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What Causes This?

landtuna

landtuna

For more than a year now I've noticed a couple of really irritating things about DirecTV:

1. Some channels (TNT is the best example) have a 'jerky' video when the picture is panned or there is quick movement but not always. No skips in audio as far as I can tell. This doesn't happen on all channels and never seems to happen on some (my local channels for example). Getting even more quirky, the video problem doesn't happen on all TNT's programming but is especially noticeable on the Law & Order reruns.

2. When in commercial break the audio is leveled for all but the last commercial. The last one has significantly louder audio. This also happens on several channels (again, TNT being the prime example) but not all.

I have reported specific instances of both to DirecTV but, their customer service being virtually non-existant, gotten no intelligent response.
 
It could be they are slowing down their bit rate to the receiver. They have to take bandwidth away from some channels to fit the HD and other channels on the system. Video with lots of motion require more bits and it will be more noticable if they are choking off bandwidth.

Have you noticed anything like this on any sports programming? There is usually lots of motion in sports and it would really be evident there.
 
I had thought the bitrate might be responsible but the minor jerkiness doesn't seem to be significant (although it is noticeable and annoying). Dropping a few bits here and there wouldn't seem to be enough to send the surplus to the HD channels.

I'm wondering if they get a reduced rate for their slower bitrate?
 
99.8% of the time, it's not the network itself, it's either the cable company or the satellite company. I watch TNT-HD, I have not noticed this problem.

More than likely, it's that DirecTV is lowering the bit rate so they can add more HD channels to your line up.

Digital, like analogue, has it's capacities too. Digital, doesn't always mean better.
 
landtuna said:
I had thought the bitrate might be responsible but the minor jerkiness doesn't seem to be significant (although it is noticeable and annoying). Dropping a few bits here and there wouldn't seem to be enough to send the surplus to the HD channels.

I'm wondering if they get a reduced rate for their slower bitrate?
Click to expand...

You won't see it when there isn't much movement in the video. The compression schemes they use dictate that once a pixel is painted, it will not come back to it until it changes. Using the Law and Order example, there is very little movement when they are in a courtroom. However Watch an NBA basketball game on TNT and it will probably be a different story.
 
That's what is really strange about this particular situation. The problem appears to occur only on selected shows such as Law & Order. I have never seen it on sports programs (on the same channel) or even on other TNT dramas.

I thought maybe it was a trick to discourage people from recording the show off-air but it doesn't seem to be pervasive.
 
landtuna said:
I thought maybe it was a trick to discourage people from recording the show off-air but it doesn't seem to be pervasive.
Click to expand...

All the pop-up garbage TNT puts on should discourage people from watching the show at all, much less recording it.
 
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