Saturday, November 15, 2008
Below is a table featuring the bitrates and codecs of popular HD content sources, including the major download services.
Note that bitrates are not the only measure of potential picture quality. Other factors to consider are the quality of the source material and the type of compression (codec) used.
Codecs differ in their efficiency in compressing the original picture. Theoretically, one codec could provide a much superior picture over another with both having the same file size. Nevertheless, the differences between codec efficiencies is currently not great enough to disregard bitrate–it’s still the best measure of potential picture quality.
| Type |
HD Source |
Bit-rates |
Codecs |
 |
Blu-ray |
40 mbps |
MPEG-2, VC-1, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) |
 |
ATSC HDTV (over-the-air) |
19.39 mbps |
MPEG-2 |
 |
Cable TV |
10-15 mbps |
MPEG-2 |
 |
Apple iTunes |
4.0 mbps |
MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) |
 |
Xbox Live |
6.8 mbps |
VC-1 |
 |
Hulu.com |
2.5 mbps |
MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) |
 |
Vudu HD |
4.0 mbps |
MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) |
|
Vudu HDX |
9.0 mbps (with bursts up to 20 mbps for action sequences) |
MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) |
Note: Bit rate is the amount of data that is processed per second as you watch the HD content.
Antennas Direct has just introduced the ClearStream 2 outdoor/indoor antenna. It’s 50 percent smaller than previous models and can pick up digital signals broadcast from within a range of 50 miles. According to Anntennas Direct’s website, the ClearStream 2 has the range and power of antennas up to 5 times its size, delivers TV signals from spread-out broadcast towers, and offers flexible aiming characteristics with an extremely wide beam width of 70 degrees.
With the analog shutoff, owning a good antenna is becoming even more important because digital signals have a much smaller cutoff range than analog signals. For instance, a weak analog signal would still display a “snowy” picture on your television, but with digital signals, no picture or a partial “frozen” picture would display as it tends to be all or nothing. Expect to see even more new antenna designs as the industry sees a resurgence.
The ClearStream 2 is being sold for $79 on Antennas Direct’s website and comes with a 90-day, no-fault return guarantee and a lifetime warranty.
Helpful Links:
ClearStream 2 HDTV outdoor antenna at Antennas Direct.
ClearStream 2 press release.
Ever wonder how much HD is available in your zip code? Where Is HD.com is a website that has the answers. You type in your zip code, and the site lists all the digital channels available in your area. The info is broken up by individual cable companies, which is useful for comparison shopping when choosing a cable provider, or by local broadcast channels (the over the air channels picked up by antenna). The site also shows what percentage of each channel’s content comes in HD. An example screenshot of the site showing a Chicago zip code is featured below.
You don’t need to have HD cable television in order to record high def content with an HD TiVO. The Series 3 HD TiVO is capable of recording local HD broadcasts picked up from an antenna. In fact, local over-the-air HD might be the only HD version of some television shows or sporting events available to viewers. This can be the case when the local cable provider has not upgraded their infrastructure to supply the channel in HD. Many people could not watch the last Super Bowl in HD for this reason.
The wide availability and abundance of over-the-air HD content , and the fact that it’s free, is one reason for the recent surge in antenna sales, as noted in a recent Newsweek article. Over-the-air HD broadcasts also have less compression than cable HD content, which can be important when suffering the double whammy of the broadcaster’s compression and the TiVO’s compression.
If you don’t have cable television but receive enough local digital broadcast channels, the Series 3 TiVO is still a great purchase. It can increase the amount of HD content available to you whenever you want it. If you compare the long-term savings of dropping cable television against the cost of an HD TiVO along with a Blu-ray player and Netflix and an XBOX 360 or Apple TV, you’ll save money by going for a pay-per-content model rather than cable television’s subscription model. The HD TiVo also allows you to download some digital content as well when combined with an Internet connection.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
When purchasing a HDTV, one thing to think about is where your HD content will come from. The current choices are HD cable TV packages, Blu-ray and HD-DVDs, and over-the-air (OTA) HD television. I chose the OTA route, and I’m extremely happy with the money I save and the amount of HD content I watch (which is more than enough in Chicago). The greatest benefit of OTA (besides saving money) is you’ll receive a clearer, purer HD broadcast signal than people who pay $100 and up for HD cable TV. Why is the picture better? OTA delivers a signal with less compression than cable services. You’ll see the HD content as your broadcaster intended. Cable providers must compress their signals more because of bandwidth concerns.
If you live in Chicago, these are the HD channels I receive in my Wicker Park ground-floor apartment:
- 2.1 - CBS
- 5.1 - NBC
- 7.1 – ABC
- 9.1 - CW
- 11.1 - PBS - One of my favorites, features great visually stunning HD programming like nature docs, etc.
- 201 - PBS
- 26.1 - IND
- 32.1 - FOX
- 38.1 - ION
- 44.1 - TEL
- 60.1 - TFA
- 66.1 - UNI
One of the requirements for receiving OTA HD is an antenna. The antenna I purchased was a cheap $20 Radio Shack UHF/VHF antenna (pictured at right). It works fine for picking up all the local channels (except CBS). In order to receive CBS, I must reposition the antenna, often in detriment to the other channels’ signal strengths. The reason for this is that the CBS broadcast tower is in a different location that the other stations, so I must turn my antenna to face that direction. (*2/09/08 update* The CBS signal seems to come in stronger now, and I rarely have to reposition it to get the signal. It ocassionally disappears still, though.)
One tip when shopping for an antenna is to be careful about paying a premium for “HDTV antennas,” as there is no such thing. If you live in Chicago or other urban television markets like New York, Dallas, etc, the website Antenna Web supplies information about how to optimize your signal strength. It provides a map service showing where broadcast towers are in relation to your address. Click here to try out their mapping service.
Other helpful links:
Google Map of Chicago televsion broadcast towers from HDTV Magazine.
“Over the Air Demystified” via EngadgetHD
Sound and Vision Magazine - “HDTV Over the Air”
