RTE Two transmitting in HD resolution

breaux · 03-12-2010 12:23PM

desm52 wrote: »

I have a Sagem Picnic so my RTE Two isn't working anymore. As I'm in Northern Ireland I'm thinking of getting a Humax HD-FOX T2 Freeview HD box so I can also get Freeview HD when it arrives in NI in 2012. Can anyone confirm if it works OK with RTE Two in HD?

Can see now why they called it a "Picnic". Anyway good why it lasted and the other channels including radio are still there. Any recommendations from here.?

Mayo Exile · 03-12-2010 12:35PM

fat-tony wrote: »

but this can cause odd aspect ratio problems when TVs sometimes assume all HD material is 16:9 depending on how they are configured.

Yes this would be a problem for my Sony W4000 & V4500 TV's. You can't select the 4:3 aspect ratio when the TV's are receiving HD (1080 line) transmissions. So any upscaled material originally shot in 4:3 couldn't be displayed properly on them. LG TV's (LH2000 series) are ok. Can select 4:3, even in HD mode.

03-12-2010 12:41PM

Mayo Exile wrote: »

Yes this would be a problem for my Sony W4000 & V4500 TV's. You can't select the 4:3 aspect ratio when the TV's are receiving HD (1080 line) transmissions. So any upscaled material originally shot in 4:3 couldn't be displayed properly on them. LG TV's (LH2000 series) are ok. Can select 4:3, even in HD mode.

Same with my parents' Philips. They have their SkyHD box set to 1080i as the upscaler in the box delivers better picture quality on SD than the TV itself. But the aspect ratio override is disabled on 720p/1080i so everything is stretched to 16:9. I believe Virgin Media boxes in the UK handle this themselves (by pillarboxing 4:3 programmes when upscaling) but Sky boxes just stretch everything.

I never tested my Samsung C530 on HDMI but it does allow manual aspect ratio switching on RTÉ Two alright.

philahern · 03-12-2010 12:42PM

breaux wrote: »

Can see now why they called it a "Picnic". Anyway good why it lasted and the other channels including radio are still there. Any recommendations from here.?

I have the rf loop out sent to the tv on my parents old tv. They are using the epg on the digital and watching 3e, news now etc and when they see something they want to watch on 2, they switch back to tv. Works in the meantime til I update their tv for them and is still better than the analogue.

Mayo Exile · 03-12-2010 12:51PM

Karsini wrote: »

Same with my parents' Philips. They have their SkyHD box set to 1080i as the upscaler in the box delivers better picture quality on SD than the TV itself. But the aspect ratio override is disabled on 720p/1080i so everything is stretched to 16:9. I believe Virgin Media boxes in the UK handle this themselves (by pillarboxing 4:3 programmes when upscaling) but Sky boxes just stretch everything.

I never tested my Samsung C530 on HDMI but it does allow manual aspect ratio switching on RTÉ Two alright.

Hopefully they will do this. Must keep an eye out for older programming in the schedules to see if they do.

EDIT: Theres an episode of the Simpsons due on at 6pm. If its one of the older ones it should be a 4:3 original production.

Rick_ · 03-12-2010 03:59PM

It will be, RTÉ are nowhere near showing the 16:9 HD episodes of The Simpsons yet. Some older childrens programming is also in 4:3 so keep an eye on it.

Hopefully they will send the correct signals so it is properly pillarboxed. The SD channel was, so hopefully the HD one will too.

watty · 03-12-2010 04:16PM

Mayo Exile wrote: »

Hopefully they will do this. Must keep an eye out for older programming in the schedules to see if they do.

EDIT: Theres an episode of the Simpsons due on at 6pm. If its one of the older ones it should be a 4:3 original production.

The Simpsons was 4:3 but not window boxed in transmission

fat-tony · 03-12-2010 04:50PM

I noticed that, too, yesterday. I'm sure they'll tweak the encoder settings to pillarbox 4:3 transmissions (or if they switch off the WSS, that should work on my TV as I have it set to 4:3).

foxire · 03-12-2010 05:52PM

When I switched to RTE 2 last night I got sound and a blank screen. I guessed that RTE 2 was broadcasting in HD. I have a picnic box from October 2009 so that I could get RTE. I can still get that other channels in digital and switch to analogue for RTE 2 on the picnic box.

I am from Co. Tyrone and RTE 2 are the first television station to broadcast in HD here. I will not be able to get freeview HD until late 2012 or early 2013 as I am getting freeview from Brougher mountain.

foxire

Mayo Exile · 03-12-2010 07:09PM

Paddy C wrote: »

It will be, RTÉ are nowhere near showing the 16:9 HD episodes of The Simpsons yet. Some older childrens programming is also in 4:3 so keep an eye on it.

Hopefully they will send the correct signals so it is properly pillarboxed. The SD channel was, so hopefully the HD one will too.

Simpsons on now, but its "stretchyvision". Hopefully will correct this in the future.

Charlie-Bravo · 03-12-2010 08:59PM

Magners League, Scarlets V Leinster on at the moment in HD (info has 16:9 1080i) on RTE Two. Pic looks good with a bog standard All4one Aerial off the Greystones relay.

glineli · 03-12-2010 09:41PM

So is it time for the walker stb or any other stb? The picnic was grand while it lasted

Any suggestions on a stb would be great, thanks

Gipo3 · 03-12-2010 09:52PM

The leinster match is upscaled. I have not seen any program in hd, all been upscaled.

glineli · 03-12-2010 10:00PM

Gipo3 wrote: »

The leinster match is upscaled. I have not seen any program in hd, all been upscaled.

Stupid question but how can you tell that it's only upscaled?

Gipo3 · 03-12-2010 10:04PM

Obviously you have never seen hd broadcast of rugby or any other sport. HD is much better than what rte were broadcasting.

03-12-2010 10:06PM

I could see it in the onscreen text, it wasn't as crisp as you'd normally see on a HD broadcast.

glineli · 03-12-2010 10:08PM

Gipo3 wrote: »

Obviously you have never seen hd broadcast of rugby or any other sport. HD is much better than what rte were broadcasting.

I have BBC hd but the question was more about are you just guessing or looking at something on the epg or some other way

SRB · 03-12-2010 10:47PM

BBC2 Northern Ireland also carried the match, as did BBC2 Wales, as neither have HD services, I doubt there would have been an HD version.

watty · 03-12-2010 10:52PM

glineli wrote: »

Stupid question but how can you tell that it's only upscaled?

Real HD <----

> Up-scaled to HD

If RTE up-scale at their end, it's HD for the TV even if it isn't. Your eye can tell. Nothing else can.

glineli · 03-12-2010 11:10PM

watty wrote: »

Real HD <----
> Up-scaled to HD

Thanks watty. I was asking was there anyway to know either through the epg, maybe the info button on the tv or some other way If it's hd. The info button just says 1080i and hd

10000maniacs · 03-12-2010 11:14PM

Mayo Exile wrote: »

+1.

If theres any money left in RTE for a marketing campaign the weeks proceeding the start of the 2011 GAA championships could be a good time to push RTE2 HD or maybe even for the Six Nations rugby.

Would RTE broadcast these events all in HD? If I remember rightly, RTE switched to widescreen just before the start of the 2005 GAA championship season on the Sky platform.

I don't agree.
After 12 years of b0ll0x0logy what do we end up with?, four SD channels and one HD channel that......wait for it, only shows material in SD.
Not very impressive.

03-12-2010 11:17PM

glineli wrote: »

Thanks watty. I was asking was there anyway to know either through the epg, maybe the info button on the tv or some other way If it's hd. The info button just says 1080i and hd

No the TV won't know whether the programme is upscaled or not, as the upscaling is done on the other end. The TV will show 1080i HD regardless.

Biffo The Bare · 03-12-2010 11:31PM

10000maniacs wrote: »

I don't agree.
After 12 years of b0ll0x0logy what do we end up with?, four SD channels and one HD channel that......wait for it, only shows material in SD.
Not very impressive.

Sounds like you were describing Fianna Fail over the last 12 years.

Mayo Exile · 03-12-2010 11:43PM

10000maniacs wrote: »

I don't agree.
After 12 years of b0ll0x0logy what do we end up with?, four SD channels and one HD channel that......wait for it, only shows material in SD.
Not very impressive.

I understand what your saying. Indeed there have been years of pfaffing about and wasted opportunities regarding the rollout of DTT here. But considering that economic armageddon is about to descend on us from Tuesday of next week, I'm merely happy that some form of DTT has got off the ground.

watty · 03-12-2010 11:57PM

The "Full Public Launch" is not till May 2011

byte · 04-12-2010 12:01AM

I'd hope that when RTÉ 2 is airing HD content, it'll add "HD" to the DOG, so as people can tell if what they're watching is HD or just upscaled. Obviously, the better picture should help, but a graphic or better still, listed on the Info would do the trick.

Mayo Exile · 04-12-2010 12:06AM

watty wrote: »

The "Full Public Launch" is not till May 2011

Hopefully the IMF will agree to the go ahead!

watty · 04-12-2010 12:08AM

The Government hopes to get €500M OUT of DTT, they have not, nor intend putting a cent in. http://www.techtir.ie/saortv/digital-dividend

So Tuesday has no effect.

plats74 · 04-12-2010 12:15AM

the walker wp11dtp set top box receiver at €99.50 from powercity.

04-12-2010 12:24AM

plats74 wrote: »

the walker wp11dtp set top box receiver at €99.50 from powercity.

is that a standardised 'saorview' box or just compatible?

RTE Two transmitting in HD resolution

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