DirectTV updated DVR to 1080p output

[c1fowler]

I tried to select it the other day also, and recieved a message that my TV does not support it... Which I know is not true... So I called DirecTV... Even though the DVR may have been updated, since there are currently no programs supporting 1080P, you will not be able to select that function...

[mattdr]

I am unable to find out whether my unit has recieved the upgrade to output at 1080p/24. Could someone tell me how I can verify this resolution and select this setting?

Here is how to find the setting. Go to Set Up menu- select: System Set Up- select:HDTV-(you will see a page selections on top, "Video/TV Ratio/TV Resolutions") Cursor up to "Video", then to right to "TV Resolutions"& select- You will see a colume of selection boxes with 480i,480p,720p,1080i,1080p(new w/update)-Cursor down & select all boxes that apply to your TV's resolution capibilities. The receiver will go into a auto-set up process, if your TV can process 1080p-24fps, 720p & 1080i lights will "lite-up". Only On Demand movies are broadcasting in 1080P-24fps, at this time, a broader roll out of programing to follow in early 2009.

[docrog]

Thanks, mattdr! I don't know how this option escaped my notice when I went through the setup menus. It appears that I have been updated to 1080p without ever having been notified of the impending upgrade. I've never purchased from VOD/PPV, so I don't know the actual video/audio quality involved. So, if anyone has a suggestion of a reference quality movie download I'd be truly glad to know it. Lastly, is there a time line out there for DirecTV rolling out a regular (free) catalog of 1080p shows, or is this likely to be confined for VOD/PPV?

[akirby]

It has to be VOD - too much bandwidth for regular broadcast PPV over the satellite. They might put some old stuff on VOD for free but probably not any of the new stuff.

[c1fowler]

Ok Mattdr, you have confused the village idiot. The first thing I did when I came home tonight was open the menu screen and double check the settings... I noticed this time when I selected any of the resolutions, it gave me an on screen message stating. "If you can see this message your TV supports this resolution". It did that with all of the options, up until I selected 1080P... It gave me a quarter picture and most of the message was hidden... If I hit info to confirm like I did with the other options it would except it and say my TV supports the resolution... If I left it alone, like I assumed I should since I could not see the entire message... It came back saying my TV does not support that resolution... Am I missing something? Does my TV process 1080p-24fps or 60fps? Can I find that information someplace? By the way, I have a DirecTV HDDVR HR21 connected to my Panasonic TH-PZ700U via an HDMI cable... Directly... Thanks

[Rodolfo]

Akirby,

I am not sure how to understand your note.

Besides the frame rate there are two other ingredients such as using MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, and the extra bit rate compression applied with either, but assuming both of these two factors are equal for both, how did you determine that 24fps HD-VOD DirecTV uses more bandwidth than a 60i (30 fps) HD DirecTV channel?

Please clarify.

Best Regards,

Rodolfo La Maestra

[akirby]

I thought satellite was 1080i/30 which was basically the same as 540p/30. Therefore 1080p/24 would be roughly twice the bandwidth of 1080i/30. Compression being equal.

But I'm no videophile so I might be totally mistaken.

[Rodolfo]

The 1080i format that is most commonly used is based on 60i fields of 540 lines per second, which is equivalent to 30 frames of 1080 lines per second (fps), which would equate to 1080x1920x30 frames in a second.

The 1080p format used for film based content is 24fps (or 25fps in Europe), which is 1080x1920x24 frames per second, which is 20% less in data than the 1080i above over the same transfer time, one second.

In other words, DirecTV (and any other content provider doing the same) should benefit with at least 20% savings in bandwidth when transmitting film-based content on it original format.

I said at least because it is known that, additionally, any progressive format gives a better opportunity to be even more efficient than the simple math above, without penalizing image quality. So there could be more savings than the 20%. I am not talking about the typical bit starvation, which we know the effects that causes to image quality, typical of satellite and cable providers.

In summary, if the same MPEG-4 is used at the same bit rate of compression, all being equal, the same movie "should" require more bandwidth on HBO at 1080i 30fps (60i) than on VOD at 1080p 24fps. The added bit starvation compression typically applied to HD channels makes any comparison less clean.

This is the same principle used for DVD and Hi-def DVD (either HD format), film content is stored as a space-saving 24fps with flags in the disc. Then 3:2 pull-down (to convert it to 60i and add the extra 12 fields, 6 frames) is applied "on-the-fly" during playback for compatibility with 1080i displays (most HDTVs out there). Sometimes the flags do not work well and the play back device should auto detect the frame cadence.

Best Regards,

Rodolfo La Maestra

[hendrikus]

There is a short 2 minute trailer for The Hulk which looks good in 1080p/24, and has multi-channel audio. Search for a show title beginning with "TEST".

The first movie I tried was "Crank", but after watching it briefly, and looking at the picture frame-by-frame, it was clear that this was a very poor transfer, with stereo audio only. Maybe it wasn't a film to video transfer at all, but a 1080i/60 to 1080p/24 transfer. It was unwatchable.

[akirby]

Got it. Thanks!