624 replies to this topic

[Wags]

Thought we should have a new thread for this topic as it seems people are not happy with the drop in quality of some foxtel HD channels.

We can use this thread to vent and post links for complains etc.

I've now emailed them twice but have not had a reply yet.

Here is a link for "feedback" http://www.foxtel.co...ack/default.htm

Wags

[SLE355]

I've sent David Knox who runs the site TV Tonight as message to read the other thread with the details in it, hopefully he can get a response from Foxtel and maybe run an article on his site, the only way they'll do anything is if people know and complain.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/contact

[pc9]

SLE355, on Oct 15 2011, 02:23 PM, said:

I've sent David Knox who runs the site TV Tonight as message to read the other thread with the details in it, hopefully he can get a response from Foxtel and maybe run an article on his site, the only way they'll do anything is if people know and complain.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/contact

I'm also dealing with a guy in the print media - seems moderately interested

Does anybody have a complaints contact ie email, for Austar customers?

[peterca]

I've been watching quite bit of HD this weekend, mainly sports and I have yet to see anything to complain about. My TV is a Pioneer 720p plasma so if there is any picture degradation it may not be as noticable.

[Ralfi]

pc9, on Oct 16 2011, 08:00 AM, said:

I'm also dealing with a guy in the print media - seems moderately interested

Does anybody have a complaints contact ie email, for Austar customers?

Quick Google search for "Austar Contact"...
http://www.austar.co...contact-us.aspx

[SLE355]

I had a repley from David, if wew can provide concrete evidence he will look into it.

[johnjet]

SLE355, on Oct 16 2011, 09:14 AM, said:

I had a repley from David, if wew can provide concrete evidence he will look into it.

Yeah I got one too. I'm just trying to figure out what he means by concrete evidence?

[SLE355]

johnjet, on Oct 16 2011, 12:32 PM, said:

Yeah I got one too. I'm just trying to figure out what he means by concrete evidence?

I've PM'd a member on here who can hopefully help.

[Wags]

SLE355, on Oct 16 2011, 12:03 PM, said:

I've PM'd a member on here who can hopefully help.

Cool.

Surely documented bitrate levels will be "concrete" enough?

[Ralfi]

SLE355, on Oct 16 2011, 12:33 PM, said:

I've PM'd a member on here who can hopefully help.

Get them to also consider sending FTA bit rates for comparison.

[Hosko]

Ralfi, on Oct 16 2011, 03:20 PM, said:

Get them to also consider sending FTA bit rates for comparison.

That's comparing apples with oranges

[digitalj]

Hosko, on Oct 16 2011, 04:53 PM, said:

That's comparing apples with oranges

it can be like an apples and apples comparison after MPEG-2 Vs MPEG-4 AVC are taken into consideration, i.e. if Foxtel bitrates are less than 50% of that compared FTA, e.g. 4Mbps AVC Vs 10Mbps MPEG-2 than you could almost safely assume that the AVC encode will be worse than the MPEG-2 encode.

[Ralfi]

Hosko, on Oct 16 2011, 04:53 PM, said:

That's comparing apples with oranges

Not to necessarily compare them technically, but to highlight how the gap in quality between FTA & PayTV is closing.

[Hosko]

Ralfi, on Oct 16 2011, 05:25 PM, said:

Not to necessarily compare them technically, but to highlight how the gap in quality between FTA & PayTV is closing.

To highlight that you would have to compare them technically though.

[pc9]

Ralfi, on Oct 16 2011, 09:29 AM, said:

Quick Google search for "Austar Contact"...
http://www.austar.co...contact-us.aspx

Thanks.

[pc9]

Hosko, on Oct 17 2011, 03:12 AM, said:

To highlight that you would have to compare them technically though.

I agree that the technical data is important, as the visual thing is very subjective.  When I finally got onto Austar on Friday through their normal telephone line, they swore black and blue that there has been no reduction in PQ (as you would expect). I pointed out to the lady that a third party receiver will detect bit rates etc of the encrypted services and that some of these were indicating that the HD servcies were on a par with SD for bit rate. She only agreed to pass my comments on the supervisor when I advised that I would be terminating my sub.

Also, larger television monitors tend to exemplify the loss of resolution - I have a 55" LED and even on the rugby last night, you could see the inferior quality on a couple of weeks ago.  Some of the native HD on FTA has definately jumped ahead of Foxtel/Austar.  I actually look forward to weeknights with shows like Ice Road Truckers, American Pickers, Megastructures etc.  Sure, there old repeats of National Geogrpahic but they come up really nice. Its just a pity GEM can't get their act together.

[SLE355]

With no 'before' figures it's game over, foxtel wins!

[pgdownload]

pc9, on Oct 17 2011, 09:20 AM, said:

and that some of these were indicating that the HD servcies were on a par with SD for bit rate.

As mentioned, that's a meaningless comparison. As for "HD", well its technically anything higher than 576p so Foxtel has plenty of room to vary its broadcast quality if it wants. However they're currently stating they haven't changed anything anyway?

BTW, assuming Foxtel decide to transmit a particular channel and they decide to transmit it in HD, is there any practical benefit in reducing the bitrate for that channel? Would the band width be directed to other (HD?) channels? Is Foxtel currently strapped for bandwidth capacity?

Regards

Peter Gillespie

[pc9]

SLE355, on Oct 17 2011, 11:14 AM, said:

With no 'before' figures it's game over, foxtel wins!

Foxtel/Austar win if they don't take a hit in their subscription rates.  Prepared to do what I can to highlight this issue and play my bit through cancelling sub.

You may be correct - judging by the number of people that continue to happily fork out big bucks for Foxtel's standard def services which must be some of the poorest quality broadcast television on the planet; so what hope have we?

Its all bout quantity; and f......k the quality I guess.

[BamBBBam]

pc9, on Oct 17 2011, 11:08 AM, said:

Foxtel's standard def services which must be some of the poorest quality broadcast television on the planet;

A lot of that is to do with the low quality output of the standard box. Foxtel SD channels look quite good  through HDMI,

[cnrmlj]

BamBBBam, on Oct 17 2011, 05:31 PM, said:

A lot of that is to do with the low quality output of the standard box. Foxtel SD channels look quite good  through HDMI,

Really? What SD channel? I have HDMI to my TV and all the SD channels look crap, especially when compared with the HD versions.

[pc9]

cnrmlj, on Oct 17 2011, 05:12 PM, said:

Really? What SD channel? I have HDMI to my TV and all the SD channels look crap, especially when compared with the HD versions.

Agree - outputing HDMI for Foxtel SD channels is like polishing a turd.

[quadhammer]

Is channel Nein broadcast on Foxxtel's iQ2?  The other FTA channels seem to have a separate HD channel, but Nein just looks to have the first and only one (100).

[HD Sports]

quadhammer, on Oct 18 2011, 11:58 AM, said:

Is channel Nein broadcast on Foxxtel's iQ2?  The other FTA channels seem to have a separate HD channel, but Nein just looks to have the first and only one (100).

Gem on 209 for cable subscribers

[miata]

HD Sports, on Oct 18 2011, 11:03 AM, said:

Gem on 209 for cable subscribers

And GO on 129 (Cable), so, two SD and one (supposedly) HD.