I currently have Foxtel digital using the Pace box.

Its OK, but I'm not overly impressed by the quality of picture, especially considering it is digital and comparing it with the FTA digital pictures from the Toppy.

I am consiodering getting the IQ box while the 10 year discount is on, and wonder if the IQ box offers any improvement in picture quality.

Can anyone who has gone from Foxtel digital using the Pace box to the IQ tell me if they have noticied any improvement in picture quality.

In the end it wont stop me from getting IQ if there isn't any improvement, but it might just make me jump a bit quicker if there is an improvment.

Digital Picture quality can be roughly approximated to the amount of data used to define the picture. FTA digital signals are around 7 Mbps. I believe Foxtel digital signals are around 3 Mbps. Foxtel compresses the signal before sending it out digitally. So Foxtel PQ is always going to be a bit 'fuzzier' then FTA digital (and probably even a good analogue transmission). The IQ won't alter this.

However I can't answer your query directly.

Regards

Peter Gillespie

The iQ takes exactly the same signal as the normal STU (the iQ is manufactured by Pace). There is no improvement in picture quality. Some channels look fine (movie channels, Channel 9, ABC, FOX Sports), the rest are of watchable quality on my 50" Panasonic, which is all I really require.

Yes I understand that, but as with SD and HD STB's, they aren't all equal and some process the signal better than others and hence produce a better picture. I was hoping the IQ box might do some better processing than the old Pace box, but given the low quality signal and the fact theat they are produced by the same maker, I guess it was too much to hope for an improvement.

Thanks for the response.

Well the IQ does have s-video out which the regular Foxtel digital STB doesn't have from memory. After connecting the IQ to s-video there was a noticeable although not mind blowing increase in PQ over a composite connection. I know the standard digital box does have a couple of SCART connections. However my display won't accept a SCART connection so I can not comment on the merits of this vis a vis a s-video or composite connection.

But my s-video connection leave me relatively satisfied, at least as much as I can be with the compressed signal that Foxtel blasts at us. Now if only we had HD satellite or cable as they have in the States?! I imagine ESPN in HD (as they offer over there) would look just amazing with the right display. Unfortunately it seems it will be years before we get to see that level of service delivery Downunder from Pay TV service providers.

There is no difference in PQ between the Pace box and the IQ. To get the best possible picture out of your IQ you need to use a good quality SCART to component cable. Make sure you change your setup before connecting the SCART to component cable first.

I didn't realise that I could use component. Have the box set up to output RGB but the connector is scart to composite.

I also have that cable double plugged to go to the plasma and also to an AV sender so that we can watch Fox in the family room.

If I use the scart to Component, I can't double plug that, but there are also composite outputs on the Foxtel box. I can put them straight into the AV sender, and presumably the RGB output will handle both component and composite.

Is that right?

Especially since the IQ is itself a Pace box.

:-)

Although it's a Pace box with a HDD & twin tuner. However, there's every possibilty they use the same design/components for their video outputs.

I have scart to component and optical sound I cannot tell the difference between my sony HD STB and the foxtel IQ. The picture is excellent. The IQ box is also fantastic to filter out the crap on foxtel. You just run through the EPG hit R on the programs you like and watch them at your leasure. And at $10 p/m you aint going to get a better deal on a HD recorder. It will take 5 years to even come close to the cheapest on the market (at the moment) and by that time they will be better and cheaper. The IQ makes foxtel a whole lot better. I am running a HD Sony 42" Plasma btw.

What display are you watching on? There should be an obvious difference between the Sony HD STB and the Foxtel picture, even through component. Movies on Foxtel, (especially IQ) will look good, but again shouldn't be a patch on true HD source from your Sony box (ie. CSI).

Personally the difference between S-video and Component from the Foxtel box is extremely marginal. I originally had mine connected via component, but have since reverted to S-Video due to a lack of available component inputs (Have HD STB, X-Box and DVD Player connected via component). I also have a Supernet SD PVR connected by S-Video, and the picture quality from that for the most part is superior to what I get from Foxtel.

That said, the IQ box is easy to use, and improves Foxtel greatly.. if only I had it!!

I was talking about the SD channels as foxtel is in SD. Yes the HD is slightly sharper. I personaly found the jump from svideo to component to be huge on the IQ. Prior to going scart to component I was slightly dissapointed with the picture quality out of SVIDEO. My display panel is a sony PFM42X1.

If I was you I would unplug the DVD from component and reconnect the Fox box. The picture quality is better. If this doesn't help then maybe your Fox box is faulty or you are using Foxtel supplied cables? Or maybe the IQ improves picture through component more than normal Fox box??? Don't know.

Whilst I can notice the difference between S-Video and component on some channels - particularly the movie channels, on most channels there's basically no difference in my opinion.

It's not that much of a hassle for me to reconnect the Foxtel via component to compare the differences again, so I might do that. My TV is the Sony KVHR36M31. The PACE Foxtel box isn't faulty, and I'm not using the POS cables provided by Foxtel. They actually only provided cheap Scart to 3xRCA cables, and didn't connect up the VCR. They didn't even set the display to 16:9, despite one of the boxes being configured on a 16:9 set. As I only have the regular PACE box, and not the iQ box, I am currently using a SCART to S-Video Adapter. With component I was using a SCART - Component adapter, and not a Scart-Component cable. I don't readily have access to a SCART to component cable, and I'm not going to buy one to get a potential marginal (if at all increase over the Scart-Component adapter) on an image that is essentially greatly limited by the source being provided by Foxtel.

You should still see a difference in the quality of the free to air channels 9, ABC and SBS (though PARTICULARLY with 9) when viewing it through the Sony STB, even when viewing SD material.

On the IQ you can use scart to component and svideo out to the AV sender.

I have scart to component and optical audio, on Movie channels and Fox sports the picture is of equivalent quality to what I get from FTA using a HD pioneer STB into a Pioneer 50"plasma. But some foxtel channels must be further compressed as the PQ is not as good, also some of the older material obviously doesnt come up as well. AS for sound you get Dolby Digital with many Showtime and Box Office movies which is good quality, though not as clear as in some DVDs.

My understanding is that IQ and the Pace STB are essentially the same beast except for the extra tuner and HDD. Also comprtession of nboth video and audio limits the quality.

I recommend running the scart component though it makes a big difference.