HDTV recording of TV show vs DVD

Guy

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(Not sure if this is the best newsgroup to post this newbie question to
or not.)

How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
is released)

Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)
 
G

Guest

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Guy (newsgroupposter@hotmail.com) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:
> How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
> compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
> is released)

Well, the retail DVD wouldn't have any station bugs or squashed credits,
so that would be one thing better. But, an actual HD recording will
blow away the quality of standard DVD.

> Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
> network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)

Yes, it's quite obvious. If you haven't ever seen HD, then really good
DVDs are great, but once you have a standard for comparison, you'll
always notice the difference.

--
Jeff Rife | Sam: How's life in the fast lane, Normie?
|
| Norm: Beats me, I can't find the on-ramp.
 

Guy

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Thanks for the replies. I just learned that an ABC HDTV feed is not
available to me yet (I have Dish Network).

I've seen both of these particular shows' episodes available for
download via BitTorrent. The file sizes seem small (~350MB).
Apparently, users are recording the shows, compressing via MPEG-4, and
then making them available. Would the PQ of these files still be
noticeably better than the DVD?


Like just about all DVD sets, the Alias DVD sets include special
features (commentaries, etc.) that wouldn't be available on the
existing downloads nor on the shows I'll record when DN makes an ABC
HDTV feed available. So perhaps the DVDs are the way to go. OTOH, how
long will it take for studios to go back and re-release DVD-HD (or
whatever it will be called) versions of their hit shows? :^|
 

Nightwing

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The quality is noticably better, no doubt about it. Am using D-VHS
recorders & I were inclined to save anything the networks were
broadcasting I would record them & never think twice about the
inferior DVD. Alas there is not much on the networks I'd watch this
yr. Have a HD CRT & a projector set up with a 10' screen & at the
latter's size I prefer any thing HD over DVD.

On 7 May 2005 22:36:12 -0700, "Guy" <newsgroupposter@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>(Not sure if this is the best newsgroup to post this newbie question to
>or not.)
>
>How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
>compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
>is released)
>
>Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
>network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)
 

Guy

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If you hadn't seen past years' episodes of a series like "Alias", would
you go back and purchase the DVD sets, assuming they were available at
a low price? Or would you resist the lower PQ and seek out other
options? ;^)
 
G

Guest

Guest
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Guy (newsgroupposter@hotmail.com) wrote in alt.tv.tech.hdtv:
> I've seen both of these particular shows' episodes available for
> download via BitTorrent. The file sizes seem small (~350MB).
> Apparently, users are recording the shows, compressing via MPEG-4, and
> then making them available. Would the PQ of these files still be
> noticeably better than the DVD?

No, because they are almost universally a lower resolution (about like
DVD's 720x480). There is no way to take a 5GB MPEG-2 (which is the size
of a 1 hour HD show with commercials, null packets, and PSIP removed) and
compress using MPEG-4 and maintain full resolution and quality with a
resulting 350MB file size.

MPEG-4 could do the job in about 2-3GB and maintain full resolution and
quality. This is a *huge* savings in space, but it's still a really big
file to download.

--
Jeff Rife | "But as much as everybody loves you, there is
| one question that keeps coming up...how dumb
| WAS she?"
| -- Tempus to Lois Lane
 
G

Guest

Guest
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We record HD network shows, including "Lost", as a matter of fact, on the
hard drive of our Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR cable box and play them back
later. They look, as far as I can tell, exactly like the original air
version. Much, much better than DVD.

mack
austin


"Guy" <newsgroupposter@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1115530572.490345.18530@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> (Not sure if this is the best newsgroup to post this newbie question to
> or not.)
>
> How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
> compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
> is released)
>
> Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
> network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On 7 May 2005 22:36:12 -0700, "Guy" <newsgroupposter@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>(Not sure if this is the best newsgroup to post this newbie question to
>or not.)
>
>How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
>compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
>is released)
>
>Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
>network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)

I've taken some samples from movies recorded off of broadcast hdtv and
compared them to the same scene from DVD and I have to say that DVD
looks like a pile of puke compared to broadcast HD. I can't wait to
find a sample of carefully compressed HDVD quality...
 

stan

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Useful observation, R.J.


"R J McGregor" <abc@def.com> wrote in message
news:b11u7114lhlou0q8dbn01497tbuk4fpgmk@4ax.com...
> On 7 May 2005 22:36:12 -0700, "Guy" <newsgroupposter@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >(Not sure if this is the best newsgroup to post this newbie question to
> >or not.)
> >
> >How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
> >compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
> >is released)
> >
> >Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
> >network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)
>
> I've taken some samples from movies recorded off of broadcast hdtv and
> compared them to the same scene from DVD and I have to say that DVD
> looks like a pile of puke compared to broadcast HD. I can't wait to
> find a sample of carefully compressed HDVD quality...
>
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Sun, 08 May 2005 15:56:35 GMT, "Mack McKinnon"
<MckinnonRemoveThis@tvadmanDeleteThisAsWell.com> wrote:

>We record HD network shows, including "Lost", as a matter of fact, on the
>hard drive of our Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR cable box and play them back
>later. They look, as far as I can tell, exactly like the original air
>version. Much, much better than DVD.
>
>mack
>austin
>
Are you talking about the internal hard drive of the SA 8300HD, or do
you have an external hard drive connected via the SATA connection?
 
G

Guest

Guest
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"Guy" <newsgroupposter@hotmail.com> wrote (in part):

>If you hadn't seen past years' episodes of a series like "Alias", would
>you go back and purchase the DVD sets, assuming they were available at
>a low price? Or would you resist the lower PQ and seek out other
>options? ;^)

I wouldn't buy any DVD (or HD format when available) just to watch
once, unless the price was very low, on the order of the rental cost.
And I've cut back on buying the ones I want to watch repeatedly, in
anticipation of a better format to come. But I won't even buy into
that format until my local libraries start building a collection.

Some cable network is bound to pick up Alias, if they can find room
for it among all the Law and Order and CSI repeats. Probably a good
fit for TNT, which would run them in HD if the early ones are
available that way.

Del Mibbler
 

Guy

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I downloaded an episode of Alias and viewed it using WMP on my desktop
PC. It's widescreen, has the ABC logo, and was obviously recorded from
an HDTV signal. The PQ is excellent. According to WMP, the properties
of the file are:

Video size: 624 x 352
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Audio Codec: MPEG Layer-3 Decoder
Video Codec: XviD MPEG-4 Video Decoder

However, I'm not convinced the PQ would be any better than the DVD
equivalent. I mean, standard widescreen DVD is 720x480, isn't it? If
so, the file's video size (i.e., resolution?) seems similar to standard
DVD. Yet the picture is stunning, at least on my PC monitor.

What am I missing? What other attributes would make one of these HDTV
recordings better than the DVD?
 

Guy

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I downloaded an episode of Alias and viewed it using WMP on my desktop
PC. It's widescreen, has the ABC logo, and was obviously recorded from
an HDTV signal. The PQ is excellent. According to WMP, the properties
of the file are:

Video size: 624 x 352
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Audio Codec: MPEG Layer-3 Decoder
Video Codec: XviD MPEG-4 Video Decoder

However, I'm not convinced the PQ would be any better than the DVD
equivalent. I mean, standard widescreen DVD is 720x480, isn't it? If
so, the file's video size (i.e., resolution?) seems similar to standard
DVD. Yet the picture is stunning, at least on my PC monitor.

What am I missing? What other attributes would make one of these HDTV
recordings better than the DVD?
 
G

Guest

Guest
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"Charlie9" <j@b.com> wrote in message
news:3ocv71hsi3edaccfdo6f3349ur6v5anngu@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 08 May 2005 15:56:35 GMT, "Mack McKinnon"
> <MckinnonRemoveThis@tvadmanDeleteThisAsWell.com> wrote:
>
>>We record HD network shows, including "Lost", as a matter of fact, on the
>>hard drive of our Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR cable box and play them
>>back
>>later. They look, as far as I can tell, exactly like the original air
>>version. Much, much better than DVD.
>>
>>mack
>>austin
>>
> Are you talking about the internal hard drive of the SA 8300HD, or do
> you have an external hard drive connected via the SATA connection?

I am talking about the internal hard drive of the SA 8300HD.

mack
austin
 

Guy

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Thanks. The PQ is stunning, IMO. Much better-looking than standard def.

I temporarily hooked the PC to my new HDTV and was still very impressed
with the PQ. Not as good as the few HDTV channels I receive, but still
good. Looked much better than the standard def channels I receive.
 

bc4

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"R J McGregor" <abc@def.com> wrote in message
news:b11u7114lhlou0q8dbn01497tbuk4fpgmk@4ax.com...
> On 7 May 2005 22:36:12 -0700, "Guy" <newsgroupposter@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>(Not sure if this is the best newsgroup to post this newbie question to
>>or not.)
>>
>>How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
>>compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
>>is released)
>>
>>Would the DVD PQ (presumably 480p) be noticeably poorer than the
>>network HDTV feed? (presumably 720p)
>
> I've taken some samples from movies recorded off of broadcast hdtv and
> compared them to the same scene from DVD and I have to say that DVD
> looks like a pile of puke compared to broadcast HD. I can't wait to
> find a sample of carefully compressed HDVD quality...
>
>

An exception would be to use a DVD upscaler like I do. I have the LG 3510a
and upscale DVD to 720p and send through DVI to LCD tv and the result is
comparable to the HD broadcast. The program is Smallville which is
available on DVD and is broadcast in HD. Of course quality varies in the
original broadcast episode to episode and sometimes the camera and lens
combo isn't HD capable like the location cameras aren't as good as the
studio ones and it is noticeable.

BC
 
G

Guest

Guest
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>>>How would an HDTV recording of a TV show (say, "Lost" or "Alias")
>>>compare to the retail DVD version of the same show? (when the DVD set
>>>is released)

Not well, I think. The DVD can only be in 480i, which you can upconvert
with your DVD player or your TV set for, perhaps, an improved picture. On
the other hand, the HD recording of the show on an SA 8300HD DVR looks the
same as the HD original via digital cable, at least as far as I can tell.

mack
austin