezing, but if i do get my trousers clean from the last time i climbed the ladder, and tweeked the skew on the LNB would there be any improvement on the HD picture?.

My Main reason for asking is that the channels (which are not HD) are watchable and better than terrestrial TV but not a patch on the output from my V***n M**ia box via a scart, and whilst HD is very good, i am not exactly blown away as i was expecting to be. Should i be disappointed or am i missing the point? Your opinions please....

[.: JaCkPoT :.]

Well the only thing i can ask is what make and model is your tv? And how good is your hdmi cable?

[andystar351]

Tv is Panasonic TH42PZ81 no hdmi as the freesat is built in to the tv with a direct connection from the dish.......any ideas?

[ms09]

Freesat is only an EPG. All the programmes on Freesat are available on a FTA receiver (except ITV HD because ITV hasn't Ofcom approval for a new channel and so is using Interactive which doesn't need an Ofcom approval).

My experience is much like yours. HD is better but not mind blowing. In fact if you look at FIVE (which uses high data rates for SD) you will find it can rival many HD productions in PQ.

ITV SD is a national disgrace as they use very low data rates and on a larger screen SD looks awful.

The best comparison is to look at C4 HD (only via Sky because its encrypted) who simucast HD and SD. You then get a good comparison. C4 7pm News has HD studio but SD (and sometimes NTSC SD) for inserts. You can then see the difference easily.

But is 1080i HD mind blowing? No it's an incremental improvement. At the end of the day if the Content is poor then SD or HD makes not a lot of difference.

UK origin HD is sparse at this time. Sky 1 HD and FX HD carry a lot of USA origin series filmed in HD and show what the future may hold but SD content will be around for a generation as the BBC and ITV barely make anything in HD at this time (thats why the BBC HD channel has far more repeats than any Sky channel and onlt broadcasts for a few hours a day).

[andystar351]

Thanks for that, i have learned a lot from your info.
Brilliant 1st post as well mate, well done.
My mind is now settled that HD is what it is, and no more.
Glad i did the job myself because i would have been really disappoited if i had paid nearly 200 notes for someone else to do it for me.
looks like blu ray all the way untill broadcasters pull thier socks up.
Thanks again
:barscarf: