Freesat 1080p??

stimpson

I'm looking at ditching Sky and buying a Freesat box. I was considering the Humax Foxsat PVR dealie but I noticed that it's not Full HD. Is there a 1080p freesat box available?

I was also considering a Dreambox 800 PVR but can't find the HD specs. Anyone know if its Full HD?

Bob_Harris

All HD broadcasts are 1080i, whether it be on satellite or terrestrial.

1080p only comes on Blueray.

Sonic_exyouth

stimpson wrote: »

I'm looking at ditching Sky and buying a Freesat box. I was considering the Humax Foxsat PVR dealie but I noticed that it's not Full HD. Is there a 1080p freesat box available?

I was also considering a Dreambox 800 PVR but can't find the HD specs. Anyone know if its Full HD?

Not really true.. the max on the Humax is 1080i - http://www.hotukdeals.com/item/386179/humax-foxsat-hdr-freesat-pvr-richer/

stimpson

Sonic_exyouth wrote: »

Not really true.. the max on the Humax is 1080i - http://www.hotukdeals.com/item/386179/humax-foxsat-hdr-freesat-pvr-richer/

1080i isn't full HD

John mac

Bob_Harris wrote: »

All HD broadcasts are 1080i, whether it be on satellite or terrestrial.

1080p only comes on Blueray.

+1

Bob_Harris

stimpson wrote: »

1080i isn't full HD

Any set top box which is 1080p (probably very few) has no reason to be 1080p. Your TV will de-interlace 1080i just as well as any set top box will.

EDIT:
Just to point out that not all HD broadcasts are 1080i, some will be 720p.

stimpson

Bob_Harris wrote: »

Any set top box which is 1080p (probably very few) has no reason to be 1080p. Your TV will de-interlace 1080i just as well as any set top box will.

EDIT:
Just to point out that not all HD broadcasts are 1080i, some will be 720p.

Fair enough. That's good to know.

So does anyone have insight on the Humax VS the Dreambox?

kuro_man

the so-called "full hd" is a marketing term, designed to manipulate consumers. So are refresh rates (eg. 120hz, 200hz), contrast ratio etc. They mean very little in the real world and do not guarantee the best picture.
The overall picture quality is probably mostly to with source (high bit-rate DVD pictures @ 576p can look excellent), image processing (de-interlacing, telecine (pulldown), scaling etc.) and screen quality (colour gamut/accuracy, black levels, gamma, response time etc.)

1080i had the same resolution as 1080p but is interlaced. 720p is HD.
BBC HD broadcasts 1080i. Sport channels often broadcast in 720p as it is supposed to help motion blur (depending on the TV). Obviously, resolution helps but there is no point getting bogged down on 1080i v 1080p.

ScrubsfanChris

Bob_Harris wrote: »

1080p only comes on Blueray.

Or HD-DVD

watty

1080i and 1080p are EXACTLY the same number of pixels.

EXACTLY the same HD resolution.

The difference is that 1/2 the lines are updated alternately for 1080i and All the lines are updated in the same time for 1080p

In the USA there is an issue converting from Film (24fps) to TV 30fps in (i) as it uses what is called 3:2 pulldown to convert the frame rate. This means a TV frame made out of two separate film frames. You see horrid "comb" artifact. This does not occur in Europe as the 25fps doesn't use that method of conversion. This is why there is a USA/Japan obsession with 1080p. Here it really doesn't matter.

Region 1 DVDs (not even HD) can be played progressive, as unlike transmission, the Region1 DVDs are stored as 24fps progressive and the DVD player does the interlacing. Our DVDs have adjusted sound track and can be played 25fps interlaced with no issue, or Progressive on some "so called" 100Hz TVs.

720p uses the same transmission bandwidth as 1080i It's half the resolution of 1080i or 1080p. But twice the temporal resolution of 1080i. This means fast moving things are half as blurred. But Humans can't see fast moving things sharply. So the best advantage is 720p in USA for Film Source as it avoids the 3:2 pull down artifiacts we don't have.

Sport here is usually 1080i. 720p is only much used in USA.