television question

[Mikey]

When I watch some TV shows or movies on ... digital cable or DVD some areas of the picture look funny ......

1. when there's a picture of closs together straight lines like someone wearing a pin-striped jacket or louvers in a far away window --- the lines flash, blend and "dance" all the time.

2. when there are 2 colours in the backgound that are similar and blend together (like a sky) where they blend it's always pixelly ...
This same pixelly effect also happens when the show has smoke or fog.

This happens on both store bought DVD's and my digital cable.
Is this a TV thing ?

If so, I never noticed this when I had regular cable or watched VHS tapes.

What's up ?

[cjefferys]

The second effect you mention is caused by digital artifacting. This is especially noticable with digital cable and satellite, because they usually compress the hell out of the digital video and the blockiness you see in the back ground is the result of poor compression. Some poorly mastered DVDs can exhibit these artifacts too (especially on larger screens where it is more noticable), but well mastered DVDs shouldn't have compression problems like that. Of course, if you are talking about "grey market" or copied DVDs, this will certainly happen, especially if someone compressed a dual layer disc to fit onto a single layer DVD-R. Then there is a good chance you will notice tons of compression artifacts like that. Too much digital information was squeezed and shrunk to comfortably fit onto a 4.7 gig disc, so something had to give, quality wise.

Anyway, it's not your TV, it's a poorly compressed digital source. This never happened with VHS or regular cable, because this effect only happens with digital signals, not analog.

I'm not sure what causes the other effect you mention, but I have seen that before. There's a word for it, but I forget what it is.

[Mikey]

I know the number 2 stuff happens on home burned compressed DVD's.
I have some like that.

But it's weird seeing it on digital cable.
Especially after all the hooplah about how digital cable is so great and the entire USA is changing over this year.

[Mikey]

BTW, my TV is just a regular 30 or 32" Sony picture tube TV I bought a few years ago.

[cjefferys]

I guess it depends on the cable company, but some really compress the signals badly, so that they can fit more channels in. I wasn't impressed with my digital cable at all (I recently cancelled it) and my father has DirectTV, and I think most of the channels look bad, I often see tons of compression artifacts in the background. It's just a case of the companies trying to save money by squeezing more channels in, and unfortunately the video quality takes a backseat. I'd much rather watch DVDs and Blu-rays than a movie on cable or satellite.

And yeah, even on a 32" tube TV you can notice when a signal has bad compression. I noticed it on my 27" tube. And once you notice it, it's hard not to see it.

[Vortigern99]

Of note here for Star Wars fans is that the remastered Special Edition DVDs don't have these problems, but the Theatrical Edition "bonus discs" do, since they were compressed from their laserdisc sources. It's especially noticeable during the Tatooine scenes from the original, and the Hoth scenes in Empire.

Argh.

[Mikey]

I've noticed a big problem is shows that are filmed outside in the woods with leaves blowing in the wind.
It's enough to make you dizzy.

Can someone answer my first problem ?
The lines dancing.
Is that the same problem ?

[cjefferys]

Of note here for Star Wars fans is that the remastered Special Edition DVDs don't have these problems, but the Theatrical Edition "bonus discs" do, since they were compressed from their laserdisc sources. It's especially noticeable during the Tatooine scenes from the original, and the Hoth scenes in Empire.

Argh.

Yeah, that was a crappy thing to do. And because they used the same source as they did for the laserdiscs, it also means that the picture is non-anamorphic, so it's a waste of time watching the original cuts on a widescreen TV. They look terrible compared to the "Special Edition" versions of the films.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I've seen the first thing you're describing a few times, on studio disks even. It's got something to do with transfering from film to digital, and it's pretty prevalent on older manufactured disks. The computer ends up shifting the plane certain things are on because of something to do with how it sees colour and contrast. If the light source in the film is moving at all (like a blowing leaf) the computer shifts back and forth and you get an odd wibbling effect.

I'm not using the technical terms here, and I'm kinda guessing at how it works; but I get a similar effect when I scan colour pics I've done.

Don C.

[jessica]

It's just you, Mike. I suggest to lay off on the sauce a little.

[Hector]