TiVo Tivo SD Picture Quality Vs Sky+?

tycho · 04-08-2011, 16:22

Hi All,

I'm having 2 Tivo boxes installed next week, I'm moving over from Sky, however I'm getting quite concerned regarding all the comments on how 'bad' the Tivo picture quality is.

Today I only have Sky + (NOT Sky+HD) so I am used to 'only' havind an SD quality picute (I have a HDTV, just begrudged having to buy a new box and pay an extra Â£10 per month for HD) - my question is, is the Tivo SD picture quality any 'worse' than a Sky SD, or are most people who have an issue upset that the Upscaled HD picture they are used to from a V+HD or VHD box isnt as good on Tivo?

As long as picture is going to be no worse than I have today, I'm not that bother that I might have had a better picture with a VHD box, however if the picture is going to be worse than what I have today, I might reconsider..... (dont want to reconsider though as I'm getting a really good saving my moving

).

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers

HD Boy · 04-08-2011, 16:33

this page might help
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11...ompared-v.html

alwaysabear · 04-08-2011, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by martine93

this page might help
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11...ompared-v.html

You need to check that the channels you watch on sky are available on Virginmedia.

New to cable · 04-08-2011, 19:07

I think you'll be fine if you only have the old grey Sky+ box connected via Scart to your TV.

The old Sky+ box does not upscale the Tivo will connect Via HDMI to your TV an will up-scale SD so at worst the picture will be equal to what you're used to but I strongly suspect it will be better(dependant on how good you TV's inbuilt up-scaler is).

If you going to Tivo from SkyHD,VHD or V+HD you may or may not of noticed a big difference.

tycho · 05-08-2011, 15:33

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback,

Yes I do have the old Amstrad Sky+ connected via scart, so feel a bit better now

- so many people were complaining about the pic quality, just got a bit concerned the missus was gonna kill me if the PQ really was that bad!!

) and VM definitely have all the chanels I'm used to, I'm moving from Sky basics with the Kids pack, to VM XL so I actaully get loads of stuff I never had before.

Cheers

clinteastman · 05-08-2011, 18:19

It's also worth pointing out that VM have said that there is an update coming to fix the up scaling issue.

devilincarnate · 05-08-2011, 18:24

It seems to be certain TV's where the problem is more prominent, Some people have reported a problem and others have said that it is brilliant. I have to say that I have no problems with the picture quality.

But can understand that some have. So I would say that it will bee 50/50 for you. Till the next update, then it should all be fixed for all.

spiderplant · 05-08-2011, 18:59

Aside from the fact the OP is used to SD, it's a lot less than 50/50. The problem is relatively rare.

This post was the first time I saw it reported, and plenty of people had TiVos by then. Which in a way is a shame because it would have been fixed earlier if we'd known about it.

clinteastman · 05-08-2011, 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant

Aside from the fact the OP is used to SD, it's a lot less than 50/50. The problem is relatively rare.

This post was the first time I saw it reported, and plenty of people had TiVos by then. Which in a way is a shame because it would have been fixed earlier if we'd known about it.

Isn't it only related to 1080i?

Nanor · 05-08-2011, 21:10

The first thing I noticed with Tivo is that the SD picture quality was noticeably inferior to the V+, it's perfectly watchable just not as sharp and motion is a lot more blurred. I also think the HD quality is not quite as good. I've got a fairly decent telly (Philips PFL 9640) and even after tweaking the settings I couldn't get the PQ on a par with the V+.

I only know one other person with TiVo and they agree, especially about the motion handling (they have a Sony). You quickly get used to it and it's still a reasonable picture (depending on the channel) so I wouldn't worry too much, especially since they have said they're addressing the issue.

spiderplant · 05-08-2011, 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by clinteastman

Isn't it only related to 1080i?

Possibly. I've seen reports that selecting 720p makes it go away.

I've never seen the problem myself. Only in the pictures Lew posted.

Lew · 05-08-2011, 21:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant

Possibly. I've seen reports that selecting 720p makes it go away.

I've never seen the problem myself. Only in the pictures Lew posted.

Although switching to 720p does hide the problem somewhat you can still see that the problem is there on text as it's slightly distorted compared to correctly upscaled content. Also, 720p mode introduces noticeable flicker on static graphics.

Here's the pics again.

576i output, upscaled by my Sony 1080p TV:

Upscaled to 720p by TiVo; actually I think it's upscaling to 1080i and converting that to 720p as the distortion follows the same pattern as the problem with the 1080i picture:

Upscaled to 1080i; here you can see that it appears to be switching the order of the lines:

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

Notice how in both the 720p and 1080i pictures the tops of the 'round' letters such as 'e', 'g' and 'p' look slightly pointed compared to the 576i picture.

06-08-2011, 21:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by tycho

Hi All,

I'm having 2 Tivo boxes installed next week, I'm moving over from Sky, however I'm getting quite concerned regarding all the comments on how 'bad' the Tivo picture quality is...

Sky+ is pants picture via analogue scart (like your old VCR)
Tivo SD is upscaled via digital HDMI

= Sky+ is like watching old VCR compared to Tivo - Seen my mates Sky+ and quite frankly it should never be seen on a screen above 28" it's simply not good enough

= If you dont think Tivo (even with a limp) is 10 times better picture qual than your ageing Sky+ box I'll buy you a car

07-08-2011, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew

Although switching to 720p does hide the problem somewhat you can still see that the problem is there on text as it's slightly distorted compared to correctly upscaled content. ....

I also understand that problem only affects 'some' TV's

I certainly cant tell the difference between Tivo SD and V+ SD so I'm not anticipating any benefit from the up and coming fix for it

Lew · 07-08-2011, 00:26

The easiest way to see if your TV is affected is to tune to channel 999, which is what I used in the screenshots posted earlier. If the text looks like the 1080i picture I posted then your TV is affected. If not then you're correct in that you probably won't notice any difference when they fix the problem. As long as they can get the picture quality for SD channels to match my Samsung V+ box then I'll be happy.