Hi,
This is not a complaint per se. I'm running mediaportal on a sandybridge CPU, over HDMI to a 4k TV. TV reports 1080p input with OTA signals using hauppage PCI tuners.
My wife has a Comcast cable box, also 1080p.
I have noticed that the cable box picture quality is significantly better in terms of both sharpness and color saturation, even when I compare identical channels with the OTA being a 1080i signal. I can switch the HDMI input from cable to mediaportal to compare.
I have worked in video before and I know there are lots of variables but I thought that a 1080i OTA signal was about as good as it gets. Many OTA channels are 480 or 720 and in this case I assume Comcast is probably receiving a 1080i version so that's no surprise. Playing Netflix natively on the TV (I don't have 4k Netflix) is even better than the cable box for some shows.
We recently switched to the 4k TV but it actually seemed that the picture quality using the HTPC on the previous 1080p TV was better (was using mediacenter at that time).
When a microATX MB with HDMI 2.0 is available I'll build a new 4k HTPC but just wondering why the big difference.
Thanks
This is not a complaint per se. I'm running mediaportal on a sandybridge CPU, over HDMI to a 4k TV. TV reports 1080p input with OTA signals using hauppage PCI tuners.
My wife has a Comcast cable box, also 1080p.
I have noticed that the cable box picture quality is significantly better in terms of both sharpness and color saturation, even when I compare identical channels with the OTA being a 1080i signal. I can switch the HDMI input from cable to mediaportal to compare.
I have worked in video before and I know there are lots of variables but I thought that a 1080i OTA signal was about as good as it gets. Many OTA channels are 480 or 720 and in this case I assume Comcast is probably receiving a 1080i version so that's no surprise. Playing Netflix natively on the TV (I don't have 4k Netflix) is even better than the cable box for some shows.
We recently switched to the 4k TV but it actually seemed that the picture quality using the HTPC on the previous 1080p TV was better (was using mediacenter at that time).
When a microATX MB with HDMI 2.0 is available I'll build a new 4k HTPC but just wondering why the big difference.
Thanks