Industry Execs: HD Sets Lacking Picture Quality
Panelists at high-def conference say the picture often gets diluted in the transmission process.
By Swanni
At a panel discussion today at the HD World conference in New York, officials from Scientific-Atlanta, Discovery, Motorola and SES Americom said the high-def signal gets diluted during the transmission process.
The corruption in image quality can be blamed on everything from the HD network's decision on how to transmit the signal to the consumer's often faulty display choices, the officials said.
Consequently, they added, the HD picture diminishes in quality once it's displayed on the consumer's home screen.
"Good HD quality -- I believe that people have never really seen it," Brian Morris, vice president of digital media for cable set-top maker Scientific-Atlanta, told HD World attendees. "But what we're seeing today is not good HD quality."
Charles Myers, vice president of distribution and technology for Discovery Communications, compared the high-def transmission process to a "meat grinder," meaning the signal is chopped up along the way.
The panelists cited the following reasons for the HD picture to lose quality after it's originally recorded and/or transmitted from the studio:
1. Network's Transmission
Some networks decide to send the high-def signal at a quality rate lower than necessary for a variety of reasons, including cost savings.
2. TV Providers Compress the Signal
Likewise, cable, satellite and telco providers often reduce the signal strength once they receive the transmission to save system space, thereby allowing them to offer more channels.
3. High-Definition Display Issues
Panelists said LCD and Plasma flat-panel sets often exhibit motion artifacts and "noise" on-screen. Although the occasions are rare, it's a disruption in an otherwise complete picture.
4. Consumer Error
"Consumers will sometimes simply set the wrong format on their cable or satellite set-top," said Bryan McGuirk, president of media and enterprises services for SES Americom. "If the native resolution for their set is 720p, and they set it for 1080i, the set will upconvert the picture and it won't look as good."
Morris expressed optimism that the home HD picture will improve "over time...We have people who are doing nothing but optimizing video."
But he added: "The eco system is the real problem. It comes down all the way from the beginning to the end."
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