Best available DTH for LCD

[sandeep.n]

Hi,
I am using Tatasky since 2007. The video quality is mpeg2. What I want to know is will there be any great difference between mpeg2 and mpeg4 in an LCD ?
As I have learnt Tata sky has mpeg4 only in Tatasky+ not in normal set top boxes. Is it right that even the latest STBs of tata sky does not have mpeg4 ? Is it worth switching to Airtel / BIG DTH ? Is their service good. Do they have S Video and component based connection and will this really help to improve the picture quality ?

 

[deba]

All DTH are same , if there is a difference it is very negligible.......Go for Sun HD to get quality video.......or wait till prices of HD DTH falls and all operators starts HD transmission.

 

[ash147]

Hi,
I am using Tatasky since 2007. The video quality is mpeg2. What I want to know is will there be any great difference between mpeg2 and mpeg4 in an LCD ?
As I have learnt Tata sky has mpeg4 only in Tatasky+ not in normal set top boxes. Is it right that even the latest STBs of tata sky does not have mpeg4 ? Is it worth switching to Airtel / BIG DTH ? Is their service good. Do they have S Video and component based connection and will this really help to improve the picture quality ?

I have not used any of the DTH services but have seen adverts of BIG TV which say they have mpeg4.They also boast of better quality as compared to other operators using mpeg2 tecnology.

 

[vktyagi]

I have not used any of the DTH services but have seen adverts of BIG TV which say they have mpeg4.They also boast of better quality as compared to other operators using mpeg2 tecnology.

MPEG4 does not improve picture quality. It is just smarter technique of compressing the picture.
Tata Sky had indicated of their plans to offer HD in the current year. Other operators will be bound to follow the suit. It is advisable to wait before changing the service.

 

[Vijay_s]

I have not used any of the DTH services but have seen adverts of BIG TV which say they have mpeg4.They also boast of better quality as compared to other operators using mpeg2 tecnology.

Airtel, Sundirect, videocon & Big TV uses Mpeg4 technology, This have a slight edge over Mpeg2 from my experience. Six months back I migrated to Sundirect from dishtv.

If you are really looking for superior quality then go for sundirect HD but it is costly.

 

[senthilsss]

IMHO: TATASKY+ provides the best output as of today for Standard Definition (SD). I watched AIRTEL Digital TV in my sister's home and not impressed with the PQ. Sun/Big watched in the showrooms and PQ not in par with TS+.

However, I found Dish TV is in par with TS+ in every aspect. And also, it has more South Indian channels line up than TS+.

SUN HD is definitely better than other DTH SD providers, however we need to wait for some more time for the HD war to pick up and prices to fall.

 

[nirrej]

MPEG-4 doesn't mean better quality picture.

It is a better compression technology. i.e in the same bandwidth
available you can transmit more channels in MPEG-4 than in MPEG-2.

Infact the courts have ordered Airtel DTH to stop claiming
that MPEG-4 gives better clarity in their ads,
as it is misleading.

 

[deba]

MPEG-4 doesn't mean better quality picture.

It is a better compression technology. i.e in the same bandwidth
available you can transmit more channels in MPEG-4 than in MPEG-2.

Infact the courts have ordered Airtel DTH to stop claiming
that MPEG-4 gives better clarity in their ads,
as it is misleading.

At last it seems that our judiciary is working for the consumer of this country:yahoo: ...........

 

[sanjay0864]

Infact the courts have ordered Airtel DTH to stop claiming that MPEG-4 gives better clarity in their ads, as it is misleading.

Actually the courts have not made any such order, atleast not yet and the Airtel ads are still airing.

MPEG-4 doesn't mean better quality picture.

It is a better compression technology. i.e in the same bandwidth available you can transmit more channels in MPEG-4 than in MPEG-2.

You are technically correct, but still not entirely correct. The fact is that MPEG-4, in addition to being a more efficient codec for video, but in more complex profiles, the MPEG-4 decoder effectively becomes a rendering processor and the compressed bitstream describes three-dimensional shapes and surface texture, thus allowing for superior video quality. Most importantly, since MPEG-4 can fit far more data in less space and bandwith when compared to MPEG-2, it can if used properly, substantially improve audio/video quality, since MPEG-4 allows the DTH operators to reduce the amount of compression and still be able to have more channels per transponder. Unfortunately, the ever greedy Indian DTH companies continue to over compress even with MPEG-4, to fit even more channels in the same number of transponders.

• MPEG2 vs MPEG4 Comparison
  MPEG2 and MPEG4 are two versions of bunched coding technologies, used to compress audio and video data files, so that their transmission and usage is simpler. These coding techniques, which are a collection of patented data compression programs, are aimed at converting the audio/video data, so that data transmission time is reduced and it falls within the storage and handling capacities of transmission media. While compressing, care is taken that audio and video quality is not compromised.
  
  MPEG2 vs MPEG4 - Quality
  MPEG-2 used to be the industry standard and the videos you watch on DVD are encoded by the MPEG-2 standard. The quality of MPEG-2 is very good, but this codec was not designed for HD or other multimedia network applications. It was not made for streaming videos on the phone or for broadcast applications. So the quality of a video compressed in MPEG-2 format, if streamed online or broadcast over the air, will be compromised.
  
  On the other hand, the MPEG-4 format has been developed for HD and multimedia streaming applications on the Internet. So a video encoded in the MPEG-4 format will give a better quality video or audio when streamed online, as it's designed for such a network or multimedia application. With the MPEG-4 codec, HD broadcasting, Blu-Ray and video conferencing becomes possible!
  
  MPEG2 vs MPEG4 - File Size
  Compared to MPEG-2 files, MPEG-4 files take up less memory size. This is because MPEG-4 compression algorithm is designed to create files, which can be transported over the Internet, and streamed on multiple network platforms.
  
  MPEG2 vs MPEG4 - Compression
  Video or audio compression is all about maintaining the same quality of audio or video but using lesser memory size. MPEG-4 compression is a huge improvement over MPEG-2.
  
  If a studio quality audio or data file of a movie is released without compression, it will take at least 20 DVDs! Whereas if it's compressed using MPEG format, the same movie can be carried on a single DVD! How does the MPEG-2 format achieve this? It achieves this by removing certain redundant parts from a frame which are repeated in the later ones. That is, parts of the picture frame that remain static are stored only once! Only the differences between successive frames will be stored later. The bit rate is also controlled accordingly. There are many other tricks involved which reduce the size of the file while encoding. This way the video file is encoded in the MPEG-2 format and the size of the video file is substantially reduced. So when you play such an encoded file, your video player has to have the MPEG-2 decoder to render back the original frames from the compressed form.
  
  The MPEG-4 compression is quite complicated compared to the MPEG-2 compression as it is designed to achieve high quality videos for multimedia applications at a relatively low bit rate. To put it simply, the MPEG-4 compression removes redundant bits by comparing many more frames at a time, compared to MPEG-2, by adjusting the bit rate accordingly. Compared to MPEG-2, MPEG-4 is a far more versatile encoding format.
  
  MPEG2 vs MPEG4 - Bitrate
  MPEG-2 format encoded files have a bitrate ranging from 4 to 9 MB per second, while the MPEG-4 files have a bit rate which is substantially lower (some Kilobytes per second) than that. This is because the format is designed for network applications.
  
  MPEG2 vs MPEG4 - Bandwidth
  If you make the MPEG-2 vs MPEG-4 bandwidth comparison, you will find a substantial difference as they are formats designed for different platforms. While MPEG-2 has a bandwidth of up to 40 MB per second, MPEG-4 has bandwidth of around 64 kbps.

 

[sanjay0864]

@ sandeep.n

The best quality audio/video you can get in India today is from 'Sun-Direct HD'. NOthing else comes even close in terms of quality and this goes for even the standard definition channels. Ofcourse the HD channels are a different ball game all together and quite surprisingly are almost of the same quality as received in other countries.

 

[sanjay0864]

At last it seems that our judiciary is working for the consumer of this country:yahoo: ...........

Sorry to say, but there is no reason to celebrate yet, since the courts have not passed any such orders.

 

[sandeep.n]

Thanks Sanjay. Just to summarize the overall feeling I get is that it is better to stick to tatasky(mpeg2) and wait for HD war to pickup soon rather than immediately moving to mpeg 4 DTH like BIG / Sun.
Price wise if there is no big difference for the switch, is mpeg 4 recommended ? For eg - if I continue to pay 300 + pm on my tata sky while I might get 6 months subscription from say BIG / Sun / Dish for a much same rate.

 

[senthilsss]

Thanks Sanjay. Just to summarize the overall feeling I get is that it is better to stick to tatasky(mpeg2) and wait for HD war to pickup soon rather than immediately moving to mpeg 4 DTH like BIG / Sun.
If ofcourse price wise there is no big difference even after the switch is mpeg 4 recommended ? For eg - if I continue to pay 300 + pm on my tata sky while I might get 6 months subscription from say BIG / Sun / Dish for a much same rate.

Good decision! :clapping:

 

[sandeep.n]

Which decision to stay or the temporaty shift ?

 

[senthilsss]

Which decision to stay or the temporaty shift ?

Of course for STAY. Because, when HD war starts up, TS will definitely provide additional discounts to their existing customers so it is beneficial for them. Freely migrating users to latest platform and expanding the HD customer base (of course, more money for subscription....more revenue).

This is the strategy they followed for selling TS+ over TS.

 

[nirrej]

Actually the courts have not made any such order, atleast not yet and the Airtel ads are still airing.

Actually the order was passed by a self regulatory body of advertisers.
Asci upholds Tata Sky's complaint against Airtel's DTH campaign

Yes, the ads are still on air but without
the voice over and super at the end of the ad which claimed better quality because of MPEG-4.
Now it just says "digital picture quality with MPEG4"

 

[ankurjaiz]

Of course for STAY. Because, when HD war starts up, TS will definitely provide additional discounts to their existing customers so it is beneficial for them. Freely migrating users to latest platform and expanding the HD customer base (of course, more money for subscription....more revenue).

This is the strategy they followed for selling TS+ over TS.

Waiting for some time seems to be the right option as switching between existing DTH will not make that big a difference (except Sun HD).Hopefully prices will come down as soon as there are multiple HD providers.

 

[pnreddy]

I have cable as well as Videocon DTH. The colors in cable seem to be more lively than Videocon DTH. Is it possible adjust colors in Videocon DTH?

P.N. Reddy

 

[sanjay0864]

'SunDirect HD' has a special offer valid until April 20th. They are offering Rs 2500/- off the total price if y9ou exchange any other companies 'set-top box'. Personally I think this is a great deal and anyone interested in HD or even better quality SD, ougth to jump on this offer.

 

[sanjay0864]

Actually the order was passed by a self regulatory body of advertisers.
Asci upholds Tata Sky's complaint against Airtel's DTH campaign

Yes, the ads are still on air but without
the voice over and super at the end of the ad which claimed better quality because of MPEG-4.
Now it just says "digital picture quality with MPEG4"

When contacted, Airtel Digital TV CEO Ajay Puri said: We did receive a communication from Asci asking us to explain the MPEG4 technology. We have not received any notice from them to withdraw the campaign yet.

Either way this whole issue is so hypocritical. Airtel ought to have pointed out to TataSKY that their advertising claiming 'DVD quality Audio/Video' is also blatant false advertising or at the least misleading advertising.