mpeg4 tv vs mpeg4 box

jaya

what difference does it make if a tv does mpeg4 feeview if i can get a box to do it externally ?

is it better to have the tv do it with regards to quality of picture, or is it just about having one remote and one epg ?

Sam Russell

How many zappers can you cope with? The quality depends on the TV mainly.

Minstrel27

jaya wrote: »

what difference does it make if a tv does mpeg4 feeview if i can get a box to do it externally ?

is it better to have the tv do it with regards to quality of picture, or is it just about having one remote and one epg ?

My tv does MPEG 4 DTT and the picture is perfect.

sesswhat

With the right connections, you should be able to achieve similar quality with a STB.

However I would still not buy a new TV without mpeg4.

slegs

The main reason for having an inbuilt DTT tuner is for countries where a full service is provided over DTT (like UK for Freeview). That way you may never need a set top box. When Pay DTT is available in Ireland this will be possible with MPEG4 TVs (with the addition of a compatible CAM and subscription card).

The reality is that most people in the future will want PVR functionality which is really only available by adding a set top box. So for most people they will use their inbuilt TV DTT tuner fairly infrequently.

As said already though I would prefer to have the capability and choose an MPEG4 DTT TV than one without MPEG4.

jaya

Sam Russell wrote: »

How many zappers can you cope with? The quality depends on the TV mainly.

http://www.e4.com/peepshow/megatron.html ...lol.

so remotes aside, ...there are good and bad tuners, sometimes they're in tvs and sometimes thay're in boxes ? its feasible that a tv with a bad tuner would have an improved picture with a better external box ?

are tv tuners generally good ?

when the rollout happens what price will a good box be ? 30e or 300e, basic hd no pvr ?

STB

Depends on what you mean by bad tuner

All tuners that are MPEG2 tuner are bad tuners. Not alone that, they should not be sold here at all. Basic LCDs should incoporate MPEG4 technology. Tescos/Curry/Dixons need to realise that we are no longer a here for their convenience.

Why would you buy an TV with a tuner that will never work ? Why would you put yourself to additional expense of buying a set top box for something that is the basic of a television?

Would you buy a car if you were told that the headlights would never work ?

TVs are still TVs. The tuner is a basics requirement of any TV and anything outside of the FTA platform can be added to with a box ! Anyone who tells you otherwise is from Sky or someone sitting on a warehouse of cheap obsolete and irrelevant products.

I wonder how many houses the conversations goes..... have you the remote ? This one ? No not that one the TV one. This one ? No thats for the DVD player..... I dont have it. Look its beside you. Nah thats the DTT receiver one. etc etc etc. The only winners there are the battery manufacturers.

jaya

i was looking at the lg vs the competing panny plasma.

the advantage the panny has is
- a glare reflective coating which is a bonus for the tv location
- no image retention, with the lg its a bit of a lottery (some guys got unlucky)

panny disadvantage is no mpeg4, ...but im not sure what the real term consequences of that will be what options i will have if i go with the panny 2 years down the line, ....it'll still do sky and upc or a freeview stb right, thru a different tuner ?

Sam Russell

You should only buy a TV that has an MPEG4 tuner and is MHEG5 compliant. Most of the Sony ones are and LG ones. The quality of the tuner is irrelevant, it's digital and it either works or it does not. Get one that has a good picture and is FULL HD, HD ready is ready for nothing. You should look for one that carries the SAORview logo, but there are none at present. The advantage will be that firmware will be updated over the air, and it is guaranteed compliant. STB are a sticking plaster fix, and not a proper solution.

Freesat and Mpeg4 sets will provide a full solution, subscription free, if you do not need sports or movies. Those sets are available now.

slegs

Sam Russell wrote: »

You should only buy a TV that has an MPEG4 tuner and is MHEG5 compliant. Most of the Sony ones are and LG ones. The quality of the tuner is irrelevant, it's digital and it either works or it does not. Get one that has a good picture and is FULL HD, HD ready is ready for nothing. You should look for one that carries the SAORvision logo, but there are none at present. The advantage will be that firmware will be updated over the air, and it is guaranteed compliant. STB are a sticking plaster fix, and not a proper solution.

Freesat and Mpeg4 sets will provide a full solution, subscription free, if you do not need sports or movies. Those sets are available now.

that should be Saorview not Saorvision

jaya

Sam Russell wrote: »

The quality of the tuner is irrelevant, it's digital and it either works or it does not.

thats just the reception no, enough info to error check ? it still has to display it


by the way, thanks for all the help guys

jaya

PANASONIC VIERA TXP42X10
42 inch
plasma
1024 x 768

LG 37LF7700
37 inch
LCD
1920 x 1080
Freeview
freesat HD

these are the contenders, i have an lg lcd and a panny plasma already, im leaning towards the panny as viewing distance will be 9'/10' and dont plan on attaching a bluray to it, i might attach a hd stb down the line, but from what i read most broadcasts aren't recorded at 1080 so blueray gets the swing vote on whether to go 720 or 1080.

Sam Russell

jaya wrote: »

PANASONIC VIERA TXP42X10
42 inch
plasma
1024 x 768

LG 37LF7700
37 inch
LCD
1920 x 1080
Freeview
freesat HD

these are the contenders, i have an lg lcd and a panny plasma already, im leaning towards the panny as viewing distance will be 9'/10' and dont plan on attaching a bluray to it, i might attach a hd stb down the line, but from what i read most broadcasts aren't recorded at 1080 so blueray gets the swing vote on whether to go 720 or 1080.

The LG would get my vote.

STB

jaya wrote: »

PANASONIC VIERA TXP42X10
42 inch
plasma
1024 x 768

LG 37LF7700
37 inch
LCD
1920 x 1080
Freeview
freesat HD

these are the contenders, i have an lg lcd and a panny plasma already, im leaning towards the panny as viewing distance will be 9'/10' and dont plan on attaching a bluray to it, i might attach a hd stb down the line, but from what i read most broadcasts aren't recorded at 1080 so blueray gets the swing vote on whether to go 720 or 1080.

Well thats a no brainer. The panasonic has a dvb-t tuner that wont work in Ireland.

The LG has 2 tuners. A HD freesat tuner and a dvb-t that can decode Irish DTT mpeg4 through the same mpeg4 processor and does work in Ireland.

By the way the 42lf 7700 is full hd.

jaya

thanks for the votes, (wheres the thumbs up thanks icon gone, i lost my regular account with the hacking, i guess im back to pleb status, ill thank your rep when i get promoted )

...i was viewing the panny as a panel, ...cable/sky now, ...then when the full roll out comes wondering what options id have with it, maybe switch to freeview by adding a combo box or something.

have you any guesstimates on the roll out date, your gut feeling rather than the stuff in the news ? i wont hold you to it ...:D






{ .....just got pleb promotion, thumbs up all round }

snaps

jaya wrote: »

PANASONIC VIERA TXP42X10
42 inch
plasma
1024 x 768

LG 37LF7700
37 inch
LCD
1920 x 1080
Freeview
freesat HD

these are the contenders, i have an lg lcd and a panny plasma already, im leaning towards the panny as viewing distance will be 9'/10' and dont plan on attaching a bluray to it, i might attach a hd stb down the line, but from what i read most broadcasts aren't recorded at 1080 so blueray gets the swing vote on whether to go 720 or 1080.

LG all the way!

eoghan95

mpeg4 stb, philex skyline, on sale in expert in arnotts henry st for 80 euro. Has anyone tried one, philex is a reasonable enough brand and the price is a lot better than powercity or peats.

Sam Russell

eoghan95 wrote: »

mpeg4 stb, philex skyline, on sale in expert in arnotts henry st for 80 euro. Has anyone tried one, philex is a reasonable enough brand and the price is a lot better than powercity or peats.

Does it do HD?

STB

eoghan95 wrote: »

mpeg4 stb, philex skyline, on sale in expert in arnotts henry st for 80 euro. Has anyone tried one, philex is a reasonable enough brand and the price is a lot better than powercity or peats.

Be careful when buying one of these as their is also a FTA satellite box called philex skyline which does not do DTT.

And I presume its the box called the "Skyline MPEG4 Freeview" that I have seem on ebay for €60. Apparently plays avi's as well.

The Sigmatek HD520 does the same and plays mkvs.

Havent seen any cofirmation of the Skylines working here.

Sam Russell

Sam Russell wrote: »

How many zappers can you cope with? The quality depends on the TV mainly.

Thats very true but you have to consider whether there is more functionality on a STB as well.

carrolls

Minstrel27 wrote: »

My tv does MPEG 4 DTT and the picture is perfect.

The only thing with a built in DTT tuner is there is no internal upscaling done in the same way as a HDMI STB would do it.

kuro_man

It is quiet difficult to compare these tv's: 42" v 37", plasma v LCD, 1080 v 768, freesat/mpeg4 v freeview. They seem to me to be poles apart except for price.

Surely when buying a TV, picture quality is the top priority - you should get the best picture for the money. Despite the higher resolution there is no guarantee that the LG will give you a better picture. As you said, SD material often looks better when scaled to 720 rather than 1080. You have to view both and decide (or at least, view serveral plasmas and several LCDs and see what you prefer).

There is no right answer for which of these TV's is better, it depends on you and the room.

Personally, I always favour plasmas - I think they just look better but each to their own. I have yet to see an LCD (1080 or not) that comes close to my (720) 42" but I am keeping an open mind.