Best regional digital channel

[thesatelliteguy]

What regional channel do you think has been the best for digital so far? I'm talking about things from rollouts and startup dates to picture quality and services.

Satelliteguy

[DrP]

For me it's 7 QLD (*gasp*). They provide the most complete digital service out of the commercials here (7 QLD, SC10, WIN). We get SD video + 256 L2 audio, HD (yeah, yeah I know its not HD) + 256 L2 + 384k AC3 (the AC3 audio is still broken, sigh) and have been doing it for far longer than the other two. Although damage to the TX tower caused significant delays with the SC10 and WIN, so they can't be blamed for that.

WIN only provide SD video (and its crap at that. How the hell do they get it to look so crap when it is the highest bitrate run here, peaking at ~8Mbit/sec) and 192k L2 audio. The audio sounds like its been put through the wringer a few times too. HD - well its nice if you like nothing but the 9 HD loop and once again 192k L2 audio. That's right no AC3. Oh, and the audio level is WAY too high, with significant clipping. WIN does have N&N, but quite often it only has the program title and nothing else.

SC10 only provides a SD service with 256k L2 audio.

Since I only have a SD TV at present, 7 QLD and SC10 rate the same really. PQ and SD audio quality on both are good. WIN rates at the bottom on both audio and video quality.

Mackay QLD.

[thesatelliteguy]

woops didn't realise this post was supposed to be posted in that new forum. Sorry. Someone could move it there.

satelliteguy

[kenneth1503559512]

woops didn't realise this post was supposed to be posted in that new forum. Sorry. Someone could move it there.

satelliteguy

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Coral created it after this post was created.

[mylesau]

For me it's 7 QLD (*gasp*).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I fully agree. 7 has it hands down. 9 & 10 fail in comparison, with 9 being the worst partly because it has introduced some picture faults (block errors) into the "4:3 in a 16:9'ish format picture" on analogue, which often shows up in the digital stream as well. This has got to be a problem in their equipment as the fault is being broadcast, i.e. its not interference.

There is no HD from the three comercial stations (WIN HD Loop but that doesn't count, nor does 7ED - 7SD IMHO is better, 10 don't broadcast HD at all)...

Widebay QLD.

[Keen]

Nah I don't think Seven are really that good.

I think Southern Cross provides the best Video/Audio quality (I'm talking strictly SD).

Win's quality is usally very good or shonky. But when it's good, it's audio is very good too and is the best, but when it's bad it's pretty appaling.

Keen

[rochford]

TDT - simply because they have (by existing) done more for the uptake of digital television in Tasmania than anyone else has (or will?).

- Miles.

[DrP]

WIN transmits its audio at 192k everywhere I have looked. The best encoded 192k simply can not complete with a 'normal' 256k encode which is what the others bar SBS use. SBS also uses 192k. SBS' audio is far superior to WIN's. Comparing the audio as broadcast by 9 to what is broadcast by WIN is nothing short of an ear opener. Even making allowances for the lower bitrate used by WIN, it is still poor. The only way I can reproduce WIN quality is by running CDDA through toolame at 192k 5 or 6 times. Yes, its that bad. Anyone that doubts me, I'll happily supply you with samples from a few locales.

Incidentally, there is no excuse at all for supplying 192k audio. Both WIN and SBS have sufficient nulls in their transmissions to accomodate the additional 64k without reducing any of their other streams (and yes, I have dumped out a considerable amount of their transmissions and at no time do either of them in any region they broadcast in ever fully utilise their transport stream).

[Guest]

for me it's prime, even thought they have turned their transmitter off for the past 5 days or so... they are the only one to have switched anything on at all...